Japantown Story Map Released Just as Yamaguchi Hotel is Demolished
The Architectural Heritage Center and Japanese American Museum of Oregon complete digitalproject funded by National Trust for Historic Preservation Project.
Portland, Oregon – The Japanese American Museum of Oregon and the Architectural Heritage Center are proud to present A Forgotten Community: A Tour of Portland's Lost Japanese American Community, digital storytelling map available now online. The collaboration was made possible through a one-time $25,000 grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Telling the Full History Preservation Fund, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. This grant program interprets and preserves historic places of importance to underrepresented communities across the US and demonstrates how preservation is a powerful tool for advancing justice and equity.
The interactive digital story map, publicly accessible to all online, highlights 20 different locations that were core to the establishment of Portland’s Japanese American community, especially in the area of Northwest Portland known as Japantown—Nihonmachi, in Japanese — in the early 1900s. This area was home to hundreds of Japanese-owned shops, restaurants, hotels, and services until 1942, when Executive Order 9066 authorized the imprisonment of all persons of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast. These 20 stories include key people and buildings that helped anchor Nihonmachi, some of which still exist today elsewhere in Portland. A companion walking tour includes the sites that are currently accessible in Old Town and will continue to be developed by the Architectural Heritage Center as a guided experience.
This project is particularly poignant at this time, while the present-day Japanese American community mourns the demolition of the old Blanchet House, which, from 1921-1941, was the Yamaguchi Hotel. It was managed by Shigezo and his wife, Masae Yamaguchi, who also served as the midwife for the Japanese community, providing much-needed assistance to women who were not getting the care they needed from hospitals. When the story map project began, the building stood as a testament to Masae and the Yamaguchi Hotel’s legacy. One year later, the final project meeting occurred as the building was being demolished and the last bricks fell.
Caption Image: Hanging cranes during the community ceremony for the Yamaguchi Hotel, March 12, 2023. Photo courtesy of Rich Iwasaki
“It is a sad day watching the destruction of the Yamaguchi Hotel. The City’s condition to complete the work of a Stakeholders Task Force was ignored. With the lack of communication regarding the demolition, we felt disrespected and unheard, and the cultural erasure of our community’s history continues,” explained Chisao Hata. “The sudden destruction of the historical building was a tragic reminder of what is currently at stake, and why projects like this story map of Portland’s Japanese community are so vital.”
The digital story map and walking tour can be accessed online at jamo.org/storymap or via the links below.
More visual resources are available for download here.
CONTACT: Sam McGee, samm@visitahc.org
CONTACT: Erin Schmith, erin@jamo.org
JAPANESE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF OREGON
The mission of the Japanese American Museum of Oregon is to preserve and honor the history and culture of Japanese Americans in the Pacific Northwest, educate the public about the Japanese American experience during WWII, and advocate for the protection of civil rights for all Americans. Formerly known as the Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center, our museum is a venue for culture and research as well as an invaluable resource for exploring Nikkei experiences and their role in Oregon’s multicultural community. Our permanent exhibit space highlights Issei immigration and early life in Oregon, Nihonmachi (Japantown), and the experience during World War II through Nikkei life today. Learn more at https://JAMO.org.
ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE CENTER
Owned and operated by the Bosco-Milligan Foundation, the Architectural Heritage Center (AHC) is a resource center for historic preservation located in the rehabilitated 1883 West Block’s Building in Portland’s East Portland/Grand Avenue Historic District. AHC programs explore diverse topics in architecture history and preservation, and include rotating gallery exhibitions, talks, panel discussions, and other special projects and events. The AHC also runs a full program of docent-led architecture and history walking tours throughout downtown and many Portland neighborhoods.
THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The National Trust, a 501(c)(3) organization, is a privately funded nonprofit chartered by Congress in 1949 to protect the nation’s historic places. Today, the organization is deeply committed to utilizing preservation as a tool to advance justice and equity for all Americans. The National Trust is guided by four strategic priorities: Saving America’s Historic Sites, Telling the Full American Story, Building Stronger Communities, and Investing in Preservation’s Future. The National Trust for Historic Preservation was recognized by the National Endowment for the Humanities with the National Humanities Medal in 2001.
THE TELLING THE FULL HISTORY PRESERVATION FUND
The Telling the Full History Preservation Fund restores and supports the core activities of humanities-based organizations as they recover from the pandemic and utilize historic places as catalysts for a more just and equitable society. Due to their power as primary sources, historic places advance our quest for a more perfect union by combining individual experience inside the American story with relevant, innovative humanities scholarship. It emphasizes telling the full, true story of historic places to gain components critical to the historic record, to help complete the humanities infrastructure of the nation, and to reimagine history in ways that reflect a comprehensive view of American identity. To learn more about the Telling the Full History Preservation Fund, go to savingplaces.org/neh-telling-full-history.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Trust or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States. Because democracy demands wisdom, NEH serves and strengthens our republic by promoting excellence in the humanities and conveying the lessons of history to all Americans. The Endowment accomplishes this mission by awarding grants for top-rated proposals examined by panels of independent, external reviewers. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this press release do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
