The Petersen Automotive Museum was started On June 11, 1994, by Margie and Robert E. Petersen .contributing $5 million to the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum. In April 2000, the Petersens made an additional payment $24.8 million dollars to the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum to withdraw the bond debt and establish the Petersen Automotive Museum Foundation as a self-governing nonprofit organization. Now, the Petersen Automotive Museum is treated as the nation's prestigious automotive museum.

Petersen Automotive Museum has four floors; where the first floor exhibits the history of the automobile. Visitors are not only invited to walk through the exhibits but to experience settings of the early hours Los Angeles where the world's first shopping district was intended. The second floor presents classic cars, vintage motorcycles, five rotating galleries with state-of-the-art displays of racecars, concept cars, celebrity and movie cars, and auto design and technology.

The Family Discovery Center is situated on the third floor. Designed to kindle interest in science by way of explaining the working of automobile, the 6,500 square-foot, interactive hands-on learning center teaches children fundamental scientific principles by explaining the fundamental functions of a automobile. The fourth floor comprises of an impressive all glass penthouse conference centers, Founder's Lounge and kitchen, which is available for special events and functions.