Chinese Heritage Museum Project

On September 10, 2020, the Chan House at 917 Sutter Street in the Historic Folsom District was lowered onto its new foundation. Improvements to the building and site will continue as this evolves into the Chinese Heritage Museum, a celebration of and exploration into Chinese history in the region. Here's a time lapse video that shows the lowering of the house.

The historic Chan House at 917 Sutter Street in Folsom was lowered onto its new foundation last week. Here's a link to an article in the Folsom Telegraph: https://goldcountrymedia.com//what-goes-up-must-come-down/

Jim Metzker posted this info on another page and we're sharing -"Today was a very exciting milestone for our Chinese Heritage Museum project! The house has been lifted about 3 feet off of its original foundation and the structure held together very well. Tomorrow morning will be the final stage of this effort when the house will be lifted up several more feet. We will then be prepared for construction of the new foundation. With old structures like this, it is impossible to say exactly how long each future step will take. The important fact is that after many years of patience and preparation we are now making tangible and I believe unstoppable progress!"

Good news for a change. After more than a decade of effort, restoration of the Chan House which will become the Chineses Heritage Museum is beginning next week. You may have noticed the little boarded-up house on Sutter Street near the Folsom Telegraph office. Tuesday morning at 8am the house movers will lift it seven feet in the air to allow for a foundation to be built. You’re welcome to come watch (socially distanced please), but you’ll need to stay on the opposite side of... the street for your safety. The block of Sutter Street will be closed between Reading and Decatur. The house will become a new museum, first telling the little-known story of Folsom’s Chinese heritage but then ultimately telling the story of all the ethnicities that have made Folsom what it is today. The house was the family home of one of Oak Chan’s sons and was one of the first properties able to be legally owned by Chinese, not until after FDR signed the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Acquisition of the site by the Folsom Historical Society was first sparked by Folsom’s Heritage Preservation League. For more info go on the Folsom History Museum’s website at www.folsomhistoricalsociety.org or phone at 915-985-2707. See more

Save the date! Our next fundraising dinner to benefit the Chinese Heritage Museum will be held at Fat's Bistro in Folsom on Monday, February 10 at 6pm. We are looking forward to sharing our progress along with a fun silent auction and delicious food!

The first phase of restoring the building was undertaken today when an addition created long after the initial home construction and which was quite unstable was removed. This creates the ability for a new, much more stable foundation for the original building to be constructed.

A fantastic turnout contributed to an enjoyable and interesting afternoon learning about the history of Chinese Fashion. Thank you to the Chinese American Council of Sacramento for supporting our local project and Karun Yee for organizing this!

Check out our upcoming Events to purchase a ticket!

SAVE THE DATE!! THE CHINESE HERITAGE MUSEUM PROJECT WILL BE HOSTING A LOCAL FUNDRAISER FOR OUR FOLSOM FANS. DETAILS AND TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE SOON! TIME/DATE PLACE & MENU ARE READY! Monday, August 19 6 p.m.... Fat’s Asia Bistro 2585 Iron Point Road, Folsom $75 per person includes: Chinese Chicken Salad Canton Beef Honey Walnut Prawns Vegetable Chow Mein Garlic Green Beans Banana Cream Pie No Host Bar

Join us July 21, 2019 for a Chinese Fashion Show and Luncheon at the Happy Garden Restaurant for an entertaining fundraiser to establish our Chinese Heritage Museum at the Chan House. For more information and tickets visit folsomhistoricalsociety.org/events or contact Karun Yee at 916 591-8181 or [email protected]

A new postage stamp, honoring the Chinese workers on the Transcontinental railroad has been unveiled!