The Botanical Gardens of Sawtelle

Transcription

1 Th Botanical Gardns of Sawtll

2 LET S TAKE A WALK. As th story gos with many nighborhoods in Los Angls, Sawtll is bing dvlopd. But th high-riss and multifamily apartmnts that hav rplacd th homs and long-standing businsss arn t ncssarily nw dvlopmnts in th nighborhood. What gos on today in Sawtll is a trnd that gos back to bfor Sawtll was Sawtll, going as far as th Tongva popl that first bgan to draw from th Kuruvungna Springs that still flow undr Univrsity High School. Th urban layrs build on on top of th othr. This guid taks you through th nighborhood on a tour. Som of th placs of this tour ar no longr thr, and thr s no guarant that any of th placs that hav bn thr will still continu to b thr by th tim you start. Howvr, thr ar still ways to s th layrs of Sawtll s past in its prsnt. Th Botanical Gardns of Sawtll isn t ncssarily on plac. It is th nursris that onc sold wholsal to th Japans gardnrs who workd throughout Los Angls, th Craftsman bungalows that cratd th backdrop for carfully constructd front yard gardns, and placs lik Stonr Park and th formr Ktchi s Stand on La Grang and Sawtll that cratd a community btwn th Japans and th Chicanos that calld Sawtll hom. Many of th front lawns you will s ar craftd as Japans gardns, with pins, stons, and lantrns. Of cours, th lawns includ th motifs of Southrn California: brightly colord flowrs and tall palms. Th car, considration, and labor connct th gardnr to a hom and cultur in th fac of an immigrant xprinc. Th Botanical Gardns of Sawtll is also th historical contxt in which ths placs xist: a history of racial discrimination dnid th Japans immigrants homs in othr nighborhoods, gav thm limitd opportunitis for work, and illgally incarcratd thm in concntration camps for th duration of World War II aftr th bombing of Parl Harbor. Whn you r walking in th nighborhood, watch out for traffic. Rspct th nighbors. Look aliv. B alrt. You want to b sur you can vn har th fronds of th tall palms clapping in th brz.

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4 Th Silk Floss Tr is not nativ to California. It coms by way of th tropical and subtropical forsts of South Amrica. You can idntify th tr by its spin-studdd trunk and th fiv-ptald flowrs that bloom in th coolr autumn months, which crats a mix of pink flowrs and still-grn lavs. This particular spcimn of Silk Floss Tr at th bordr of th Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursry stands tallr than any surrounding building or nw dvlopmnt. Lik any tr you can purchas at a nursry, this Silk Floss Tr bgan its lif in a fiv-gallon buckt. It is possibl that it cam from on of th nighboring nursris, now long out of businss. 1. Silk Floss Tr (Ciba spciosa) 1905 Sawtll Blvd

5 2. Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursry Soon aftr Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursry had bn stablishd in 1949, thr wr about 30 nursris oprating in th Sawtll ara. This nursry district was intgral to gardnrs work in nighborhoods byond thir own nighborhoods lik Bl Air, Brntwood, and Bvrly Hills. It might b possibl to say that during its hyday this ara was th most concntratd supplir of grnry for Los Angls. Bonsai trs, Yamaguchi s spcialty for ovr fiv dcads and an attraction for nthusiasts across Los Angls, rquir a trmndous amount of car. Th trs don t naturally grow in miniatur form. Thy ar traind, trimmd, prund, and styld to mulat a larg tr on a small scal. In addition to ths bonsai, Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursry srvs th community with a wid array of flowrs, plants, and trs Sawtll Blvd

6 Th four Hashimoto brothrs opnd O.K. Nursry in 1928 on th cornr of Sawtll Boulvard and La Grang Avnu, on th sit of th formr YMCA. Th nursry closd whn th brothrs split up bfor World War II. Two rturnd to Japan, and two wr incarcratd in th Manzanar War Rlocation Cntr. 1 Whn th war ndd and th brothrs wr rlasd, th four runitd and ropnd th nursry undr th nam Hashimoto Brothrs Nursry. Th nursry currntly stands on th sam block of its original location. It had spcializd in fuchsia, a plant that is not nativ to California nor to Japan. Th ntir lot had onc bn filld with fuchsia. A plant disas and shifting customr nds promptd Hashimoto to pivot away from fuchsia and towards bing a mor gnral supply nursry. Still, thr ar som rd fuchsia availabl for sal, hanging in pots variously through th aisls. 3. Hashimoto Nursry 1935 Sawtll Blvd

7 1. Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursry, 1905 Sawtll Blvd, Nursry 2. Hashimoto Nursry (foundd as O.K. Nursry), 1935 Sawtll Blvd, Nursry 3. Tabuchi Nursry, 2001 Sawtll Blvd, Nursry 4. F.K. Nursry, 2020 Fdral Av, Nursry 5. A.I. Nursry, 2227 Barrington Av, Parking Lot 6. Asahi Nursry, Olympic Blvd and Cotnr Av, Frway 7. Equitabl Nursry, Pico Blvd, Parking Lot 8. Harada Nursry, 1900 Sawtll Blvd, Construction Sit 9. Hom Grown Nursry, 2335 Sawtll Blvd, Big-box Elctronics Stor 10. Ishii Nursry, Santa Monica Blvd, Frway 11. Kob Nursry, 2251 Colby Av, Parking Lot 12. Minami Nursry, 2113 Barrington Av, Grocry Stor 13. Nw Olympic Nursry, 2215 Pontius Av, Offic Spac 14. O.K. Nursry, 1947 Sawtll Blvd, Rcrational Cntr 15. Olympic Blvd Nursry, Olympic Blvd, Elctronics Stor 16. Sawtll Blvd Nursry, 2238 Sawtll Blvd, Storag Facility 17. Spulvda Blvd Nursry, 2029 Spulvda Blvd, Automotiv Shop 18. Sunny Sid Nursry, Olympic Blvd, Shopping Cntr 19. Wston Pansy Gardn, 2357 Pontius Av, Outdoor Stor S d lv pu a 10 I-4 M 05 rry ton o 1 a Iow ska 2 La pic ym Ol T ss nn i pp si sis is M a Gr 17 4 ng 6 ra b N i ur o iss r n Sto ng rri Ba Ba d F r tn Co t loi B ll wt Sa th rin Co u rd Pu r tl Bu lby Co l ra S 8 h Ida Sawtll Nursris ica Mon anta o Pic

8 4. Japans Institut of Sawtll 2110 Corinth Av Just down th strt on Corinth is th Japans Institut of Sawtll (JIS), ddicatd in JIS is hom for th Sawtll Gakuin, a Japans languag school, that bgan in 1925 in a privat rsidnc and continus to tach Japans languag classs today. 2 Th world famous Sawtll Judo Dojo 3 and Sawtll Kndo Dojo 4 hav bn housd in th JIS building as wll. If you ar around btwn 6pm and 10pm, Monday through Saturday, both Dojos invit th community to com visit and catch a glimps of thir practic. Th building was shut down during th illgal incarcration of Japans and Japans Amricans during World War II, and r-opnd soon aftr th US govrnmnt bgan closing concntration camps. 5 Whil in transit to th JIS building, notic th movmnt of th palm fronds narby. Is th sun out? How ar you drssd? Stop along th sidwalk, wait. A photograph of th Sawtll Japans School was takn hr, on March 21, It shows a larg group of individuals waiting to mbark to a War Rlocation Cntr. Thy ar drssd formally, and thy ar loadd with larg suitcass wrappd in straps. A palm provids a littl bit of shad. Do thy choos to stand in th shad to find rlif? With th 200 mil bus rid ahad of thm, can thy vn har th sound th palm trs mak in th brz? In 1992, aftr almost 30 yars of activism from formr incarcrs and th non-profit Manzanar Committ, th Manzanar War Rlocation Cntr was dsignatd a National Historic Sit. Oral historis with survivors hav dirctd dcads of archaological unarthing of Japans gardns built by prisonrs at th camp. Ths gardns wr found among garbag, all burnd by th U.S. Army aftr closing th camp.

9 At Manzanar, two hundrd mils north of Sawtll, nstld btwn th towring Eastrn Sirras and Inyos, occupying land whr a cntury ago th Los Angls Dpartmnt of Watr and Powr stakd its claim on th watr, th land of homstadrs faild fruit farms, th hom of th Paiut, th landscap is almost plasant. Th brush aftr a rainy wintr is unxpctdly tall, rubbing against your shins, and tall cottonwood trs provid som shad at th priphris, likly marking a dp stram of watr flowing undrnath. This xprinc of Manzanar now challngs th imagination. Th ovr 10,000 Japans and Japans Amricans hld at Manzanar did not know th dsrt as a vast xpans of bautiful California landscap, but rathr as a crowdd, windy, dusty plac. Th living spacs wr packd tightly togthr, and th latrins wr xposd without dividrs. Thr was nowhr to b alon. Th Japans Amricans forcibly hld at Manzanar, and svral othr locations in th Unitd Stats aftr Excutiv Ordr 9066, wr bound by th barbd wir fncs that told thm, You only blong hr. Walking th grounds today, you can find rustd rmains of tin can lids, dry watr spigots nar th footprints of barracks, and mpty watr ponds that wr onc gardns Manzanar dtains built and card for. Th Japans who wr hld hr for thr yars hauld many of th stons from th surrounding mountain slops and dlibratly arrangd thm around concrt basins. Th ponds wr constructd using th thr bags of concrt ach housing block rcivd monthly from th War Rlocation Authority. Manzanar War Rlocation Cntr

10 Th gardnrs dug into th sand, pourd concrt, and laid rocks to crat dgs and watrfalls. Som ponds had dpr sctions and small cavs whr th koi fish could kp cool in th summr and warm in th wintr. On of th mn, Ryozo Kado, spcializd in forming concrt to tak th apparanc of wood. H colord and moldd th concrt and tchd wood grain prcisly onto th surfac. Exampls of his work appar throughout Manzanar. To a visitor, th gardns challng th imagination. What motivatd th Japans imprisond hr to build ths gardns? To rsist thos who hld thm? To crat a sns of normalcy? To pass th tim? To hav a nic plac to go? It could b an answr hld within mmory, rvald in glimpss in archivs, oral historis, and th knowldg of park rangrs. Th fastidiously kpt govrnmnt documntation bars witnss to th ovr 10,000 popl kpt at Manzanar. Rostrs show many of th Japans cam from Wst Los Angls. How many of thm did businss at th nursris along Sawtll Boulvard and gardnd across Los Angls? How many of th gardns at Manzanar wr prdicatd by gardns tndd in Bl Air, Bvrly Hills, Brntwood, and othr nighborhoods that xcludd th Japans? Aftr Novmbr 12, 1945, whn Manzanar was abandond, how many of th Japans gardnrs brought Manzanar back?

11 5. Wst Los Angls Buddhist Tmpl Th Wst Los Angls Buddhist Tmpl is a good plac to introduc yourslf to th faturs of Japans gardns in Sawtll front yards. Th gardn wraps around th building. Just as you hav bn wandring through th nighborhood, th styl of th gardn is also mant to mov in a similar fashion. Th spac avoids symmtry, and it dos not privilg any on angl of viwing. For xampl, study th pins. Th branchs and clustrs of grn ndls ar carfully prund into shaps, both roundd and flat. Th clanlinss of th cuts suggst constant car and attntion. Stons ar arrangd on th ground to guid your vision along a path, calmly intrruptd by diffrnt styls of lantrns Corinth Av

12 Whil walking down Corinth Avnu, kp in mind that thr ar thr possibl viws you can tak: prpndicular from th front, clos and facing down towards th gardn, and from an angl. Thr isn t a particular rout to tak whn you walk down a block, so fl fr to pick a sid or to cross ovr. Just kp watch for passing cars and always put safty first. A mandring path is ncouragd, as any on angl of th gardns is not privilgd. Many of th bungalows still hav wll-tndd Japans gardns in th front yards, and togthr crat an outdoor community-sponsord gardn of sorts. Bonsai-lik pins, stons, and lantrns ar fw of th lmnts to notic. Th sam mandring path is ncouragd on othr strts too, lik Butlr, Colby, and Fdral. 6. Corinth Av Block Corinth Av (La Grang Av to Mississippi Av)

13 Nod Prson Along Rout Arc Activ Divrsification Lin Sgmnts Lin of Sight Arcs around Nods Suggstd Rvolutions Rvolutions along Path Variabl Lins of Sight Multipl Angls of Viw Front, Back Multipl Angls of Viw Front, Clos, Angld Down Multipl Angls of Viw Exploratory Exprincs Diagram Lgnd Corinth Av Circulation Exampl Viw from th Ground Divrsifid Circulation Paths

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18 At th northwst cornr of Stonr and Mississippi, you ll find an air raid sirn built in This is on of ovr 200 air raid sirns 6 in Los Angls and is an intact modl SD-10 wir spool sirn. Th Los Angls Historic Rsourcs Invntory stats this sirn rprsnts an important phas in th history of civil dfns during World War II and th Cold War. 7 This air raid sirn is at an dg with no foot traffic, th priphry of Sawtll. This air sirn is a constant physical rmindr, a lightning rod of mmoris of a dark tim. This important phas mptid out th nighborhood. Japans Amricans wr forcd to lav thir homs, businsss, and livlihoods. Th sirn was cut off in 1986 with th othrs around Los Angls. Dspit th othr changs in th nighborhood, it hasn t bn torn down. 7. Air Raid Sirn Mississippi Av and Stonr Av

19 8. Stonr Park 1835 Corinth Av Approaching Stonr Park you might notic th sounds of childrn playing in th pool. Nar th sidwalk on Stonr Avnu, you ll find th Japans gardn that was stablishd in This plac is an xcllnt xampl of Japans gardns as thy ar dsignd for th public: as a spac to facilitat community tis. Th Japans community in Sawtll prsntd this gardn, according to on of th plaqus hr, for th promotion of bttr undrstanding. Hr also you can s th list of nams of thos individuals that ddicatd th gardn. Th gardn was narly lost du to nglct whil th nikki wr illgally imprisond in concntration camps. Th popl listd on th plaqu wr likly all takn to Manzanar camp or anothr War Rlocation Act camp. 8 In th 1950s th gardn was rstord by th Bay Citis Gardnrs Association with support of th local Sawtll nursris. 9 In 1989, Dr. Koichi Kawana, a UCLA MFA graduat, rdsignd th gardn, along with th Bay Citis Gardnrs Association, into what it is today. Just past th pool is th gymnasium. If opn, pop in. Th Hollywood Dodgrs Asahi basktball tam might b on court. Foundd in , thy joind wll-stablishd Japans basktball lagus dating prior to World War I. 11 Manzanar concntration camp had basktball, basball, vollyball, and othr sports for all ags. 12 Som tams wr and still ar co-d. 13 As th Japans cam back from concntration camps and rstablishd thir livs, th Sotl 13 gang bgan stablishing itslf in th nighborhood as wll, and Stonr Park bcam th hart of Sotl 13 trritory. In 1976, undr th dirction of lgndary Chicana activist Judith Hrnándz, th gang and mmbrs of th community paintd a mural for pac and for, you could say, th promotion of bttr undrstanding. Rcords or writing concrning th intraction btwn th Chicana/o and Japans Amrican communitis ar not asily found, if thy xist at all. Evn whn w r looking for a countr-history to a plac, thr s mor countr to b had.

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25 Bfor its dmolition th Wstsid YMCA spannd th whol block btwn Sawtll and Corinth along La Grang. For four dcads, it had stood as a cntral community spac in th nighborhood. Th landscaping around th building includd prund Japans pin trs, similar to th homs you v sn throughout th tour. Th O.K. Nursry foundd by th four Hashimoto brothrs onc occupid this sit. 14 Instad of two-story walls and a roof, its boundaris wr short, hollow cindr brick walls. 15 This tour s first itration through Sawtll, draftd for a class in Urban Humanitis at UCLA, had this to say about th sit: Th Y may not last much longr. It was supposd to hav alrady bn dmolishd this past yar to mak way for a nw dvlopmnt, a 73 rsidntial unit mixd-us building. 16 Tongva activists and rsidnts of Sawtll countrd th dvlopmnt, now at a standstill. 17 Its timlin is unknown. 9. YMCA 1131 La Grang Av

26 As you mak your way through th nd of th tour, you can us th hight of th Silk Floss Tr to hlp you navigat back to Sawtll Boulvard. If you tak this tour in th arly spring, around March and April, you might s th boulvard dcoratd with th pink flowrs of chrry blossom trs. Disas, intns drought, and old ag hav takn a toll on th chrry blossom trs in Sawtll, but a fw can still b found around th intrsction of Sawtll Boulvard and Mississippi Avnu. How about w considr a tr to b a kind of timlin. Th roots bing th past, th branchs raching out towards th futur, th concntric rings of th trunk forming layrs. Th lngth and bradth and wight of it ar accumulations of history. Th Silk Floss Tr at th bordr of th Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursry stands tallr than any surrounding building or nw dvlopmnt. It is biggr than you think. 10. Silk Floss Tr Sawtll Blvd and Mississippi Av

27 Endnots Sara Bond Clarissa Brunt-Pluta Andrés Carrasquillo Aril Hrnandz Knny Wong Acknowldgmnts This projct was cratd in th framwork of th Urban Humanitis Initiativ at UCLA and sponsord by th Andrw W. Mllon Foundation. It was initiatd in th UHI Summr Institut 2016 with furthr rsarch conductd in Summr Th Urban Humanitis Initiativ, or UHI, is an intrdisciplinary program that brings togthr architcts, urban plannrs, and scholars in th humanitis, to invstigat Los Angls and othr Pacific Rim citis. instagram.com/botanicalgardnsofsawtll 1. Th History. (2013). Hashimoto Nursry. < history/> 2. Classs: Japans Institut of Sawtll. (2017 August). < indx.php/classs.> 3. About: Sawtll Judo Dojo. < sawtlljudoschool.com/about/> 4. History of Wst LA Kndo Dojo. < Ibid. 6. Air Raid Sirns Los Angls Ara. < Air Raid Sirn 049. Los Angls Historic Rsourcs Invntory. < org/rports/6a98103-d5a-45ca-8aadfd375481ff> 8. Burton, J.F. National Park Srvic. (2015). Gardn Managmnt Plan: Gardns and Gardnrs at Manzanar. California: Manzanar National Historic Sit. < manz/larn/managmnt/upload/manzanar- Gardn-Managmnt-Plan-Final-Dc pdf> 9. Shiraki, J. Rmmbring Sawtll. < RmmbringSawtll.pdf> 10. About HD. Hollywood Dodgrs. < AboutHD.htm> 11. King, J. (2012, Fbruary 21). Th Asian Amrican Basktball Lagus that Hlpd Crat Linsanity. Color Lins. < colorlins.com/articls/asian-amricanbasktball-lagus-hlpd-crat-linsanity> 12. Burton, J.F. National Park Srvic. (2015). Gardn Managmnt Plan: Gardns and Gardnrs at Manzanar. California: Manzanar National Historic Sit. < manz/larn/managmnt/upload/manzanar- Gardn-Managmnt-Plan-Final-Dc pdf> 13. Martin, M. (2012, March 01). Asian Amrican Basktball Lagus About Survival. NPR. < asian-amrican-basktball-lagus-aboutsurvival> 14. Th History. (2013). Hashimoto Nursry. < history/> 15. Sht Wst Los Angls, Los Angls County, California [map] ft pr inch. Sanborn Fir Insuranc Map Company. < php?m=63442.> 16. Wstsid Family YMCA To B Torn Down to Build 73 Rsidntial Units (2015, May 17). Sawtll Japantown. < sawtlljapantown.com/ymca/> 17. Lctur by Dr. Wndy Ttr and Profssor Mishuana Goman to UCLA Urban Humanitis Initiativ. (2016, Sptmbr 05). Publication gnrously supportd by: UCLA Urban Humanitis Initiativ Th Andrw W. Mllon Foundation Institut on Inquality and Dmocracy at UCLA Luskin Spcial thanks to: Mariann Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi Bonsai Nursry Eric Nakamura, Giant Robot Raymond Sato, Balconi Coff Company Patricia Biggs, National Park Srvic Photo Crdits Photos and drawings by th authors unlss othrwis crditd blow. Pag 2, imagry by Googl, Pag 7, photo by Andrw Sanchz, in Rachl Cho and Jnny Y, Sawtll: Th Cultivation of a Japans Amrican Community, (Limitd distribution, availabl at UCLA YRL Spcial Collctions.) Fujimoto, Sawtll: Wst Los Angls s Japantown, Arcadia Publishing, Pag 14, photo by uncrditd datd March 21, 1942, Los Angls City Council Fil # Sawtll Japantown prsntation to Education & Nighborhoods Committ, Fbruary 17, Pag 51, imagry by Googl, Pag 13, photo by Jo Nagano, in Jack

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