Asia Pacific Cultural Center has settled into its temporary home at Portland Avenue Community Center and is bringing authentic classes, activities, and events to a new neighborhood.
The community nonprofit opened its doors at the new location May 31 and will be hosting Taste of Asia events for the community on the first Saturday of each month.
APCC will continue to hold previously scheduled private events at the South Park auditorium through July, but all regular programming has shifted to the community center inside Portland Avenue Park, 3513 Portland Ave. E.
“During this transitional period, we want to assure you that our commitment to serving the community remains unwavering,” said Faaluaina Pritchard, APCC executive director. “While the physical location may change, the heart and soul of APCC continue to beat strong.”
The biggest change at the new location will be an earlier closing time. The shared parking for the center and park is gated and locked a half hour after sunset in accordance with park closure times. That means summertime programming will continue until about 9 p.m. but the hours will get shorter as sunset comes earlier.
Although Asia Pacific Cultural Center is occupying a community center, the building will not be open to the general public other than for planned activities. The surrounding Portland Avenue Park will continue to offer nature and play space to the neighborhood.
“Providing space to APCC while they build a new home is a natural extension of our longtime partnership and a great example of how working together can better serve the community,” said Park Board Commissioner Michael Liang. “We know how important it is to offer culturally rich and diverse programming in an inclusive space.”
APCC has been bridging communities and generations through art, culture, education, and business since 1996. They entered a lease with Metro Parks Tacoma in 2012 to operate out of the former South Park Community Center, helping to deepen our appreciation and understanding of 47 cultures with immersive learning opportunities and community-building events.
As they and their programming continued to grow, Asia Pacific Cultural Center recognized they needed a new building to better support their array of activities.
APCC will operate out of the Portland Avenue location while a new facility is being built on the existing footprint at South Park. Construction is estimated to begin this fall.
The new building will double the size of programming space, include a larger auditorium that can seat 400-500 guests, and provide dressing rooms for performers. Visitors will enjoy a café, art gallery, demonstration kitchen, and gift shop inside with Asian-inspired gardens outside.
