Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 16, 2026

Living Computers: Museum + Labs

Living Computers: Museum + Labs (LCM+L) was a computer and technology museum at 2245 1st Avenue South in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, it opened to the public on October 25, 2012, and was permanently closed by the Paul Allen Estate in June 2024.

Last revised
Jun 16, 2026
Read time
≈ 7 min
Length
1,538 w
Citations
67
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Living Computers: Museum + Labs
LCM+L Logo
Exterior of the museum
Map
EstablishedOctober 25, 2012 (2012-10-25)
DissolvedJune 2024 (2024-06)
Location2245 1st Avenue South
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Coordinates47°34′57″N 122°20′05″W / 47.582487°N 122.334708°W / 47.582487; -122.334708
TypeComputer museum
Key holdingsPDP-10, IBM Mainframes, Apple 1, PLATO
FounderPaul Allen
CuratorAaron Alcorn
Public transit access
King County Metro, Link light rail
ParkingOnsite and Street Parking
Websitewww.livingcomputers.org

Living Computers: Museum + Labs (LCM+L) was a computer and technology museum at 2245 1st Avenue South in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Founded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, it opened to the public on October 25, 2012, and was permanently closed by the Paul Allen Estate in June 2024.

The museum exhibited vintage computers spanning mainframes, minicomputers, and microcomputers, most configured for interactive use either through time-sharing operating systems or single-user interfaces. Remote users could Telnet into selected systems over the internet. A later expansion added hands-on displays covering self-driving cars, the Internet of things, big data, and robotics.

LCM+L suspended operations in February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic1 and did not reopen. In June 2024 the estate announced permanent closure. A portion of the collection was auctioned by Christie's in August–September 2024, raising $3,635,982;2 the remainder was distributed to the Interim Computer Museum in Tukwila, Washington and the Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in Roswell, Georgia.34

Collections and exhibits

The collection consisted of publicly donated items and Paul Allen's personal collection. Working computers on display included one supercomputer, seven mainframes, 10 minicomputers, and over three dozen microcomputers.5

Various artifacts from the museum appeared in television productions including Mad Men6 and Halt and Catch Fire.7

A roughly 180° panorama of the "conditioned" room at the Living Computer Museum containing mainframes and large minicomputers

Computers

Manufacturer Model Type Year Introduced Available for public use Telnet access8
Amazon Kindle 1 hand-held 2007 Yes No
Amiga 500 microcomputer 1987 Yes No
Apple Apple 1 microcomputer 1976 Yes No
Apple II9 microcomputer 1977 Yes No
Apple IIe9 microcomputer 1983 Yes No
Apple III microcomputer 1980 Yes No
Apple Lisa 29 microcomputer 1984 Yes No
Apple iMac G3 microcomputer 1998 Yes No
Apple Macintosh SE9 microcomputer 1987 Yes No
Apple Power Mac G4 microcomputer 1999 Yes No
AT&T DMD 5620 / 3B2 minicomputer 1983 Yes Yes
Atari 2600 video game console 1977 Yes No
Atari 4009 microcomputer 1979 Yes No
Atari 1040 ST9 microcomputer 1985 Yes No
Columbia Data Products MPC 1600 microcomputer 1982 Yes No
Commodore PET9 microcomputer 1977 Yes No
Commodore 649 microcomputer 1982 Yes No
Compaq DeskPro 386S9 microcomputer 1989 Yes No
Compaq Portable9 microcomputer 1983 Yes No
Control Data CDC 65009 mainframe 1967 No Yes
Control Data DD60 monitor operator console 1964 No No
Control Data 405 card reader peripheral 1964 No No
Control Data CDC 679-6 magnetic tape transport peripheral 1964 No No
Cray Cray-110 mainframe 1975 No No
Cromemco Z-2D9 microcomputer 1978 Yes No
Data General Nova9 minicomputer 1969 Yes No
DEC PDP-79 minicomputer 1964 No No
DEC PDP-8/E9 minicomputer 1970 Yes No
DEC PDP-10 KA10 (DECsystem-10)9 mainframe 196811 No No
DEC PDP-10 KI10 (DECsystem-10)9 mainframe 1971 No No
DEC PDP-10 KL10 (DECSYSTEM-2065)9 mainframe 1974 Yes Yes
DEC PDP-10 KL10 (DECSYSTEM-1095)9 mainframe 1974 Yes Yes
DEC PDP-10 KS10 (DECSYSTEM-2020)9 mainframe 1979 Yes Yes
DEC PDP-11/709 minicomputer 1975 Yes Yes
DEC PDP-129 minicomputer 1969 No No
DEC VAX-11/780-59 minicomputer 1982 Yes Yes
DEC VT131 terminal 1981 Yes No
Dell Dimension XPS B7339 microcomputer 1999 Yes No
E.S.R. Digi-Comp II reproduction toy computer 1965 (original patent); 2012 (reproduction) Yes No
Honeywell 6180 DPS-8/M maintenance panel and Multics emulator9 peripheral; emulation of mainframe 1973 (mainframe) No No
IBM System/360 Model 30 mainframe mainframe 1964 No No
IBM System/360 Model 91 front panel peripheral 1966 No No
IBM 029 card punch peripheral 1964 Yes No
IBM 43619 mainframe 1983 Yes Yes
IBM Personal Computer 51509 microcomputer 1981 Yes No
IBM PCjr9 microcomputer 1984 Yes No
IBM PC/AT9 microcomputer 1984 Yes No
IMLAC Corporation PDS-1 "sImlac" emulator9 emulation of minicomputer 1970s (minicomputer); 2017 (emulator) Yes No
IMSAI 80809 microcomputer 1975 Yes No
Interdata 7/329 minicomputer 1974 Yes Yes
MITS Altair 88009 microcomputer 1975 Yes No
Microsoft PixelSense9 microcomputer 2007 Yes No
NeXT NeXTcube microcomputer 1990 Yes No
Nintendo NES-101 video game console 1993 Yes No
Osborne Executive9 microcomputer 1982 Yes No
PLATO Terminal V microcomputer 1976 Yes No
Processor Technology Sol-209 microcomputer 1976 Yes No
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 49 microcomputer 1983 Yes No
Sun Microsystems 3/1609 microcomputer 1986 Yes No
Tandy 10009 microcomputer 1984 Yes No
Tandy Color Computer 3 microcomputer 1986 Yes No
Teletype Model 33 terminal 1963 No No
Teletype Model 35 terminal 1963 No No
Teletype Model 37 terminal 1968 No No
Texas Instruments Speak & Spell Compact hand-held 1982 Yes No
Texas Instruments TI-99/4A microcomputer 1981 Yes No
Xerox Sigma 99 mainframe 1971 Yes Yes
Xerox Alto9 minicomputer 1973 Yes No
Xerox Alto "ContrAlto" simulator9 emulation of minicomputer 1973 (minicomputer); 2016 (emulator) Yes No
XKL TOAD-19 mainframe 1995 Yes No
XKL TOAD-29 mainframe 2005 Yes Yes

History

Harry Garland and Paul Allen at an event honoring computer pioneers at the museum in April 2013 source ↗

LCM+L originated as PDPplanet.com, launched by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen on January 9, 2006. The site allowed users to Telnet into vintage devices and experience timesharing computing on equipment from Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and XKL.12 Through the site, users around the world could request a login and Telnet into systems from XKL, DEC, IBM, Xerox Sigma, AT&T, and CDC.13

The museum opened to the public on October 25, 2012, under the name Living Computer Museum, at 2245 1st Avenue South in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle.5 Visitors could interact with a collection of mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and peripherals.14 On November 18, 2016, the institution renamed itself Living Computers: Museum + Labs and expanded its scope to include contemporary technologies alongside its vintage collection.15

The museum suspended public access in February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic1 and remained closed through the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions.16 In June 2024, the Paul Allen Estate announced permanent closure and stated that most of the collection was owned by the estate rather than the museum.17 A portion of the collection was consigned to Christie's.18 The online auction, held August 23 to September 12, 2024 as part of the Gen One: Innovations from the Paul G. Allen Collection series,19 raised $3,635,982.2 The remainder of the collection was divided between the Interim Computer Museum in Tukwila, Washington3 and the Mimms Museum of Technology and Art in Roswell, Georgia.4

References

References

  1. "LIVING COMPUTERS: MUSEUM + LABS IS CLOSING FOR NOW". Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  2. "Firsts: The History of Computing from the Paul G. Allen Collection". Christie's. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
  3. "Frequently Asked Questions". Interim Computer Museum. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  4. "Computer Museum of America Acquires Collection from Living Computers Museum and Estate of Paul G. Allen". Mimms Museum of Technology and Art. September 12, 2024. Retrieved October 24, 2025.
  5. "Home - Living Computer Museum". Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  6. "Fashion and Style: Episode 704: Mad Men: The Monolith". AMC. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015.
  7. McCracken, Harry (August 27, 2016). "Welcome To 1986: Inside "Halt And Catch Fire's" High-Tech Time Machine". Fast Company. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016.
  8. "Request a login". Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  9. "Vintage Computers". Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  10. Miller, Michael J. (August 17, 2017), "Visiting the Living Computers Museum", PC Magazine
  11. "PDP10 manual" (PDF). December 1968.
  12. "Paul G. Allen Launches Web Site Dedicated to Early Computers; PDPplanet.com Site Celebrates Historic Mainframes and Minicomputers | Business Wire". www.businesswire.com (Press release). Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  13. "Application for a Guest Account on the Living Computers: Museum + Labs". Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  14. "Seattle's Living Computer Museum tempts tech tourists". USA Today. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  15. Schlosser, Kurt (October 25, 2016). "Paul Allen's Living Computers: Museum + Labs rebranded and expanded to better 'ignite curiosity'". GeekWire. Archived from the original on September 14, 2025.
  16. Bumpus, Kayvon (September 25, 2022). "Paul Allen's Living Computers Museum remains closed after years, despite lifted COVID restrictions". The Seattle Collegian.
  17. Schlosser, Kurt (June 25, 2024). "Seattle's Living Computers Museum logs off for good as Paul Allen estate will auction vintage items". GeekWire. Archived from the original on March 4, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  18. "Inside the historic computer collection of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen". Christie's. July 8, 2024. Archived from the original on January 16, 2026.
  19. "Gen One: Innovations from the Paul G. Allen Collection". Christie's. Archived from the original on January 17, 2026. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
Further reading

Further reading

External links