Historic Wintersburg, Huntington Beach, CA

Threat: Demolition; Insensitive public policy
Owner: Rainbow Environmental Services

   

     Furuta family bungalow. Photo courtesy Mary Adams Urashima/Historic Wintersburg.

    

      The last remaining pioneer heritage barn in Huntington Beach at Historic Wintersburg. 
      Photo courtesy of Chris Jepsen.

The 1910 building of the Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission. 

Photo courtesy of Mary Adams Urashima/Historic Wintersburg.

Historic Wintersburg is a Japanese American pioneer property located in north Huntington Beach, Orange County, California.  The approximately five-acre property contains six extant structures: the 1910 Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission, the 1910 Manse (parsonage), the 1934 Depression-era Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church, the 1912 Furuta family bungalow, the 1947 post-World War II Furuta ranch house, and the Furuta barn, built between 1908 to 1912.

Once a goldfish and flower farm, the property pre-dates California’s Alien Land Law of 1913—prohibiting Japanese immigrant property ownership—and is home to the “oldest Japanese church in Southern California.”  The Mission is part of California’s Japanese Mission Trail, beginning 50 years after the last Spanish Mission, with the work of Dr. Ernest Adolphus Sturge, later presented the Order of the Rising Sun by the Emperor of Japan. The Mission buildings are the oldest surviving Japanese‐American religious structures in Southern California.

Historic Wintersburg was the heart of Orange County’s Japanese community.  The Mission also supported language schools and social activities for the Japanese community around Orange County.  The property was designated by the City of Huntington Beach General Plan as a local landmark in the mid-1970s.  

In November 2013, the City of Huntington Beach approved an amendment to change the existing General Plan land use designation for the Historic Wintersburg property, which is currently owned by Rainbow Environmental Services, a waste disposal company. Although no new development, or active use was proposed, Rainbow Environmental Services also sought approval to demolish, or remove all of the property’s structures. The Wintersburg Preservation Task Force has been given an 18-month window to raise funds to purchase the land, or, failing that, to move the buildings to a new location. In 2014, the National Trust for Historic Preservation added Historic Wintersburg to its 11 Most Endangered Places List.

For more information:

Mary Adams Urashima, Chair
Historic Wintersburg Preservation Task Force
Huntington Beach City Hall
2000 Main Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Email: Mary.Adams.Urashima@gmail.com

Websites: historicwintersburg.blogspot.com and www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/i_want_to/give/donation-wintersburg.cfm

Riverside Chinatown Archaeological Site, Riverside, CA

Threat: Inappropriate development
Owner: Riverside County Office of Education

Riverside Chinatown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Photo courtesy of Rosalind Sagara.

Riverside’s Chinatown dates back to 1885 and is considered among the best-preserved early Chinese American archaeological sites in the country. The site has been designated a historic resource by federal, state, county, and city governments. A central hub of the Chinese community in Inland Southern California, Riverside’s Chinatown contains the remains of a temple, business district, and permanent and temporary housing. Many of Chinatown’s residents provided skilled labor to the region’s developing citrus industry. Their centuries-old knowledge of citrus contributed to making Riverside the richest city per capita in the U.S. by the turn of the 20th century.

In October 2008, the City of Riverside approved a medical office development at the site of Riverside’s Chinatown. The approved project would have resulted in the loss of the site’s archaeological remains, considered to be one of the best intact remains of an early Chinese American historic site. Local citizens successfully challenged City approvals in court and have subsequently developed a vision for a signature park that highlights the site’s social, cultural, and archaeological values. Despite widespread opposition, the developer and new out-of-town business partners are continuing to seek entitlements for a medical office development at the historic site.

For more information:
M. Rosalind Sagara, Chair
Save Our Chinatown Committee
P.O. Box 55436
Riverside, CA 92517
Email: saveourchinatown@gmail.com
Websites: www.saveourchinatown.org and facebook.com/savechinatown

Defining "Threat"

You may be facing one or more of these threats to your community's historic resources. 

Demolition 
Destruction or dismantling of a historic building, site, or landscape. 

Neglect 

‘Demolition by neglect’ is a common and serious threat to historic buildings. An owner allows a site or building to slowly deteriorate to the point that it can be deemed a safety hazard, and therefore legally demolished. 

Inappropriate Development 
Can refer to either: 1) development not in keeping with the architectural or historic character of its surrounding neighborhood, or 2) development that impedes interpretation of a significant historic site or cultural landscape. 

Insensitive Public Policy 
Broadly defined as legislation that impedes the awareness and protection of a community’s historic resources.

Submission Guidelines

We review applications on an ongoing basis. Email the following information to apiahipsites@gmail.com: 

1. Name of resource

2. Location
3. Provide a brief description of the site and its significance (maximum 250 words)
4. Describe the nature and urgency of the threat* (maximum 250 words)
5. Contact information (full name, address, phone, email, website)

Attach minimum two photos of the resource (maximum file size 1 MB). By submitting photos, you indicate that you agree to our use on our blog and APIAHiP-affiliated websites.

*Defining threat: 

Demolition 
Destruction or dismantling of a historic building, site, or landscape. 

Neglect 
‘Demolition by neglect’ is a common and serious threat to historic buildings. An owner allows a site or building to slowly deteriorate to the point that it can be deemed a safety hazard, and therefore legally demolished. 

Inappropriate Development 
Can refer to either: 1) development not in keeping with the architectural or historic character of its surrounding neighborhood, or 2) development that impedes interpretation of a significant historic site or cultural landscape. 

Insensitive Public Policy 
Broadly defined as legislation that impedes the awareness and protection of a community’s historic resources.

In addition to APIAHiP's Endangered Sites Watch List, we provide letters of support for preservation-related projects. To request a letter of support, submit a 1-3 page issue summary to apiahipsites@gmail.com.