The Jim Thompson House Museum is the former home of James H.W. Thompson, a self-made American entrepreneur who was the founder of the world-renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. Arriving in Bangkok at the end of World War II, Jim Thompson became passionately interested in Southeast Asian art and antiques. He purchased several old teak houses to create his own unique home in Bangkok in order to house his growing collection. The original Jim Thompson house and outbuildings were re-constructed from all or sections of six separate old houses that were brought from various parts of the country. After Jim Thompson’s mysterious disappearance in Malaysia in 1967, his nephew Henry B Thompson III generously donated the house and its collection to the people of Thailand. Generally, the museum remains the way it looked when Jim Thompson lived there, however, the Foundation has slightly rearranged certain displays in the interest of security. Two small buildings, formerly used by household staff, have been turned into additional museum display space.
