Story: The New Wing Luke Asian Museum

We don’t call it Chinatown, it’s the International District. And it is, it’s Chinese, sure, but it’s also Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and loads more. During the time I’ve lived in Seattle, it’s gone from the site of ramshackle flop houses and weird smelling supermarkets with unidentifiable produce to a shinier neighborhood with a handsome new gate, an expansive and attractive international grocery mecca, and a hang out for hip Japanese kids with remarkable hair.

The latest change involved moving the Wing Luke Asian Museum from a cramped and somewhat tired space to stunning new digs on King Street. We visited on a Thursday because First Thursdays are free.

I’m generally content to shell out for museum admissions, was happy for a free preview because there’s not a lot going on in the exhibit spaces just yet. Some of the historical objects and displays that tell the story of our Asian immigrant population are up, but they were sharing space with a media extravaganza. The community galleries were empty, as were some of the other spaces and while it was a little disappointing to see so little on display, it was nice to get to see the building in its fresh out of the wrapper state. One of the first major exhibits scheduled is one focusing on native Hawaiian culture - I’m looking forward to going back when the museum has their A game on.

The most magnificent thing we saw by far - and I expect it will hold its wonder over time - was the theater curtain from an early 1900s International District movie theater. The curtain is covered with had painted advertisements from the theater’s hey days - it hangs in the museum’s beautiful little auditorium under stage spots. The back windows of the theater look out on to one of the International District’s remaining renovated brick buildings. It’s a beautiful thing, the way they did not hide the less than perfect face of the neighborhood from inside the immaculate new space. I have my doubts if the “view” will last, but even when the surroundings change, the curtain will be a thing of beauty.

The ID, as we locals call it, still has plenty of crazy people, ethic diversity, weird smells, and surface texture - as well as being a fantastic place to get lunch. I’m pleased that most of the development happening there seems to be carefully keeping the neighborhood’s character intact. And with the new museum in place, there's now a beautiful home for the neighborhood's history.