The Italian American Museum is located in the Italian Hall, a historic building in downtown Los Angeles that was constructed in 1908 to serve as a social and cultural center for the Italian community. Located in what was once the core of the city’s Italian enclave, the Italian Hall was the site of countless events such as weddings, meetings and concerts. Today, the Italian Hall is the oldest surviving structure from Los Angeles’ little Italy and is listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. It is part of El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument (the birthplace of the city of Los Angeles and its most historic area). Slated to open in 2013, the Italian American Museum of Los Angeles will be a 21st century interactive center that showcases the history and ongoing contributions of Italian Americans and Italians in the context of our multi-ethnic city and nation to a diverse audience of two million visitors annually, including 300,000 students. No other institution of this kind exists in the region. In addition to historical exhibitions, IAMLA will host film screenings, language classes and visual and performing exhibits and a variety of cultural and educational public programming.