Long Beach Museum of Art facts for kids

The Long Beach Museum of Art is a cool place to visit in Long Beach, California. It's right on Ocean Boulevard in the Bluff Park area.

This museum has a huge collection of over 4,000 art pieces! You can see paintings, drawings, sculptures, and other beautiful items. They have a special focus on American decorative arts, early 20th-century art from Europe, California Modern art, and modern art from California.

The museum is part of the North American Reciprocal Museums program. This means if you're a member of another museum in the program, you might get in for free! It's also officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums, which shows it's a top-notch museum.

History of the Museum Building

The building where the Long Beach Museum of Art is located has a rich history. It was built in 1912 as a winter home for a very wealthy woman named Elizabeth Milbank Anderson. She was a generous person who inherited money from her father, Jeremiah Milbank. He was a successful businessman who helped start the Borden Company.

Elizabeth Milbank Anderson (1850–1921) was a strong and interesting woman. She was good at business, loved to help others, and collected art. She traveled a lot, especially to Europe. In 1905, she started the Milbank Memorial Fund to give money to medical and educational projects. This fund still exists today! She also donated a library and land for a college building in New York City. She even built public facilities for people in need, like a sports arena and public baths. Her husband, Abram A. Anderson, was a famous portrait painter and a friend of President Teddy Roosevelt.

In 1926, the house became Long Beach's first social club, called the Club California Casa Real. It was a place for people to socialize, play sports, and enjoy the beach.

From 1929 to 1944, a man named Thomas A. O'Donnell owned the house. He was a pioneer in California's oil industry. He helped develop oil fields and was a leader in big oil companies.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy used the house as a club for their Chief Petty Officers. In 1950, the City of Long Beach bought the house to turn it into an art center. In 1957, it officially became the Long Beach Museum of Art.

Today, the City of Long Beach still owns the museum. However, a private group called the Long Beach Museum of Art Foundation manages its daily activities. In the late 1990s, this foundation raised money to completely restore the old building. They also moved the old carriage house and built a new two-story exhibition hall. All this work was finished in September 2000.

The original house and carriage house (now called the Miller Education Center) were designed by the Milwaukee Building Company. This company also built other homes for the Milbank family. Later, the Milwaukee Building Company became Meyer & Holler, a famous firm that designed many important buildings. They designed the famous Chinese and Egyptian Theaters in Hollywood! In Long Beach, they designed the Ocean Center Building and Walker's Department Store.

Visiting the Museum

You can visit the Long Beach Museum of Art from Thursday to Sunday, between 11 AM and 3 PM.

The museum also has a cafe with amazing ocean views and outdoor tables. It's called Claire's at the Museum. It's a great spot for lunch and a very popular place for weekend brunch. The restaurant is named after Claire Falkenstein, an American sculptor. She created the cool fountain in the restaurant, called Structure and Flow. It has twisting metal designs and was given to the museum in 1972.

Learning and Programs

The museum is a great place for students and kids to show off their art! They have a special area called the Toyota Student Gallery, where they display artwork made by children from the community.

Since 1999, the museum has offered a program called KidsVisions. This program teaches art to all fifth-grade students in the Long Beach Unified School District. The lessons follow important art guidelines for schools.

The museum also offers free Toyota Tours for all school groups, whether they are public or private schools.

If you have a group of 10 to 15 people, you can also schedule a special tour led by an educator.

See also

• List of City of Long Beach Historic Landmarks
• Sue Ann Robinson