The City of Sacramento will receive a $99,500 federal grant to document the history of its Japanese American community, collect oral histories, and prepare National Register of Historic Places nominations for two buildings.
Through the Japanese American Historic Experience Project, the City will work with community members to document surviving places and the people, businesses and organizations associated with them. The research will help address gaps in the City’s historical record and guide future preservation efforts.
“Behind these buildings are stories of families, businesses and community life,” said Sean de Courcy, the City’s preservation director. “By hearing from people who lived those experiences and families who have kept those stories alive, we can give all Sacramentans a fuller understanding of how the Japanese American community helped shape the city.”
By the early 20th century, Sacramento had one of the largest Japantowns in the United States. Wartime displacement and later redevelopment disrupted the community, and many of its buildings were lost. The project will help identify and document places that remain and tell the story of Sacramento’s Japanese American community and its continued perseverance.
The grant comes from the Historic Preservation Fund’s Underrepresented Communities program, administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
What the project will include
The City will select a consultant team with historic preservation expertise and a Japanese American subject matter expert to conduct the research and work with community members.
The work will combine archival research, oral histories, and public input to create a citywide historic context statement and a focused survey of historical buildings. That study will provide a foundation for evaluating places associated with Sacramento’s Japanese American history.
The project will include:
- Interviews and public meetings to gather community members’ knowledge and experiences.
- Detailed evaluations of Ouye’s Pharmacy at 921-923 V St., the Dr. Arthur Trent Dentist Office Building at 2014 10th St. and two additional properties to be identified through research and public outreach.
- National Register nominations for the pharmacy and dentist office building.
Both property owners have consented to the proposed nominations. Listing in the National Register would require a separate review and approval process.
Building on earlier preservation work
The project builds on the Historic Experience Program, led by the City’s Preservation Office, which has documented Sacramento’s African American and LGBTQ+ histories and supported local landmark and historic district nominations.
The Center for Sacramento History will provide archival resources and help preserve the research materials and oral histories for future public access.
Community members will have opportunities throughout the project to share stories and help identify places important to Sacramento’s Japanese American history. A planned project website will provide information about the work and its findings.