A Home for Little Friends

In the Spring of 2002, something wonderful happened in San Francisco's Japantown. A significant building, created through the hard work and sacrifice of first generation (“Issei”) Japanese American women became the first permanent home of Nihonmachi Little Friends (“NLF”). The battle to preserve the historic building for continued service to women and children envisioned by these immigrant women has been waged by a diverse group of contemporary supporters including: childcare and youth advocates, the Japanese American church community, civil rights lawyers, architecture and historical preservationists, concerned community members, and friends and families of those serviced by the non-profits housed at 1830 Sutter Street. Continued generous support will guarantee that this Japantown treasure will be utilized to it's full potential in service to the community.

The 1830 Sutter Street Building

Summary

More than 80 years ago, during the rise of the Asian exclusion movement, a group of Issei women organized an independent Japanese YWCA and raised the funds to establish a home for services to Japanese women and children who were denied access to other facilities. Julia Morgan designed the building complete with a Noh performance stage. At the time, necessitated by the rascist Alien Land Laws, the Japanese women secured the San Francisco YWCA's promise to hold the building in trust for the Japanese American community. The Japanese YWCA grew and operated programs at the building until Executive Order 9066 forced all persons of Japanese heritage, regardless of citizenship, into internment camps during World War II. The San Francisco YWCA assumed control of the building from that point forward.

Then, in 1996, the San Francisco YWCA put the Sutter Street building on the market. Their high asking price prevented community groups from purchasing the building. Eviction notices were served to the preschool and other non-profit tenants serving the Japanese and African American communities. Prompted by the attempted sale, researchers uncovered the trust agreement from the YWCA's own organizational minutes. Despite this discovery, it was to take another six years of litigation, made possible through dedicated volunteer efforts and donations before a final settlement that allowed NLF to purchase the building was reached.

Historical Background

In the early 1900’s when segregation policies were prevalent and consistent with the times, the SF YWCA policies would not allow "Chinese, Japanese, or colored girls" to use its main facilities.

In 1912, in order to provide much needed services to the increasing number of immigrant Japanese women and girls, a group of Issei (immigrant) women form the Soko Bukai formed the Japanese YWCA. The Soko Bukai was an association of three Japanese Christian churches. The Japanese YWCA initially rented space for their programs but they quickly needed more space.

In 1920-21, the Japanese YWCA identified the 1830 Sutter building to buy since it was a larger and more permanent place for their programs. However, in 1913, California had enacted the racist Alien Land Laws that prohibited all Asian immigrants from owning property.

So to circumvent the law, the Japanese YWCA requested the SF YWCA to hold title to the property. To its credit, the SF YWCA board agreed to hold the property "in trust" for the Japanese YWCA’s "permanent use" and helped obtain financing. The Japanese YWCA raised the initial down payment and ultimately paid the full purchase price.

The Japanese YWCA used the original 1830 Sutter building until they also outgrew the space. The Japanese YWCA decided to construct a bigger building on the property. Renowned architect Julia Morgan volunteered her services to design the new building in a Japanese style, which included employing a Japanese carpenter and building a traditional "Japanese room", a Noh theater stage in the auditorium, and a Japanese outdoor garden. The Japanese YWCA used the new building as a residence hall and to provide many social and educational programs until World War II.

In 1942, the entire Japanese-American community was torn apart by the interment of all persons of Japanese ancestry during W.W.II. After the war, the Japanese YWCA did not reform. The Japanese-American community had been devastated by the internment. Many Japanese-American, including the pre-war leaders of the Japanese YWCA, did not return to San Francisco and the YWCA adopted and integration policy. With the passing of the Japanese YWCA’s founders, knowledge of the trust created in 1920-21 was lost until recently…

In 1996, the SF YWCA decided to sell the building prompting the Japanese-American community to rally support for the return of the 1830 Sutter building to the community. A community leader discovered a past agreement from the SF YWCA’s own board of director’s meeting minutes. The minutes revealed the presence of a trust to preserve the building for the community's use.

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