James Dean Gallery

Specialties

The James Dean Gallery is a Museum Exhibit and Gift Shop housed in a beautifully restored 1903 Victorian Home on tree lined North Main Street in the legendary actor’s hometown of Fairmount, Indiana.

The extensive Museum Exhibit fills several rooms and chronicles James Dean’s boyhood days growing up in Fairmount right through the Hollywood Years and the tragic car accident that claimed his life in 1955 at age 24. There is also a screening room which shows rare James Dean film clips continuously.

A Fun, interesting and informative Attraction for Family members of all ages!

A FREE map is given to visitors showing other points of interest in Fairmount including James Dean’s Gravesite and the Boyhood Home.

The James Dean Gallery is Open Every Day from 9am to 6pm, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.

History

Established in 1988.

The James Dean Gallery was established in 1988 in the actor’s hometown and final resting place of Fairmount, Indiana. This extensive exhibit is the private collection of James Dean archivist David Loehr, who began collecting in 1974. The collection is housed in a beautifully restored 1903 Victorian home, located on tree-​lined North Main Street in downtown Fairmount.

The exhibit consists of literally thousands of items of James Dean memorabilia and gives visitors the opportunity to see the worldwide impact that this Indiana native and American film star has made.

As you tour through the exhibit, you’ll see personal items related to James Dean along with several dozen original movie posters in several different languages from around the world which show the actor’s international impact. There are also books and magazines dedicated to Dean dating from the mid-​fifties to the present which are also from many different countries.

The Kenneth Kendall Room features several paintings and scu

Meet the Business Owner

David L.

Business Owner

David Loehr grew up on a farm in Western Massachusetts, studied graphic design at Parson’s School of Design in New York, and attended the Lester Polokov School for Stage Design.

In 1974 a friend gave him the book, James Dean: The Mutant King by David Dalton. David read the book while travelling from New York to California, where he lived for five years in Pasadena. While in California, he saw all three of Dean’s major films on the big screen for the first time, and was knocked out by Dean’s performances.

He picked up another book, a poster, a magazine, and before he knew it, he was collecting James Dean memorabilia. This has now become the world’s largest collection of Dean memorabilia; and what was a small hobby has turned into a full time job and career.

In 1982, David conducted the First Annual Walking Tour of James Dean’s New York Hangouts, which lasted 6 hours and visited over 30 points of interest from Dean’s early days in the city. He continued the annual tours for the next t