Seattle Art Museum
historic place
The Seattle Art Museum, located in King County, has a history rooted in earlier art organizations. It was formally established in 1933. The museum's origins trace back to the Seattle Fine Arts Society, founded in 1905, and the Washington Arts Association, established in 1906. These groups merged to form the Art Institute of Seattle in 1917. In 1931, Richard E. Fuller and his mother, Margaret MacTavish Fuller, provided $250,000 to construct the first museum building in Volunteer Park. The city of Seattle supplied the land. This original Art Deco-style building, designed by architect Carl F. Gould, opened on June 23, 1933. Richard E. Fuller served as the museum's director for four decades. The museum's main collection relocated to a new downtown facility on First Avenue in December 1991. The original Volunteer Park building then became the Seattle Asian Art Museum in 1994. In 2007, the Olympic Sculpture Park opened as a third venue. The Seattle Art Museum has evolved into a significant cultural institution in the Pacific Northwest.