Historic Context Statement Japantown Revised May 2011 San Francisco, California Prepared for City & County of San Francisco Planning Department DONNA GRAVES and page & turnbull, inc. 724 Pine Street, San Francisco, California 94108 415.362.5154 / www.page-turnbull.com SAN FRANCISCO JAPANTOWN HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT FINAL DRAFT MAY 2009 Prepared for The San Francisco Planning Department as part of the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan by DONNA GRAVES and PAGE & TURNBULL, INC. Historic Context Statement Japantown Final Draft San Francisco, California Cover Image: Japantown Businesses along Geary Street, 1910s. (Collection of National Japanese American Historical Society) May 2009 2 Donna Graves Page & Turnbull, Inc. Historic Context Statement Japantown Final Draft San Francisco, California SAN FRANCISCO JAPANTOWN HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 6 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................... 6 HISTORIC PROPERTIES IN JAPANTOWN................................................................................ 7 UNDERSTANDING HISTORIC CONTEXTS IN ETHNIC NEIGHBORHOODS ............................... 8 THE WESTERN ADDITION OF SAN FRANCISCO: A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW.................... 10 EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE WESTERN ADDITION.......................................................... 10 STREETCAR SUBURBS OF THE WESTERN ADDITION............................................................ 11 JEWISH COMMUNITY IN THE WESTERN ADDITION............................................................. 13 THE WESTERN ADDITION AFTER THE 1906 EARTHQUAKE AND FIRES ................................ 15 AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE WESTERN ADDITION-FILLMORE AREA BEFORE WWII............. 18 FILIPINOS IN THE JAPANTOWN-FILLMORE AREA ................................................................. 22 JAPANESE IN SAN FRANCISCO: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ........................................... 25 EARLY JAPANESE IMMIGRATION TO CALIFORNIA AND SAN FRANCISCO................................ 25 SAN FRANCISCO’S EARLY JAPANESE COMMUNITIES............................................................ 26 SAN FRANCISCO’S JAPANTOWN: HISTORY OF A CULTURAL COMMUNITY ..................... 29 GROWTH OF NIHONMACHI’S COMMERCIAL SECTOR......................................................... 30 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE OF NIHONMACHI ................................................................. 34 WORLD WAR II AND INTERNMENT ................................................................................... 41 JAPANTOWN WITHOUT NIKKEI ........................................................................................ 44 RESETTLEMENT AND RENEWAL......................................................................................... 47 NIKKEI RETURN TO JAPANTOWN...................................................................................... 47 REDEVELOPMENT IN THE WESTERN ADDITION ................................................................. 53 WESTERN ADDITION PROJECT AREA A-1.......................................................................... 55 WESTERN ADDITION PROJECT AREA A-2.......................................................................... 60 PRESERVING CULTURE & REINFORCING IDENTITY........................................................... 69 CONTINUING JAPANTOWN LEGACIES ............................................................................... 69 PROPERTY TYPES .............................................................................................................. 71 RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY TYPES ......................................................................................... 72 Single-Family Dwellings............................................................................................... 72 Flats and Duplexes ..................................................................................................... 73 Apartment Buildings.................................................................................................... 74 Significance................................................................................................................. 76 Integrity...................................................................................................................... 77 COMMERCIAL PROPERTY TYPES........................................................................................ 77 Mixed-Use Buildings ................................................................................................... 77 Commercial Buildings.................................................................................................. 78 Hotels ........................................................................................................................ 80 Theaters & Auditoriums .............................................................................................. 81 Significance................................................................................................................. 82 May 2009 3 Donna Graves Page & Turnbull, Inc. Historic Context Statement Japantown Final Draft San Francisco, California Integrity...................................................................................................................... 82 CIVIC & COMMUNITY PROPERTY TYPES............................................................................ 83 Schools ....................................................................................................................... 83 Churches & Religious Buildings.................................................................................... 83 Community Centers & Social Halls.............................................................................. 84 Significance................................................................................................................. 85 Integrity...................................................................................................................... 86 PUBLIC UTILITY BUILDINGS.............................................................................................. 88 Significance................................................................................................................. 89 Integrity...................................................................................................................... 90 OPEN SPACE ................................................................................................................... 90 Significance................................................................................................................. 91 Integrity...................................................................................................................... 92 APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................... 93 BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES ......................................................................................... 94 May 2009 4 Donna Graves Page & Turnbull, Inc. Historic Context Statement Japantown Final Draft San Francisco, California ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The San Francisco Japantown Historic Context Statement was the work of primary author Donna Graves, with contributions from members of the City of San Francisco Planning Department Staff and historic preservation consultants Page & Turnbull, Inc. Numerous members of the Japantown community also contributed their time and knowledge to the creation of this document. All should be recognized for their valuable input. PROJECT TEAM Donna Graves, Historic and Cultural Preservationist Page & Turnbull Caitlin Harvey, Architectural Historian City of San Francisco Matt Weintraub, Planner, Historic Resources Survey Team Preservation Working Group of the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan Steering Committee Sumi Honnami, St. Francis Xavier Church Karen Kai, Rosa Parks Middle School Ken Kaji, National Japanese American Historical Society Ben Kobashigawa, San Francisco State University Karl Matsushita, Japanese American National Library Sandy Mori, Kimochi, Inc., Japantown BNP Steering Committee Steve Nakajo, Kimochi, Inc., Japantown BNP Steering Committee Paul Osaki, Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, Japantown BNP Steering Committee Ben Pease, Pease Press Rosalyn Tonai, National Japanese American Historical Society, Japantown BNP Steering Committee Francis Wong, National Japanese American Historical Society May 2009 5 Donna Graves Page & Turnbull, Inc. Historic Context Statement Japantown Final Draft San Francisco, California INTRODUCTION San Francisco’s Japantown is a distinctive place that is defined in part by its cultural heritage, its social history, and it architectural identity. This historic context statement has been developed in order to inform policies related to preservation of cultural heritage in the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan (BNP) and to guide identification and assessment of important historic and cultural properties, particularly those associated with the Japanese and Japanese American community. Development of this context statement supports the underlying objectives of the Japantown BNP to recognize, retain and