Threatened: Historic Wintersburg, Huntington Beach, California

Wintersburg Presbyterian Church, Huntington Beach, California.  Photo found at O.C. Roundup.

California's agrarian landscape is steeped in diverse community histories that tell of immigration, perseverance, and sacrifice.  Leaving one's homeland for a strange land has always been met with trepidation, but for those who survived, their stories are priceless. Historic Wintersburg has become an invaluable resource for telling the story of Japanese emigrants adjusting to a new land, yet its survival is threatened by rezoning and demolition. "It is the sole remaining Japanese-owned, pre Alien Land Law property," writes Mary Urashima of the Historic Wintursburg's Blogspot, "and one of the rare Japanese historic properties left in Orange County." 
Supporters of its preservation have started YouTube and Facebook pages for public awareness.  Even the City of Huntington Beach is encouraging its preservation.  Despite state and nationwide interest, Historic Wintersburg's fate is uncertain.
UPDATE: The Orange County Register recently announced that the owner of the property will not demolish the buildings, at least for now.  The property owner, Republic Services, is working with local preservationists to consider possible options.  The work begins, as reported by the Huntington Beach Independent.

Saved: Japanese House at Huntington Library, San Marino, CA

Japanese House & Pagoda.  Photo found at the Huntington Library's website.

The California Preservation Foundation and the Huntington Library announced that the Japanese House and related tea garden have been renovated and are now reopened to the public.  Originally built by Japanese craftsmen in Japan c. 1904, the house was then shipped to California and reassembled for a commercial art dealer during a time when Japanese tea gardens were all the rage...including one built for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exhibition in San Francisco.  When the dealers business failed, the Japanese House was bought by Henry Huntington and reassembled again at his estate in 1911 and completed in 1912.  With the house and garden in place now for 100 years, the Huntington Library is celebrating by announcing the completion of the renovation project.

Threatened: Terminal Island, Port of Los Angeles, CA

Noted in an earlier post about the bridges of Yosemite Valley, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has recently posted its America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places that included two California sites. The second, Terminal Island at the Port of Los Angeles, is threatened with continued demolition over adaptive reuse by the Port Authority.

Looking into California's past sometimes exposes events that challenge us. During WWII, Terminal Island was one such venue where its community of Japanese-Americans was relocated to the Manzanar internment camp. Their experience was well captured in Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston's book, Farewell to Manzanar. Places like Terminal Island and Manzanar enable us to openly discuss difficult subjects like racism, internment, and war. Without them, we are left vulnerable to missed discussions, reflections, and the risk of repeating horrific mistakes.

Update: A Southern California Public Radio posting provided a little more information about the site, and an intriguing video clip of a WWII newscast explaining the government's version of why Japanese-Americans were relocated.