We would love to see you and so appreciate your spreading the word about this wonderful and meaningful program. All our thanks!

 

 

Thursday, November 3, 2011, 5:30 p.m.

The Manzanar Fishing Club

Film Preview and Discussion

Free Event at the California Historical Society, 678 Mission Street, San Francisco

 

Join us for a special preview of the film, The Manzanar Fishing Club. The Manzanar Fishing Club is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the WWII internment of Japanese Americans from a unique perspective: through the eyes of those who defied the armed guards, barbed wire and searchlights to fish for trout in the surrounding waters of the Eastern Sierra. By emphasizing the evacuees' personal stories this film goes beyond the confinement itself, and instead shows how a courageous few were able to take back a bit of dignity and freedom through the simple act of fishing.  After a screening of the first chapter of the film, a panel discussion will follow. Screenwriter/producer Richard Imamura will be joined by Mas Okui, an internee fisherman whose experiences are discussed in the film, and local historian and author Stan Yogi.  Please RSVP to 415.357.1848, ext. 229 or rsvp@calhist.org.

 

 


Anthea M. Hartig, Ph.D.
Executive Director
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
w: 415.357.1848 ext 211
m: 909.262.6829
www.californiahistoricalsociety

News Release

Release: October 17, 2011

Contact: Joe Quinata, Chief Program Officer

Guam Preservation Trust

Tel: (671) 472-9439/40

Email: jqpreservation@guam.net

 

Guam Preservation Trust Receives National Award

 

Guam Preservation Trust, October 17, 2011 - The National Trust for Historic Preservation has selected the Guam Preservation Trust to receive the 2011 Trustees’ Award for Organizational Excellence. Established in 1994, the special Trustees’ Award for Organizational Excellence is part of the National Preservation Awards program and recognizes a nonprofit organization, large or small, that has demonstrated sustained and superlative achievement in historic preservation and has accomplished the following goals:

 

·         Achieved outstanding success in historic preservation over a sustained period of time;

 

·         Broadly and effectively communicated the value of historic preservation to its constituents;

 

·         Exhibited leadership in issues of importance to historic preservation;

 

·         Demonstrated integrity in its dealings, including financial management;

 

·         Made appropriate efforts to be inclusive in the composition of its board, staff, membership, and programs.

 

"While each is unique, this year's outstanding award winners all reflect the importance of protecting what is special and irreplaceable," said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The dedication of Guam Preservation Trust to keep the island's 4,000-year history alive is remarkable-even challenging the U.S. military. Their efforts are building a new sense of pride in the island's rich heritage."

 

“This award is very much attributed to the many local, regional, national, and international partners that have assisted the Guam Preservation Trust in every way to advance historic preservation on Guam” said Joe Quinata Chief Program Officer of the Guam Preservation Trust. “We would like to thank the people of Guam for their continued support and we look forward to maintaining our level of excellence as we work with the community to preserve and protect our historic sites and culture.”

 

The Guam Preservation Trust was founded in 1990 upon the need to preserve and protect Guam’s historic sites, culture, and perspectives for the benefit of our people and our future. The foundation of the Guam Preservation Trust was created by the people of Guam through Public Law 20-151. To sustain the Guam Preservation Trust in realizing its mission, the law further mandated all building and land developments on Guam support the efforts of the Guam Preservation Trust in the form of Building Permit Fees. Since its inception in 1990, a total of over $20 million were collected from Building Permit Fees on Guam.

 

Although primarily tasked with restoring historic structures, which are listed in the Guam Register of Historic Places and/or the National Register of Historic Places, the Guam Preservation Trust also funds various types of cultural preservation projects. In collaboration with community partners, the Trust rehabilitated and restored a total of twenty three (23) historic structures that range from pre-World War II homes, churches, a Spanish Fort, and community schools/centers.

 

The Board of Directors consists of 10 members representing 5 fields of expertise: Archaeology, Architecture, Chamorro Culture, History and Planning. There are two members in each field (primary and alternate capacities). Board Members are not appointed to the Trust Board directly, but rather are appointed to the Guam Historic Review Board (which oversees the mandates of the Historic Preservation Act). This unique board arrangement helps prevent any gaps between the roles of the government and the Trust and the efforts to advance historic preservation on Guam. The Trust is managed by a team of four staff that administers theStandards of Success (goals) and Expected Outcomes (objectives) of the Trust.

 

For more specific information, please log-on to www.guampreservationtrust.com or contact the Guam Preservation Trust office at (671) 472-9430/40.

 

Si Yu’os Ma’åse’

Thank You

# # #

 

Si Yu'os Ma’åse’,

JOE QUINATA

Chief Program Officer

Guam Preservation Trust

Tel: (671) 472-9439/40

Fax: (671) 477-2047

Website:  www.guampreservationtrust.com

Dear Friends,

Please join us this year at the National Preservation Conference in Buffalo, NY from Oct. 19-22.  On Wednesday, October 19th there will be a special luncheon with Asian Pacific Islander Americans who are interested in historic preservation.  This no-host lunch at the Emerson School of Hospitality allows participants an opportunity to explore the local neighborhood in Buffalo while exchanging ideas, resources and action alerts. Come and join community leaders in the APIA historic preservation movement from all over the country.


Event #1: APIHiP Lunch Roundtable
When: Wednesday, October 19
12pm Noon
Where: Emerson School of Hospitality
70 West Chippewa Street, Buffalo, NY 14202 (Just 2 blocks from the Hyatt)
Cost: $10/person

RSVP here by October 13th (or copy and paste the following link http://new.evite.com/services/links/H3BXIOOHA7) Please RSVP to help us order the correct amount of food and prevent waste. 

The next morning from 7-8am, we hope you are available for the Asian Pacific Islander National Historic Preservation Forum Breakfast.  For years, Bill Watanabe of the API Caucus has held this no-host breakfast at the National Preservation Conference.  Learn about the 2010 API Historic Preservation Forum and help plan for the June 2012 gathering in Los Angeles.


Event #2: APIHiP Forum Breakfast
When: Thursday, October 20, 7-8am
Where: please email Bill Watanabe to RSVP and for details
Cost: no-host breakfast
RSVP by emailing BW@LTSC.org.

A concerned Fresno resident recently contacted the San Francisco office of National Trust for Historic Preservation regarding the uncertain future of Fresno, California’s 1920 Buddhist Temple, facing sale by a congregation with plans to construct to a new temple in another neighborhood. Although the temple’s exterior is protected and demolition is not a threat, the interruption of the building’s traditional use and its vital connection to community life is a poignant reminder of the challenges facing historic community anchors in many cities, where economic and demographic change threaten continuity of use and links to “cultural memory.”
 

“I am not sure if the magnificent Fresno Buddhist Temple has been brought up as an item for consideration as a nationally significant building worthy of historic preservation, but I wanted to send this along as I just became aware of Hanford's China Alley designation as one of the top 11 most endangered sites this year.

This is a very unique and significant cultural and community icon.  It was built by the Japanese American community around the turn of the 20th century.  It is now being put on the market to a potentially private buyer in spite of the fact that there was a bit of a controversy regarding many members of the congregation's wishes to maintain it as the primary site of worship--mainly for community and historic reasons.  I believe that this is probably the premier temple of its kind in the entire US. “ 

Donna Graves, director of Preserving California’s Japantowns, provides this description of the resource:

“Fresno's Japantown or Nihonmachi was the center of social, economic, religious, and political activity for Japanese in the Central Valley in the early twentieth century. The heart of the community was the Buddhist Temple -- originally built of wood in 1902.  After a fire, the grand three-story structure that was rebuilt to its identical stature in 1920 when the Japanese population in Fresno County stood at 5,732 residents with almost 200 businesses. Japanese design influence can be found in its tiled roof and carved wood ornament details, wooden Torii gate, and a Japanese garden. A wide staircase leads to the entry on the second level where the main office, meeting rooms, a small altar, and minister's office are located; and an interior staircase leads to the temple on the 3rd floor. In its early years prior to World War II, the temple grounds also included areas for sports from baseball and basketball to sumo wrestling. A boarding house provided lodging for the minister and visiting Buddhist scholars until they were assigned to a temple, and later served as a boarding house for children of Japanese laborers. 

 

During World War II, all of Fresno's residents of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and businesses and incarcerated, first at the hastily constructed "Fresno Assembly Center" created on the local fairground, and later at "Relocation Centers" in Jerome, Arkansas and Gila River, Arizona.  The Buddhist Temple was closed and its shrine stored at a local funeral home. The Temple served as a temporary hostel in 1945-46 for Japanese Americans returning to Fresno after the war.”



Recent news stories describe the current state of play:

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8308186 

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/01/local/la-me-temple-20110801

 

As we are so often reminded, historic resources representing the achievements, struggles, and contributions of Asian Pacific Islander American communities are tremendously under-represented on the National Register of historic Places – providing only a tiny fraction of the some 85,000 structures listed. According to Turkiya Lowe, National Park Service Historian, only 3% of the National Register’s 85,000 sites are associated with communities of color; and of that 3% in-holding only 47 National Register-listed sites are connected to Pacific Islander American communities, while 94 sites are connected to Asian American communities.

 

Below is the current list of historic resources in Fresno that are listed on the National Register.

All food for thought and room for change and improvement!

A special thanks to Dan Nishio for recalling this valiant survivor and graceful center of worship to our attention.

 

National Register of Historic Places Buildings
in Fresno, CaliforniaThere are twenty-nine sites in the Fresno, California, area in the National Register of Historic Places. Choose from the entries below for more information about these National Register sites. A map showing the locations of all sites is also available.

Bank of Italy Building
The H. H. Brix Home
Louis Einstein Home
Forestiere Underground Gardens
Fresno Bee Building
Fresno Brewing Company
Fresno City College Old Administration Building
Fresno Republican Printery
Fresno Sanitary Landfill 
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church
Hotel Californian
Kearney Mansion 
Paul Kindler Home
Maubridge Apartment Building
Memorial Auditorium

Thomas R. Meux Home 
Old Fresno Water Tower
Pantages Theatre
Physicians Building
Rehorn Home
Romain Home
San Joaquin Light & Power Corporation Building
Santa Fe Hotel
Santa Fe Railroad Depot
Southern Pacific Railroad Depot
Tower Theatre
Twining Laboratories
Warehouse Row Buildings
Y.W.C.A. Residence Hall


Hugh Rowland | Program Administrator and Development Associate, Western Office, National Trust for Historic Preservation | The Hearst Building | 5 Third Street, Suite 707 | San Francisco, CA  94103 | 415.947.0692 | fax 415.947.0699 | hugh_rowland@nthp.org | www.preservationnation.org

Please register for the Western Museum Association Annual Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii Sept. 23 - 26, 2011.

Take advantage of the April Tax Break Special through April 30th for $225.

Website: http://www.westmuse.org/conferences/2011_annual_meeting_honolulu.html

Presented in collaboration with:
Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums
and co-hosted by
Hawaii Museums Association
Pacific Islands Museums Association

API National Historic Preservation will have several  presentations at this event.  Join us!

The Asian/Pacific Islander Historic Preservation ListserveThe National Trust for Historic Preservation is launching the Asian/Pacific Islander Historic Preservation Listserve. Initially created as a means of continuing the discussion that began at the Asian-American/Pacific Islander Historic Preservation Forum in San Francisco last June, access is open to all (community leaders, preservation professionals, students) who are interested in furthering preservation of API heritage and historic sites. 

As attendees of the API Historic Preservation Forum, we have taken the liberty of registering you for the APIHiP listserve.  In a couple of hours you will receive a confirmation email from Lyris indicating that you have been automatically subscribed for the apihip-l.  This email will include guidelines for participating in the listserve and answers to frequently asked questions.  As listserve members, you can send email messages to other listserve members with the click of a button (APIHIP-L [at] LISTS.NATIONALTRUST.ORG) instead of having to limit your communications to those whose email addresses are already in your contact lists.

Although the guidelines will provide directions for this, you can unsubscribe from the listserve by clicking the unsubscribe link provided at the end of all APIHIP-L listserve messages.

Dora Quach, Administrative Director of the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles, moderates this new resource which enables users to reach out to a community working to preserve cultural heritage and places of importance to this nation’s past.  Dora will act according to the established guidelines you will receive shortly.

Those who you think could benefit from participating in this ongoing discussion about API cultural heritage and historic landmarks can subscribe by sending an email with no message to SUBSCRIBE-APIHIP-L [at] LISTS.NATIONALTRUST.ORG.  After clicking on this email link and sending a blank email message to this address, they will receive a confirmation.  This hello email will comprise of the guidelines previously discussed.

Thanks in advance for your patience with this new communication tool. 

Best,

Tanya

Tanya Bowers | Director for Diversity, Office of the President
National Trust for Historic Preservation | 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC  20036