Chinese Americans in Riverside: Historic Context Statement

Sagara, M.

From introduction: "The Chinese Americans in Riverside Historic Context Statement was prepared at the request of the City of Riverside, and was funded by a grant through the Certified Local Government (CLG) program. This project is part of the City of Riverside’s continued efforts to advance historic preservation in the city through the identification and evaluation of potential historic resources. The project was initiated in February 2016 in partnership with City staff, the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), consultants, and community volunteers. The context statement was prepared by architectural historian M. Rosalind Sagara, who worked on all components of the project and served as the project manager. The context statement includes a historical overview of the Chinese American experience as it relates to Riverside’s growth and development; identifies themes associated with extant resources; and includes suggestions for future study. The period of significance includes the experience of Riverside’s Chinese American community from 1868 to 1975, spanning the arrival of the first known Chinese Americans in Riverside, through the death of Wong Ho Leun (George Wong), the last resident of Chinatown, in 1974, and the creation of Dr. Sam Huang’s first mural in 1975. This study focuses on historical themes associated with residential settlement patterns, labor, culture and institutions, and commercial growth in Riverside. It also identifies important individuals that played significant roles in Riverside’s Chinese American history. The geographic scope of this study is the current boundary of the City of Riverside. This study revealed that there are few extant resources associated with Chinese Americans in Riverside. The most significant resource associated with Chinese American history in Riverside is Riverside’s second Chinatown at Tequesquite and Brockton Avenues (1885 to present, hereafter referred to as Chinatown). This was the largest and longest-continuously populated of three known Chinese American settlements in Riverside. Chinatown was a major cultural center for the permanent and migrant Chinese population of inland Southern California. Residents and visitors alike gathered at Chinatown to socialize, conduct business, worship, learn, celebrate Chinese holidays, and grieve the passing of loved ones, demonstrating shared history among the local Chinese American and non-Chinese population. Cultural heritage was expressed and maintained through traditions, language, and food, which reinforced collective identity. With the passage of time, Chinatown has evolved into an historic archaeological site. In part because there are limited visible physical remains of this community, the history of Chinese Americans in Riverside remains obscured." Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2015 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Riverside (project number CA-15-028) administered by the California State Historic Preservation Office (grant number P15AF00029) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Riverside, California is a Certified Local Government.

Chinese Americans in Riverside: Historic Context Statement

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