Grace Nicholson, a major dealer and collector of Native American and Asian art, commissioned this purpose-built "Treasure House of Oriental Art" in the mid-1920s as both showroom and residence. The building, designed by the Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury office, opened as one of Pasadena's most idiosyncratic revival structures, a museum and gallery complex evoking a Chinese imperial palace. In 1943, Nicholson donated the property to the City of Pasadena for art and cultural purposes while retaining personal quarters until her death in 1948. The commission stands as a rare example of client-driven design within the Marston office's predominantly residential and institutional portfolio, revealing how collector culture and cross-Pacific fascination shaped Southern California architecture.
The building presents a theatrical sequence of courtyards, ornamental details, and carefully staged procession as important as its street-facing facades. Architectural elements reference Chinese imperial forms while creating an immersive environment for the display of Asian art and artifacts. The complex's spatial organization moves visitors through a series of gallery rooms and outdoor courts, each designed to frame and contextualize the collection within an Orientalist fantasy of cultural authenticity. Ornamental tilework, carved woodwork, and traditional rooflines combine to create what Nicholson envisioned as an architectural container inseparable from the objects it housed.
