National Park Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

Cultural Resources, Partnerships, and Science

Historic Preservation from the Ground Up: The Harada House

The house at 3356 Lemon Street in Riverside, California is not

likely to catch the eye of many visitors. The boxy, wood-sided 

home looks unremarkable. Few would guess that this suburban 

home was the site of one of the earliest battles in the fight for 

Asian American civil rights.

In the early twentieth century, husband 

and wife Jukichi and Ken Harada were 

business owners in Riverside. They

were both Issei, Japanese-born

immigrants to the United States, and 

ineligible for citizenship by U.S. law. Since their arrival in 1905, they ran 

the Washington Restaurant and Boarding House. They served American

fare in a dining room decorated with portraits of American presidents.

The Harada's white neighbors led a campaign to remove them from their 

home, ending in a court battle. The family refused to give in to pressure. 

On December 17, 1918 the Riverside County Superior Court decided The 

People of the State of California v. Jukichi Harada in favor of the family. In 

the first test of the Alien Land Law, the Haradas won the right to own 

property in America.

Starting the Journey toward Historic Preservation

Despite its significance, it took sixty years to begin preservation efforts at 

the Harada House. In 1942, the U.S. government forcibly removed and

incarcerated the Haradas and all 

Japanese Americans on the West Coast. 

The family was imprisoned at the Topaz 

Camp in Utah, where Ken Harada died in 

1943 followed by Jukichi in 1944.

Unlike most Japanese Americans, the 

Harada family reclaimed their home after 

the war. Sumi Harada, Jukichi and Ken’s

daughter, owned the house. She also maintained the Harada 

family records, photographs and documents spanning many 

decades. In the 1970s, a University of California graduate student researched the Harada House.

Newspaper clipping about the 

Harada court case

Staff at the Washington 

Restaurant

Harada House

Jukichi and Ken Harada with their 

extended family
 Mark Rawitsch consulted the Harada family, other community 

 members, and the Harada family collection. Sumi Harada and 

 Mark Rawitsch were able to show the significance of the 

 Harada House. In 1977, the house became a City of Riverside 

 Landmark. That same year, the State of California nominated

 the Harada House for the National Register of Historic Places. 

 It was listed on September 15, 1977. The Secretary of the 

 Interior designated the Harada House a National Historic

 Landmark on December 14, 1990.

 The preservation journey of the Harada House did not end with

its local and national recognition. After Sumi Harada died in 

2000, ownership of the house passed to her brother, Harold. 

In 2004, the Harada family donated their home to the 

Riverside Metropolitan Museum. The Institute of Museum and 

Library Services found that the building was falling apart. The 

National Park Service identified the condition of the Harada 

House as threatened. The Getty Foundation and the 

California Cultural and Historical Endowment sent funds to 

improve the condition of the house. The museum began to 

inventory the Harada Family Collection and started working to 

preserve the house.

Through a community fundraising campaign, the museum 

bought the home next door to the Harada House. It serves as 

an interpretative center for the site. The California Council for 

the Humanities and the California Civil Liberties Public 

Education Program also contributed funding. This support 

has allowed for the Harada House to be part of a larger 

museum effort to tell the story of returning Japanese 

 Americans. There is even an 

 effort to gain historic recognition 

 for the building that was the 

 Harada’s restaurant. This push 

 for recognition comes from the 

 building’s owner and tenant, 

 neither of whom is related to the 

 Harada Family.

 The Harada House National Historic Landmark owes its success to 

 these many partners and programs. The Harada family, Mark 

 Rawitsch, and others found aid from multiple preservation 

 organizations. They secured protections for the property while also 

Inscription on the walls of the Harada House

Letter from Jess Stabler, a friend of the Harada 

Family who cared for the house during WWII

Ken Harada's Alien Registration Card

Stabilizing efforts inside the Harada House in 

2005

Harold Harada speaking at the 

Harada House dedication in 2001
raising awareness of its significance. Riverside Metropolitan Museum reached out to the community 

and public and private granting agencies. In doing so, it expanded the site and told the story of this 

remarkable place. 

Historic Places in Your Neighborhood

Historic Asian American and Pacific Islander places exist throughout the United States. Some of 

these sites, like Angel Island in California or ‘Iolani Palace in Hawai’i, are dramatic and well-known. 

Many more, like the Harada House, can go unnoticed. Fortunately, there are programs and 

organizations designed to preserve these sites and ensure that their contributions to American 

history are recognized. Through a variety of federal, state, local, and private entities, citizens and 

communities across the country are leading successful initiatives to document their history through 

the preservation of historic places.

Most sites will not be recognized at a national level. Yet, the steps taken in the case of the Harada 

House are a useful model for those who want to preserve places in their community. Local historical 

societies and records offices are often good places to begin research. Community organizations 

may lead to individuals with historic private holdings. Applications to establish historic status are 

complex and time-consuming. The process requires proper documentation of the site’s history. It is 

often necessary to seek help from professional historians, archeologists, preservationists, or 

architects. This is especially true when applying for national programs. 

If you believe that your local community may contain a site of historical significance, take action! If 

not for two citizens, Sumi Harada and Mark Rawitsch, the story of the Harada family could have 

been forgotten. The rules, regulations, and applications can make historic preservation seem 

daunting. There are technical assistance, grants, and programs available at the local, state, and 

federal level. These can provide many avenues for recognizing and protecting a historic place. As no 

two places are the same, there are many preservation strategies that might work best for your 

property. 

Nan Madol on Pohnpei Island, Micronesia, now a National 

Historic Landmark. Photo by NOAA 

Kam Wah Chung Store in Oregon, now protected by Oregon 

State Parks. Photo by Oregon State Parks
Paths to Preservation

The first step when preserving your site is to set 

goals for your project. You need to be able to 

answer the following questions: Why is this place 

significant? What do I hope to achieve by preserving 

it? The first question will be essential no matter what 

direction the project takes. The second question will 

help you to determine the best course of action.

Preserving a Site

In some cases, the physical protection of historically

significant places is the first priority. If properties are 

damaged, or otherwise threatened, they need to be 

assessed as soon as possible to care for them. In

this case, organizations exist to help. Applying for recognition from local, state, and national historic 

register programs is a good first step.

Community Development

Historic preservation is good for community development. It can lead to increased property values 

and economic activity. Historic properties do not have to serve as museums. In fact, most are 

residences or commercial properties. By preserving the character of historic districts, preservation 

encourages heritage tourism and economic development.

Interpretation and Education

It is important to tell the story of your historic site 

with the community. Often, a plaque or interpretive 

sign is a cost effective choice. It is even possible to 

mark sites digitally, raising awareness around the

world with websites like HistoryPin 

(www.historypin.org/project/51-east-at-main-street). 

Local historical and community organizations could

help by including your site in walking tours or 

literature about your area. If you are an educator in

your community, consider incorporating local history

and heritage into your lesson plans. The National 

Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places 

(www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/index.htm) provides tools 

and guides for educators. Effective interpretation 

and communication contribute to the historic character of the local community.

The Certified Local Government Program and the National Main 

Street Center help preserve character of historic communities, 

like the Main Street in Riverside, California 

National Register of Historic Places plaque
Preservation Resources

The National Register of Historic Places

(www.nps.gov/nr) is the nation’s official list of 

historic places considered worthy of preservation.

Designations can be provided by State Historic 

Preservation Offices (www.ncshpo.org), Tribal 

Historic Preservation Offices (www.nathpo.org), 

and local historic preservation organizations. 

Sites of exceptional national significance can be 

nominated for designation as a National Historic 

Landmark (www.nps.gov/nhl), but a site is much

more likely to gain protection through a local 

preservation organization.

Many community initiatives to preserve and 

promote historic sites are already in place. You may want to check if your site lies within a National 

Heritage Area (www.nps.gov/heritageareas), a Certified Local Government (www.nps.gov/clg) 

partnership, or a National Main Street Program (www.preservationnation.org/main-street). You might 

explore the potential for heritage tourism as well. Consider the National Trust for Historic 

Preservation’s “Five Principles for Successful and Sustainable Heritage Tourism” 

(www.preservationnation.org/information-center/economics-of-revitalization/heritagetourism/basics/the-five-principles.html). 

Researching the historic places in your neighborhood can bring you closer to your community and 

your past. Listen to your local elders and consider recording their oral histories. If you have family

collections of objects and documents that could serve other historical researchers, you might 

preserve or donate those collections for future generations. Learn how to care for them or donate 

them to an archive or museum using some of the links below.

Preservation Assistance

 National Park Service Technical Preservation Services (www.nps.gov/tps)

 National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (www.ncptt.nps.gov)

 National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.preservationnation.org)

 Preservation Action (www.preservationaction.org)

 National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (www.napcommissions.org)

 National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) (www.ncpe.us)

 American Library Association, Low-Cost Ways to Preserve Family Archives (video)

(www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/042914)

 Northeast Document Conservation Center Caring for Private and Family Collections 

(www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preserving-private-and-family-collections/caring-for-private-andfamily-collections)

 Asian & Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation (www.apiahip.org)

 National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (wwwncshpoorg)

Inside the George Nakashima Woodworker Complex in 

Pennsylvania, now a National Historic Landmark. Photo from the 

Nakashima Woodworkers Studio Archives
For a more detailed overview of the historic preservation process, please explore the extensive NPS 

toolkit for historic preservation (www.nps.gov/latino/toolkit.html), created as a result of the Latino 

Heritage Initiative.

What You Can Do

With these tools at your disposal, learn about your neighborhood and its history. Understand its past 

in the context of our national story. Make meaningful connections with your community and help 

preserve the heritage of all Americans.

August 2015

www.nps.gov/history/AAPI

All photographs related to the Harada Family were supplied courtesy of the Riverside Metropolitan Museum 

(www.riversideca.gov/museum/haradahouse).

The Chinese Mason Building in Walnut Grove, California’s Chinese-American Historic District. Photo by 

Mary L. Manieri. A lesson plan for the Locke and Walnut Grove communities is available online: 

www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/locke/locke.htm