An historic Japanese American site in Southern California that faces the wrecking ball was thrown a life preserver when it was added to the 2014 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, reports Rafu Shimpo.
The site in Huntington Beach in Orange County, CA consists of six buildings including the Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Mission (1910-pictured) and the home of goldfish and flower farmers Charles Mitsuji and Yukiko Yajima Furuta.
The Huntington Beach City Council voted last November to allow its demolition, but gave preservationists until mid-2015 to try to save the buildings.
A member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation called the site “important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural, and natural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage … threatened by blight, insufficient funds, inappropriate development, or insensitive public policy.”
So what does the designation on the endangered list mean to efforts to save the buildings? You can read more about that in Rafu Shimpo.
