A Piece of American History in Japantown’s Heart

San Francisco’s Nihonmachi Little Friends is in the final stages of raising funds to repair the historic building.

By Nalea J. Ko, Reporter
Pacific Citizen
Published October 16, 2009

Officials with Nihonmachi Little Friends in San Francisco say that after seven years of fundraising they are nearing their goal of restoring a pre-World War II building with ties to the Issei community.
In the 1900s, California’s Alien Land Law prohibited immigrants who were ineligible for citizenship from owning certain property or land. But many Japanese American immigrants found ways around the discriminatory laws.

A group of young Issei women realized their dream with the help of the community’s support. Unable to own property, they turned to the YWCA to hold their property in trust.

The women commissioned prolific architect Julia Morgan in the 1930s to design their women’s JA YWCA on 1830 Sutter Street, which is now occupied by the Nihonmachi Little Friends (NLF) childcare facility. Morgan, who is best known for her work on Hearst Castle, did the work pro bono. Many more would dedicate their services free of charge in what became a journey to preserve the legacy of these Issei women.

“Well, it’s basically the legacy of racism that resulted in this particular legal dispute. In going back to the 1920s and 1930s this was the ultra racist period of California’s history,” said Don Tamaki, a partner at the law office of Minami Tamaki LLP. “The issue became how do you get ahead in America without owning property? You can’t without taking root in the society.”

The Issei women took root at the Sutter Street building for less than a decade before they were sent to internment camps, according to Dr. Gary Kono. The YWCA held their property in trust for years. But in 1996 the YWCA planned to sell the building for $1.65 million.

The YWCA’s decision to liquidate the property triggered the memories of long-time community members, who recalled the YWCA’s promise. Tamaki was a part of a legal team of about 10 people, who worked pro bono to search for proof of that promise.

What he and others would find helped save the building.

Preserving JA History

The building was the vision of young JAs who were forced to create a separate YWCA for their use. Because YWCAs were segregated, a group of young Issei set out to seek donations to build their own facility.

Those who were involved in the history of the battle, say it took the community’s support to build the structure and to save it.

Many long-time community members recalled walking door-to-door to collect donations for the building.

Years later when the YWCA was facing financial troubles, officials decided to sell the Sutter Street property. But many recalled a promise to allow the Issei women to purchase the property.

A group of volunteers — including a legal team — eventually stumbled upon YWCA board meeting minutes, which outlined the agreement to hold the property in trust for the women. In a 2002 out-of-court settlement, NLF became the owner of the YWCA building. Those involved in the fight to preserve the case hailed it as a victory.

“I think for the purposes of California history, this is an important legal fight,” said Tamaki, who added that the building has stayed in community service for 80 years and should remain in community service in perpetuity.

Following the legal decision, they started a capital campaign in 2002 called the Issei Women’s Legacy project to purchase and renovate the Sutter Street property. To date they have raised about $2.1 million and need about $100,000 to meet their goal.

“It was a pretty unusual case and one that really brought out the history of Japanese Americans in this country,” said NLF Executive Director Cathy Inamasu, who has been with the childcare facility since 1975. “It brought a lot of sectors of the community together.”

Inamasu explained that $100,000 is needed to complete the fundraising goal and make needed repairs to the building. Renovations to the kitchen facility, upstairs bathroom and auditorium will be made, said Inamasu.

Educating the Future

The Sutter Street building now houses the NLF bilingual childcare programs, which serves over 200 children annually. About 50-60 percent of the children have some Japanese ancestry, said Inamasu. There are two preschool programs and an after school program. All of the children learn about the building’s Issei founders.

The significance of the building might be too complex for the young children to fully comprehend, but parents say the culturally rich curriculum drew them to the school in the first place.

“I tell you having the kids at Nihonmachi Little Friends gave us a community,” said Joyce Oishi, who is also on the NLF capital campaign committee. “It really gave us this wonderful opportunity to meet parents who are interested in giving their children a warm, safe environment.”

Oishi’s two children attended classes at NLF. Now in middle school and high school, they return at times to give back. Her 15-year-old son Kaz recalled helping during lunch.

“You meet people you’ll keep in touch with even in high school,” he said. “[The] immersion is great and the food is even better. [It’s a] great place to spend your childhood.”

Inamasu, who has been with NLF since 1975, said NLF expects to meet its fundraising goal by the end of the year. Many hope the legacy of the Issei founders will live on forever.

“The building is really a manifestation of their vision to organize and create this building in the face of all this racism,” Tamaki explained. “It is an American story of historical importance. This is a part of California history.”

For more information: www.nlfchildcare.org