Aptly located inside Italian Hall – built in 1908 as a social hub for the area's Italian community – this small, interactive museum sheds light on the oft-overlooked history of Southern California's Italian diaspora. Panels, touch screens and a handful of historical artifacts explore numerous themes, including early Italian pioneers, discrimination and Italian-American success stories (look out for Frank Zappa's 1987 Grammy Award trophy). The museum also hosts rotating exhibitions of Italian-American art.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Italian Hall itself is the site of América Tropical, a celebrated mural by 20th-century Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros. To view it, head to the América Tropical Interpretive Center a few doors down from the museum.
