Historic Wintersburg collaborating with Orange Coast Gakuen on "study garden" in heritage park

ABOVE: The Garden Grove Japanese Language School was one of the four Japanese Language Schools supported by the Wintersburg Japanese Mission, founded in 1904. The Garden Grove school was the first of the stand-alone schools, opening in January 1917.  At the time the Garden Grove school was demolished in 1991, it was noted in the archaeological report as the oldest wooden school building in Orange County. The school was located at 10771 Sherman Avenue and was replaced by the present-day Costco, despite opposition by the Orange County Historical Commission and Garden Grove Historical Society, among other county and state historical organizations. (Photo circa 1927, Archaeological Site Record, ORA 1307H, 1991)

   We are pleased to announce our collaboration with Orange Coast Gakuen! Historic Wintersburg will be working with Orange Coast Gakuen to explore the vision of a restored historical site with green open park space and an educational and cultural center. Negotiations to purchase the property continue with Republic Services, supported by our national partners, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Trust for Public Land.

  Orange Coast Gakuen has been providing Japanese language classes and cultural programs---like calligraphy, art, and flower arranging---for 42 years in Huntington Beach, without a permanent home. Their Saturday programs are open to all ages and to anyone who wants to learn. 

   The literal translation of "gakuen" 学園 is "study garden".  A restored and re-greened Historic Wintersburg with open park spaces and educational programming will complement the neighborhood and schools surrounding the property, while offering programming relevant to the history and saving a National Treasure for future generations.

History

   After its founding in 1904, the Wintersburg Japanese Mission provided language school programs.  The Mission helped open the first Japanese Language Schools in Orange County, opening the first school building in Garden Grove in 1917 (photo below). The Mission supported the four Language Schools in Orange County: Garden Grove, Talbert (Fountain Valley), Costa Mesa and Laguna Beach*. The clergy for the Wintersburg Japanese Mission made a 200-mile circuit by horseback, to visit the Language Schools and the communities they served in Orange County.

LEFT: One of the many school contributions of the Japanese pioneer community was support for the first grammar school in Talbert (Fountain Valley).  Among those listed as presenting a check to the community school are founders, elders and congregants of the Wintersburg Japanese Mission. (Santa Ana Register, December 18, 1927)

   The Language Schools functioned as schools and also as community centers for meetings of groups such as the grange or farmers' groups, civic efforts, weddings, funerals, and Japanese Associations. The Language School buildings also were open to neighbors and community groups who needed a place to meet.

Full circle
   More than a century after the first Language School opened in Orange County, we're happy to come "full circle" and collaborate with Orange Coast Gakuen regarding the future of Historic Wintersburg!

*The only remaining building of the four original Japanese Language Schools in pioneer Orange County is Cottage #34 at Crystal Cove State Park. It is one of the schools supported by the Wintersburg Japanese Mission.

© All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.

Update: Meeting with property owner to discuss future of National Treasure Historic Wintersburg

LISTENING TO VOICES FROM THE PAST: A composite image of two photographs, one hundred years apart. The present-day image is of members of the California Preservation Foundation at Historic Wintersburg during a workshop in 2013. The black and white image was taken 100 years earlier in 1913, as the Furutas moved into their new home in Wintersburg Village.  Shortly after the 1913 photograph was taken, California passed the Alien Land Law of 1913 which specifically prohibited property ownership by Japanese immigrants.  The prohibition was not lifted until the Supreme Court of California ruling in 1952 that the law was a violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, Sei Fujii v. California. (Present-day photograph, 2013, Chris Jepsen; 1913 photograph courtesy of the Furuta family; photo composite, Kenneth Hayashida) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

   On Friday, February 23, representatives of the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force, Ocean View School District and the National Trust for Historic Preservation met with Republic Services to discuss more desirable and appropriate alternatives for the future use of the Historic Wintersburg property.

   READ: The latest update from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, https://savingplaces.org/places/historic-wintersburg/updates/support-for-historic-wintersburg-builds#.WpwqzOdG2M9

© All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.

Looking ahead to 2017: $5,000 grant awarded to Historic Wintersburg by National Trust

All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.   

ON THIS DATE: 2012 Rafu Shimpo feature, "Remembering Wintersburg"

 
   We've come along way since the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force's first fund raiser in December 2012!  On this date, the Rafu Shimpo, Los Angeles Japanese Daily News, published a beautiful feature on our historic preservation effort and the remarkable history represented by Historic Wintersburg.  

   Read the feature by J.K. Yamamoto at http://www.rafu.com/2012/12/remembering-wintersburg/

LEFT: Furuta family descendant, Norman Furuta, speaks at the press conference announcing the designation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to the America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Place list.  The list brings national attention to rare American historic sites, asking for public support. (Photo, M. Urashima, June 24, 2014) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


   Since that time, we achieved listing on America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places; a History Press book, Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach; a PBS program about the Furuta family of Historic Wintersburg, Our American Family: The Furutas; a National Treasure designation, conducted some initial stabilization work, and conducted cultural monitoring relating to street work next to the property.  We'll be posting photographs of the some of the cultural finds on a future blog post.

RIGHT: Kevin Sanada (left) and Christina Morris (right) from the Los Angeles field office for the National Trust for Historic Preservation on one of their first inspections of Historic Wintersburg.  This tour occurred after our second application to be considered for America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.  (Photo, M. Urashima, May 14, 2014) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    The National Park Service and National Trust for Historic Preservation have both inspected the property and deemed it of "remarkable integrity", a property that can meet the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A: Japanese American Settlement in the American West.  Both organizations stated that the six historic structures on the Furuta farm can be restored.  

   At the end of 2015, Historic Wintersburg was designated as Orange County, California's first and only National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, https://savingplaces.org/places/historic-wintersburg#.WExwIVx5LkZ  There are approximately 60 National Treasures in the United States.

LEFT: Elaine Jackson Retondo and Hank Florence of the U.S. National Park Service during their inspection of Historic Wintersburg on May 24, 2013.  The NPS followed up with a written report that stated: " It is likely that the property is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A in association with Japanese American Settlement in the American West or other patterns of events that have made important contributions to the history of the United States." (Photo, M. Urashima, May 24, 2013) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


    We have presented lectures about Historic Wintersburg at the Japanese American National Museum, the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference, Heritage Museum of Orange County, Little Tokyo Historical Society at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple, and California State University Long Beach, to name just a few.  

RIGHT: Inside the Koyasan Buddhist Temple in Little Tokyo, downtown Los Angeles, one of the beautiful settings for a presentation about Historic Wintersburg.  (Photo, M. Urashima, October 4, 2014) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

   We have been honored to be invited to the Consulate General of Japan residence for the annual reception for the Emperor's birthday, as well as to the U.S.-Japan Council conference this year.  We were honored to take a delegation from our Sister City of Anjo, Japan, on a tour of Historic Wintersburg.  We hope for many more international friendships and cultural exchanges regarding our shared history.

LEFT: A delegation from Huntington Beach Sister City, Anjo, Japan, takes a tour of Historic Wintersburg with members of the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force. (Photo, September 11, 2015) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    We have been part of important events and efforts relating to this history: the annual Manzanar Pilgrimage, the Day of Remembrance at the Japanese American National Museum, the Tuna Canyon Detention Station "Only the Oaks Remain" fundraiser for their traveling exhibit, the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, "Journey Stories" at the Heritage Museum of Orange County, assistance for the construction of a historical fire station for Manzanar, and volunteering for public archaeology at Manzanar. 

   Every one of our sister organizations and individual mentors has contributed to our support and understanding of this work. We thank you.

RIGHT: Historic Wintersburg helps out at a public archaeology dig at Manzanar National Historic Site, with the National Park Service.  Listen and read KQED's feature about the archaeological dig at http://ww2.kqed.org/news/2015/07/26/uncovering-the-buried-history-of-a-japanese-american-internment-camp/ 
(Photo courtesy of National Park Service, July 4 weekend, 2015) © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    Major community stakeholders now know more about the history and support---indeed, they fight for---the preservation of Historic Wintersburg.  We currently are in productive and positive discussions with the City of Huntington Beach and Republic Services (which bought prior property owner Rainbow Environmental).  We appreciate their efforts to work for a good resolution for the National Treasure Historic Wintersburg.

    We have come a long way these past four years toward saving this history! More good news ahead!

All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.   

NATIONAL TRUST NAMES HISTORIC WINTERSBURG A NATIONAL TREASURE!

ABOVE: The Wintersburg Mission, May 1910. Charles Furuta is identified near the manse (parsonage) at left. Reverend Barnabas Hisayoshi (Hisakichi) Terasawa and Reverend Junzo Nakamura are standing on the first step from the ground leading to the mission. Dr. Ernest Adolphus Sturge is standing on the third step and Rev. Joseph K. Inazawa (first pastor of the Mission) is standing on the fourth step. The Mission is at the northwest portion of the Furuta farm, a few steps from the Furuta bungalow. These structures are among the six that remain at Historic Wintersburg. (Photograph courtesy of the Furuta family) © All rights reserved.

   Today, Historic Wintersburg was named a National Treasure by the Washington D.C.-based National Trust for Historic Preservation (Trust), the nation’s leading historic preservation organization.  This is the first historic place in Orange County to receive this designation and one of a handful across the country.

   The National Trust describes National Treasures as "beloved places range from one-room schoolhouses to inspiring monuments, from ancient sites to modern masterpieces—National Treasures that reflect our past while enriching our future. Today, thousands of these irreplaceable buildings, landscapes, and communities are endangered as never before."  

   National Treasures include Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch in North Dakota, the Astrodome in Houston, Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, the Great Bend of the Gila in Arizona, the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, the Panama Hotel in Seattle, and the Washington National Cathedral in Washington D.C.  View the list of National Treasures at https://savingplaces.org/national-treasures#.ViVZrStLUXg

   The Trust states the designation of Historic Wintersburg as a National Treasure  is "due to its significance as one of the last remaining Japanese-owned properties purchased before California’s anti-immigrant laws barred Japanese from land ownership in the early 20th century and for its connections to the region’s early agricultural history. The site also represents the injustice that thousands of Japanese American families faced, as the Furuta family and entire Wintersburg Church congregation—the majority American citizens—were forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II."
  

   The designation as National Treasure is concurrent with the release of an Urban Land Institute (ULI) technical assistance report that presents reuse concepts for the Historic Wintersburg property, as part of the preservation approach. The Historic Wintersburg property is owned by a third party and an objective, collaborative approach is considered essential to bringing together the varied perspective on what can be achieved.

RIGHT: Preservationists gather to consider the significance of the history represented by the Furuta bungalow at Historic Wintersburg. (Image derived from photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen, May 2013) © All rights reserved.

   Funded with community donations raised by the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force and coordinated by the National Trust, the report follows two intensive days of analysis and stakeholder interviews, which was preceded by a comprehensive review of the property-area demographics, economics, assets and challenges. Subsequent to the June stakeholder interviews, the ULI team has worked to prepare the final report.

  The ULI report is a neutral, expert analysis that presents a range of possible alternatives for the Historic Wintersburg property.  The report also recommends that members of the community be engaged in the development process at every possible step, to work with the property owner toward a solution that is economically feasible and preserves the significant history represented by Historic Wintersburg.

  The National Trust announcement and ULI report can be viewed at https://savingplaces.org/places/historic-wintersburg#.VikQ1StLUXi

  Historic Wintersburg extends its thanks and gratitude to the National Trust for recognizing the importance of the history represented by the Furuta farm and Wintersburg Japanese Mission complex.  

   We thank our supporters in Huntington Beach, from around the country and from around the world.  Historic Wintersburg is a National Treasure, with links to world events, and thousands of stories yet to be told.

HELP SAVE A NATIONAL TREASURE!

Preservation efforts need funding.  Historic Wintersburg is now a California non profit and is transitioning to a stand-alone non profit.  At this time, DONATIONS to the dedicated preservation fund for Historic Wintersburg can still be made via Paypal through our City of Huntington Beach web page at http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/i_want_to/give/donation-wintersburg.cfm  Information regarding how to send in donations via U.S. Mail also can be found on this page.  If you have an in-kind donation in mind, please contact us through the email address at the bottom right of this blog.

All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.

Years in the making: A chance for preservation

ABOVE: Blue sky through the Furuta barn at Historic Wintersburg. This barn is the last pioneer heritage barn left in Huntington Beach, most likely constructed between 1908 and 1912. (Photo, M. Urashima, 2013) © All rights reserved.

   This week, the Huntington Beach City Council took action to comply with the Orange County Superior Court order to reverse the zoning action taken in November 2013.  This returns the zoning from industrial / commercial to its prior zoning of residential.

   "Following a court order issued in June, the Huntington Beach City Council voted Monday night to rezone the Historic Wintersburg site to its original designation," reports the Huntington Beach Independent. "Republic Services, which bought Rainbow in October, said it had no plans to demolish the site and would allow preservationists to continue studying ways of preserving the structures." 

   Read the full article from the Huntington Beach Independent at http://www.hbindependent.com/news/tn-hbi-me-0723-wintersburg-20150722,0,805940.story  
 
    The Orange County Register also covered this development at http://www.ocregister.com/articles/site-672934-land-plan.html

   We have clarifications for the Orange County Register online article: The Wintersburg Mission was founded in 1904 and the Historic Wintersburg property was purchased in 1908 (the Mission congregants met in a Wintersburg barn until they had a building). There are six structures: 1910 Mission, 1910 manse (parsonage), 1934 Church, 1912 Furuta bungalow, 1947 Furuta post-WWII ranch house, and the last pioneer barn in Huntington Beach, probably constructed between 1908 and 1912.

RIGHT: Historic Wintersburg contains thousands of stories, some known, some yet to be uncovered. Along with preservation, we continue to research and write about Orange County's pioneer Japanese American community. A second book is in the future! (Image: A collage of historical photographs representing the history of the Furuta family, Wintersburg Mission and Wintersburg Village. Sources include the Furuta family and Wintersburg Church.) © All rights reserved.

   Also, we have a clarification to this statement in the Orange County Register online article: "The panel is considering several options for the site, including moving the buildings to another location, opening a restaurant or retail center that preserves the history of the site (like The Packing House, a food mall made inside a former fruit-packing plant in Anaheim) or building an educational center."  

   Our clarification: The preservation options are on the property (not moving buildings off site), we are not considering a retail center or restaurants (the Packing District are good examples of adaptive reuse, but not what is being proposed).  While the property reverts to the residential zoning which occurred after the City of Huntington Beach annexed Wintersburg Village in 1957, no residential housing is planned for the property per the property owner.

ABOVE: California Preservation Foundation members contemplate the significant history represented by Historic Wintersburg, during their tour in May 2013.  The property has been inspected by other interested organizations and officials, including the National Park Service, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles.  An upcoming tour will be provided to a delegation from Huntington Beach's Sister City of Anjo, Japan. (Photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen) © All rights reserved.

   The proposals for preservation and adaptive reuse included in the final report from the Urban Land Institute have not yet been released (expected in September / October 2015).  This report (see our June 10, 2015, post on this blog) will provide details on the options that can work for the property owner, preservation effort and community stakeholders, and provides the vision for a collaborative path forward.   The official publication of the Urban Land Institute report will be announced here, along with our partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  

   With the release of the report, there will be a call to action, to support the next phase of our effort to preserve Historic Wintersburg for future generations.  Help our preservation effort and one day, walk the land that tells the story of Japanese American pioneer settlement of the American West.

JOIN THE PRESERVATION TEAM ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historic-Wintersburg-Preservation-Task-Force/433990979985360

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: @historic_wintersburg 

DONATE: Information on our City of Huntington Beach web page (*We will be transitioning into a California non profit, but also continue as a City task force at this time). http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/i_want_to/give/donation-wintersburg.cfm

All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima. 

Urban Land Institute conducts Technical Assistance Panel at Historic Wintersburg

 
   Last week, the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force was joined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) for a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) which will result in findings and recommendations regarding alternatives for the property's historic preservation.   

LEFT: The Urban Land Institute team at Historic Wintersburg, preparing for their inspection of the property. A dozen ULI panelists and ULI staff spent several weeks doing advance research and dedicated two days to working on the TAP in Huntington Beach.(Photo, M. Urashima, June 3, 2015) © All rights reserved.

   The ULI is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit research and education organization supported by its members.  Founded in 1936, ULI has more than 33,000 members worldwide, representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines working in private enterprise and public service.  

   Through the TAP process, ULI facilitates an open exchange of ideas, information, and experience to arrive at informed findings and recommendations for challenging land use issues.  The ULI strives to achieve a balanced approach through the selection of panelists and through the stakeholder interviews, engaging community members with differing opinions, backgrounds and expertise.

   The TAP process was facilitated for the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (Trust), after a major fundraising effort in 2014.  The Trust and ULI have conducted similar efforts for historic properties with challenging issues and diverse stakeholders, such as the Houston Astrodome (read more at http://www.savingplaces.org/updates/urban-land-institutes-bold-report-declares-astrodome-can-and-should-live#.VXjCp0ZLUg4).

RIGHT: A ULI panelist talks about the century-old pines at Historic Wintersburg, with pioneer descendent Norman Furuta, whose grandfather planted the trees on the property.  Historic Wintersburg extends its appreciation to the Furuta family for continuing to be a resource for historical information. (Photo, M. Urashima, June 3, 2015) © All rights reserved.

   In 2012, the Trust and ULI announced a new research partnership designed to advance the preservation and reuse of older and historic buildings in major U.S. cities (read more at http://www.preservationnation.org/information-center/sustainable-communities/green-lab/partnership-building-reuse/#.VXjBJkZLUg4).  This effort was initiated with ULI Los Angeles, the same organization which conducted the TAP for Historic Wintersburg.

LEFT: ULI panelists sequestered themselves for stakeholder interviews and panel deliberations at Huntington Beach's Main Street Branch Library, which itself is on the National Register for Historic Places.  Our appreciation to the Huntington Beach Libraries for their assistance with the two-day ULI TAP. (Photo, M. Urashima, June 3, 2015) © All rights reserved.

   Stakeholder interviews were an essential part of the TAP process.  Stakeholders included the property owners Republic Services/Rainbow Environmental, Oak View neighborhood  residents, Ocean View School District, Oak View Elementary School teachers and staff, Oak View Renewal Partnership, City of Huntington Beach elected and appointed officials, and the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force.  Each stakeholder group had the opportunity to talk about issues, visions and suggestions for the property in a discrete setting to encourage open discussion.

RIGHT: The Huntington Beach Art Center also provided space for stakeholder interviews, in a quiet, private setting.  The Art Center is located directly across Main Street from the Main Street Branch Library and currently is hosting an exhibit on California Impressionism through July 4, 2015. (Photo, M. Urashima, June 3, 2015) © All rights reserved.

  A detailed ULI TAP report is expected to be finalized in about eight weeks (estimated to be in August 2015), with a release of the report coordinated with the Trust.  A public announcement regarding the release of the report will be posted here.

LEFT: Historic Wintersburg Task Force volunteer Barbara Haynes created an original work of art--representing the history of the Furuta goldfish and flower farm--for each ULI panelist. Panelists also received a canvas bag and tourism information from Visit Huntington Beach, and a signed copy of Historic Wintersburg in Huntington Beach. (Photo, M. Urashima, June 3, 2015) © All rights reserved.

Our thanks to those who supported this effort:

DONORS:
Over 100 financial donors from Huntington Beach and elsewhere in California and the West contributed to the fundraising effort, raising over $30,000 to make the ULI TAP possible, covering the logistical costs.  Additionally,  ULI panelists (representing experts from various disciplines in land use, preservation, economic development, and development) donated their time and expertise, bringing the actual value of the TAP analysis and report to over $100,000.  Donors will be recognized in the final report.

FACILITATORS:
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Urban Land Institute

STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPANTS:
Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force members and advisers
Republic Services / Rainbow Environmental
City of Huntington Beach elected and appointed officials
Mayor Jill Hardy*
Council Member Erik Peterson*
Oak View residents
Ocean View School District
Oak View Renewal Partnership
Oak View Elementary School teachers and staff

*City Council liaisons to the Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force.

HOST VENUES
Main Street Branch Library
Huntington Beach Art Center 

LOCAL BUSINESS SUPPORT
Duke's 
Jan's Health Bar
Sugar Shack
De Guelle Glass
Visit Huntington Beach

Inside the children's wing of the Main Street Branch Library, prior to the start of the ULI TAP. Library staff held the weekly children's story time in another area of the Library in order to make this room available for this community effort. (Photo, M. Urashima, June 3, 2015) © All rights reserved.


DONATION INFORMATION: See our page on the City of Huntington Beach website, http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/i_want_to/give/donation-wintersburg.cfm

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historic-Wintersburg-Preservation-Task-Force/433990979985360

All rights reserved.  No part of the Historic Wintersburg blog may be reproduced or duplicated without prior written permission from the author and publisher, M. Adams Urashima.