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Jim Thompson House – A Showcase of Thai Heritage

The Jim Thompson House is a museum that celebrates the achievements of the American architect and tradesman of the same name who had a large hand in popularizing Southeast Asian art all over the world. Located in Bangkok, this is a mansion comprising parts of at least six old Thai abodes nearly all of which had been dismantled and brought here from Ayutthaya.

Jim Thompson was originally a Delaware architect who enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II. He came to Asia on his last deployment, as a part of the force supposed to liberate Thailand; however, the war ended before this mission was properly underway. He later came to Bangkok as a military intelligence officer and there began a love affair with Thai art and culture that would entice him to make the land his permanent home.

Being a highly gifted textile designer, his eye was especially caught by hand-woven silks, which was a fast fading cottage industry at the time. He devoted his energies to reviving the craft and established his own silk company in Thailand which promoted the industry all over the world. As his fortunes grew, so did his collection of Asian art that comprised pieces of Buddhist and secular items from Burma, Laos and Cambodia as well as Thailand.

However, it was in 1958 that he conceived what is now considered the pinnacle of his career – an authentic Thai home to serve as an exhibition venue for his extensive art collection. He picked a building site across from Bangkrua where his weavers were stationed, upon a scenic canal. In accordance with the customs of traditional Thai builders, the house was built upon an elevation as a precaution against flooding and he used tiles designed and crafted in Ayudhya in techniques of ages past that are now seen very rarely in Thai buildings. The walls outside were coated in protective red preservative and even the chandeliers gracing the ceilings were bought from 18th century Thai palaces, although these were electrically lit. In 1959, having followed all the traditional religious and cultural procedures to ascertain an auspicious date and time, Thompson moved in to his beautiful abode and soon decided to open it to the general public as well, to serve as a showcase of their own heritage.

Tragically, Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared while on a visit to Malaysia. To this day, his disappearance remains one of the great unsolved mysteries of the region. However, the grateful people of Thailand made sure his legacy would live on in his famous Thai house. In 1976, the Thai government established the James H W Thompson Foundation as the administrative body of the Jim Thompson Museum. This foundation is also dedicated to preserve and enrich the artistic legacy of Thailand which its namesake so loved and cherished.

The Jim Thompson House and other cultural gems of Bangkok open up to the exploration of a traveller who chooses a centralized hotel or Bangkok serviced apartment in the city.  The Citadines Bangkok Sukhumvit 23 is a Sukhumvit apartment which boasts excellent facilities and accommodation for business and leisure travellers conscious of time and money.

About the Author

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.

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