The Bowers Museum is a museum in Santa Ana, in Orange County. It has been in existence for nearly 70 years, although its purpose and collections have considerably changed over that time. It is one of only 750 museums in America accredited by the American Association of Museums, and is the only museum in the United States to partner with the British Museum. Currently, it has on display permanent collections of Central American native artifacts and paintings of local, Californian scenes. It also has a large temporary exhibition space, a courtyard, a children's museum section, and a restaurant. Santa Ana is the largest city and the county seat of Orange County, California. ... Location of Orange County within California. ... The main entrance to the British Museum The British Museum in London is the United Kingdoms - and one of the worlds - largest and most important museums of human history and culture. ... Central America is the region of North America located between the southern border of Mexico and the northwest border of Colombia, in South America. ... The Mona Lisa is perhaps the best-known artistic painting in the Western world. ...

The name comes from Charles Bowers, a late 1800s Orange County land developer, who donated the land on which the museum stands. The building was constructed in 1931, after the death of Ada Bowers(Charles's wife) left the property unoccupied. The new building remained empty for 4 years after, as the Great Depression prevented the city of Santa Ana from paying for any operating funds. Events and Trends Beginning of the Napoleonic Wars (1803 - 1815). ... 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Great Depression was a massive global economic recession (or depression) that ran from 1929 to 1939. ...

The current buildings have been substantially expanded from the original construction in 1931. The old construction now contains only the permanent collection. The first additional construction happened in 1974. More major construction occurred in the years 1988-1992, adding on 52,000 sq. ft, and forming the current layout of the museum. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The original museum is a Mission style, two-story building, now forming one side of the central courtyard. The rooms contains some WPA ceiling murals, added during the four years in the Depression when the museum was closed for lack of funds. WPA may be: Walter Payton Award War Powers Act is also known as the Trading with the Enemy Act, and is commonly confused with the War Powers Resolution (of 1973). ... A mural is a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface. ...

External links

• Official site