Historic Wintersburg Japanese Community Buildings in Huntington Beach Destroyed by Property Owner After Fire of Unknown Origin

On February 25, the 1910 Japanese Mission's Manse in the historic district of Wintersburg in Huntington Beach was severely damaged by fire, then it was demolished together with an adjacent historic building without a permit by the property owner, it was reported. This has prompted outrage and a demand for an investigation by the Historic Wintersburg association, other Orange County historic preservationists and the local Japanese-American community. The organizations have cited a local legacy of anti-Japanese and anti-Asian hate.

Read more in the OC Register article here.

Read more about the response by the Historic Wintersburg organization and others here.

Congressional leaders are in the final steps of negotiating an FY 2022 "Omnibus" appropriations bill that would fund the federal government, including federal cultural agencies like the National Endowment for the Arts. The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) Act limited grants awards to be used by the end of 2021. Due to ongoing COVID-19 public health closures, a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives are working to extend the project period into 2023 by attaching the Save our Stages Extension Bill to the FY 2022 Omnibus funding bill.

Take action now by contacting your Member of Congress through this easy online form.

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We acknowledge with respect our presence on the ancestral lands of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians - Acjachemen Nation and the Tongva People.