USC Fisher Museum of Art: The City's First Art Museum, Free Forever

5 hours ago

3 min read

By Giovanna Salas

This article is part of Free in Los Angeles, Heart of Hollywood Magazine's series on the museums across the region that open their doors at no charge.

On the edge of Exposition Park, the USC Fisher Museum of Art keeps a promise made before the Second World War. Its founder, Elizabeth Holmes Fisher, required that the museum forever remain free to the public, and admission is free today.

The First Art Museum in the City

USC accepted Fisher's gift in 1937, and the museum was dedicated on November 14, 1939, in a building designed by Ralph Flewelling. The museum bills itself as the first art museum in the City of Los Angeles. Its holdings include 48 old master paintings donated by Armand Hammer, and in 2012 it became the first museum directly served by the Metro Expo Line.

Paul R. Williams standing with two men at Compton Imperial Housing Project site, ca. 1952. Merge Studios. Gelatin silver print. Sheet: 8.125 x 10 in. Image: 7.375 x 9.25 in. Owned jointly by the Getty Research Institute (2020.M.6) and the University of Southern California School of Architecture. ©Merge Studios.

Paul R. Williams, Proposed minimal cost dwelling for Excelsonite, Inc. [(Mexico): exterior perspective], September 25, 1959, perspective drawing, 1959. Graphite, colored pencil on translucent paper. 14 x 16 in. Owned jointly by the Getty Research Institute (2020.M.6) and the University of Southern California School of Architecture. ©Della M. Williams Trust Dated Dec.15, 1988. — Paul R. Williams, *Proposed minimal cost dwelling for Excelsonite, Inc. [(Mexico): exterior perspective], September 25, 1959, perspective drawing,* 1959. Graphite, colored pencil on translucent paper. 14 x 16 in. Owned jointly by the Getty Research Institute (2020.M.6) and the University of Southern California School of Architecture. ©Della M. Williams Trust Dated Dec.15, 1988.

On View

Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered, on view from August 18, 2026 to March 13, 2027, examines the celebrated Los Angeles architect through 35 of his housing projects, with more than 60 archival items and seven newly commissioned works.

On the Calendar

On Saturday, October 17, curator Valéry Augustin leads a free, hands-on Architectural Drawing Workshop exploring Paul R. Williams's design techniques. It is open to ages 17 and up, materials are provided, and RSVP is required.

The exhibition is part of a citywide tribute: LACMA opens Paul R. Williams: Architect for Living on November 15, and the Getty Research Institute follows with Paul R. Williams: Architecture Across the Color Line on December 15.

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Plan Your Visit

Admission: Always free. Groups must submit a request at least three weeks ahead.

Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on university holidays and on USC home-football Saturdays.

Address: 823 West Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90089.

Parking: $20 for the day, with metered hourly parking on campus.

Transit: Metro E Line to Expo Park/USC.

Contact: 213-740-4561, fmoa@usc.edu.

Website: https://fisher.usc.edu

Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered. Installation View. Works by enFOLD Collective and Edgar Arceneaux. Photo: Joshua White/JWPictures. — *Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered*. Installation View. Works by enFOLD Collective and Edgar Arceneaux. Photo: Joshua White/JWPictures.

Details were checked against the museum's official website in September 2026. Hours, admission policies and exhibition dates are set by each museum and may change, so please confirm on the official website before you go.