The 85,000 items, some dating to the 19th century, told the rich story of the Chinese migration to the United States: textiles, restaurant menus, handwritten letters, tickets for ship’s passage. All of them could now be destroyed. “One hundred percent of the museum’s collection, other than what is on view,” said Nancy Yao Maasbach, the president of the museum. She said that the collection was one of a kind and that she was “just distraught” after receiving the news. In addition to the museum’s storage, the building housed a senior center, the Chen Dance Center and a number of community groups.

Source: New York Times January 25, 2020 00:04 UTC