The history of the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) started in 1971 when a group of Armenians began collecting Armenian books and items in an Armenian parish church in Belmont, Massachusetts. In 1985, the decently increased collection was opened to the public for the first time. ALMA moved to its current location in 1988, occupying a four-story brick building in the very center of Watertown.
The museum collection of ALMA currently is the largest outside Armenia. It has more than 20 thousand pieces of antiquity – ancient and medieval Armenian coins, carpets, national costumes, items from the times of the Kingdom of Van, and many others.
ALMA’s Mesrob Boyadjian Library contains over 27 thousand books, periodicals, posters, documents, and maps. One of the most significant collections of the library is the collection of audio recordings with testimonies and interviews of Armenians who survived the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
ALMA is open to visitors from Thursday to Sunday and offers membership cards of varying levels (student, family, etc.).
