The original Children’s Museum opened its first facility in 1983 in La Jolla, and relocated to a downtown warehouse at 200 West Island Avenue in 1993. At that time, the Museum became Children's Museum/Museo de los Niños San Diego. After nearly ten years in the warehouse space, the doors were closed in 2002 to break ground for a new building at the same site. The Museum operated "without walls" during the closure, providing community outreach activities throughout the region. Thanks to generous philanthropic support, the new facility, renamed The New Children's Museum, opened to the public in May of 2008. Warmly embraced by the community, NCM has since served over 490,000 children and families throughout the region.