Huang Nina
Northwest Asia Weekly
Renderings of the new APCC building (pictures provided by APCC)
As the Asia Pacific Cultural Center (APCC) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, they are also pleased to announce plans to renovate existing buildings and plans to expand to new buildings that will be completed in 2025.
Founded in 1996, APCC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to bridge communities and generations through art, culture, education, and business.
Last year, the center in Tacoma served more than 410,000 people across Washington through many cultural, artistic, youth, education, and outreach programs and services.
Faaluaina Pritchard, APCC’s executive director, has been a part of the organization for the past 25 years. She is a member of the founding board of directors and started operations in 2010 as an executive director.
The project will include restoration of APCC’s current 10,500 square foot building on South Tacoma Road, and the construction of a new wing that will add 10,000 square feet.
Pritchard is most excited about how the community raises funds for the new building at 4851 South Tacoma Road, Tacoma.
“It’s really exciting to see the community getting more and more excited about residential development,” she said.
As evidenced by their vision for the upcoming expansion of the center, involving the community is undoubtedly part of the design process.
Kitchen renderings of the new APCC building (pictures provided by APCC)
Construction will begin in 2023, and construction is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
APCC raised more than $550,000 at the auction on November 6 to raise funds for the new building and commemorate this huge milestone.
The expanded facilities will include a gallery space and a cultural exhibition space, a tea room, martial arts and dance studios, a performance hall with a full commercial kitchen, a small library, more classrooms, a gift shop and an Asia Pacific garden.
Another exciting new project will be a cooking kitchen, which will be used to teach aspiring students Asian cooking skills and prepare them for the workforce in the food industry.
Pritchard stated that they also hope to collaborate with Bates College and Clover Park Technical College on cooking courses.
They will also host the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Night Market twice a month in the new space. By holding a night market, APCC hopes to generate community friendship and ensure that the surrounding area has a good place to gather and buy AAPI items.
Pritchard said: “In order to better meet the needs of the community, the entire space will be upgraded and the traditional features and colors of the AAPI culture will be introduced.”
For example, the garden will focus on displaying beautiful flowers from islands and gorgeous trees, fountains and sculptures from Asia.
The architects of the new building will be SMR Architects in Seattle, and they will select the contractor soon. Pritchard said they are excited about SMR Architects because most of their employees are AAPI.
“They will know exactly what we want and how we want to design it. We know they will do their best according to their skills and national background,” she added.
As the scale expands, the community will have more volunteer opportunities to participate.
Pritchard said that they already have successful AAPI businessmen ready to volunteer to train students how to become an entrepreneur. The program will be open to high school and college students who are interested in starting a business.
As these new programs expand, APCC will be able to continue to meet the growing needs of the larger Tacoma community.
Nina can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
