Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Records SPC.2020.031
Jennifer Hill. Biography/Historical Note written by Eileen Yoshimura.
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
2020-11-25
University Library South -5039 (Fifth Floor)
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson, CA 90747
archives@csudh.edu
Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Records
source:
Santa Monica Nikkei Hall
Creator:
Fukuhara, Jimmy
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2020.031
Physical Description:
8 boxes
Physical Description:
4.75 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): December 1937-October 2018
Abstract: This collection includes organizational documents, correspondence, photographs, and realia from the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall,
an organization that was located in Santa Monica, California. The Hall was constructed in 1957 and served the local Japanese
American (Nikkei) community over a period of 60 years. Some items in this collection have been digitized and are available
online.
Language of Material:
English
, Japanese
.
Biographical / Historical
The Santa Monica Nikkei Hall was constructed in 1957 and served the local Japanese American (Nikkei) community over a period
of 60 years. During the earlier years, Katsuzo Matsumura began holding Japanese language classes in his living room in 1924.
As attendance grew, a school (Gakuen) was constructed, which also served as a community center. With the forced removal and
incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, the Gakuen was used as a military training headquarters. Following
the war, returning Nikkei informally gathered and socialized in community members' homes, supporting each other in rebuilding
their post-war lives and unifying the Nikkei community. In 1951, Issei (first generation Japanese immigrants to North America)
community leaders formed the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall, Inc. and began raising funds to either repair the Gakuen or construct
a new hall. With the Gakuen in a state of disrepair, it was decided to build a new community center. The one-story Hall was
designed by Y. Tom Makino and completed in 1957. Over time, usage of the Hall declined and by 2000, the center was primarily
utilized by senior citizens. In 2017, the Hall was sold with sale proceeds donated to local community and religious organizations.
The following year in 2018, the Hall was designated a landmark by the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission and is listed as the
"Santa Monica Nikkei Kai (Social Hall)". The Hall's historic significance is summarized among the reports to the Landmark
Commission, "As the community center for Santa Monica's Japanese community established upon resettlement after World War II,
the building is of noteworthy interest to the community, and symbolizes elements of the cultural and social history of the
City."
Preferred Citation
Conditions Governing Access
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Gerth
Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Gerth Archives and Special Collections
as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must
also be obtained.
Related Materials
Separated Materials
The podium is separated from the collection and is stored downstairs.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into eight boxes with one oversized item located in a different space. The organization for this
collection is documents, photographs, and other material.
Processing Information
Processing for this collection was completed in May 2021. The photo albums in the collection were disassembled for preservation
purposes.
Scope and Contents
The Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Records (December 1937-October 2018) includes organizational documents, photo albums, plaques,
and a podium from a Japanese American Hall that was located in Santa Monica, California. Documents in the collection include
meeting minutes, agendas, invitations, correspondence, anniversary booklets, donation lists, newspaper clippings, membership
lists, treasury reports, and articles related to the Hall and its members. There are also publications and notes related to
Japanese Americans and Japanese Americans that resided in Santa Monica. Along with the documents, the collection contains
seven photograph albums with pictures of dances, picnics, and other events at Hall, primarily from the 1960s-1970s. Additional
photographs include Memorial Day events at the Ireito located in the Woodlawn Cemetary and a memorial photo book for one of
the members, Hay Uehara. There are also four plaques and a podium that used to be in Hall.
Existence and Location of Copies
Processing Information for Digitized Material
The Gerth Archives and Special Collections created digital reproductions from the original material for long-term preservation
and access. These preservation files were scanned to and stored on the Gerth Archives and Special Collections Deparment Drive.
For more information on the best practices and standards for the digitization process, please see:
CSU Japanese American Digitization Project technical reference guide.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Japanese Americans
Japanese Americans -- California
Japanese Americans -- Social life and customs
Japanese Americans -- Monuments
Santa Monica Nikkei Hall
box 1, folder 2
Christmas party attendance sheets, budgets, notes, and documents
December 8, 1963-November 10, 1975
box 1, folder 3
Treasury reports
December 31, 1966-December 31, 1968
box 1, folder 4
Rummage and garage sale date June 2-June 3 Sat. Sun 1973
June 2-June 3, 1973
General
Title from attached folder.
box 1, folder 5
Letter and copies from Santa Monica Nikkei Hall president, Jimmy Fukuhara to members about June 2-3 rummage sale
June 1974
box 1, folder 6
Christmas and New Years Eve party invitations, notes, program, attendance sheets, and budget information
December 1976; December 1977
box 1, folder 7
1975 cabinet and committee members list, membership list, attendance sheet, and event flyer
1975-September 13, 1976
box 1, folder 8
Ryozo Kado Testimonial Dinner program, treasurer's report and receipts
March 12, 1978
box 1, folder 9
Event invitation for San Diego Zoo
August 6, 1989
box 1, folder 10
Meeting minutes, event sign-up sheets, and guest lists
1979
box 1, folder 11
Treasury report and rummage sale event flyer
1982
box 1, folder 12
Program for New Year's Eve party, treasury report, membership list, and newsletter
1983
box 1, folder 13
Treasurer's report Jan-Oct, newsletter, and membership list
January-December 1984
box 1, folder 14
Meeting minutes, attendance sheets, reports, and other notes in spiral notebook
1984-July 25, 1988
box 1, folder 15
1986-1987 Annual picnic permits, newsletters, attendance lists, notes, and schedules
July-December 1986; January-June 1987
box 1, folder 16
1987 Annual picnic reply cards
1987
box 1, folder 17
1987 Cabinet members list and event flyers
1987
box 1, folder 18
Cabinet members list, calendar of events, and event program
1989
box 1, folder 20
1995 Membership list, Declaration of Mailing Notice of 1997, meeting minutes, waiver notice, and proxy
1995; October-November 1997
box 1, folder 21
Membership list and financial report
1998; January 24, 1999
box 1, folder 22
Schedule of events, financial reports, meeting minutes, and event newsletters and flyers
1999
box 1, folder 23
Financial and treasurer's report
2000; February 26, 2001
box 1, folder 24
Cabinet members list, meeting minutes, financial report, event programs, newsletters, by laws, and handwritten notes
January-September 2001
box 1, folder 25
Membership
2001-2004
General
Title from original folder.
box 1, folder 26
Cabinet member list, 2001 membership list, and minutes from annual meeting
2002
box 1, folder 27
Membership list, attendance sheets, reports, cabinet member list, financial reports, and handwritten notes
2004
box 1, folder 28
Membership list, meeting minutes, and schedule of events
January 24-December 19, 2005; January 31, 2006
box 1, folder 29
Cabinet member and membership lists, event reports, treasury reports, event flyers, and newsletters
January 8-December 9, 2006
box 1, folder 30
Cabinet member list, schedule of events, treasury and financial reports, event newsletters, and programs
March 28-December 8, 2007
box 1, folder 31
Cabinet member and membership lists, schedule of events, event reports, programs and event newsletters
January 27-December 18, 2008
box 2, folder 1
Meeting notes and agendas in single notepad
November 26, 2007-July 26, 2010
box 2, folder 2
Cabinet member list, event programs, financial report, and event newsletters
December 2008; 2009
box 2, folder 3
Event reports, newsletters, and notes
December 2009; 2010
box 2, folder 4
Membership list, schedule of events, and account book
2012
box 2, folder 5
Treasury report and membership list
2013; February 21, 2014
box 2, folder 6
Meeting minutes, notes, agendas, and drafts
July 22, 2013-April 27, 2015
General
Meeting minutes and agendas in single notepad.
box 2, folder 7
Meeting minutes and treasury report
December 16, 2014; February 25, 2015
box 2, folder 8
Schedule of events meeting minutes, financial reports, and notes
January 2015-September 14, 2015; February 2, 2016
box 2, folder 9
Meeting minutes, agendas, and notes in single notebook
May 18, 2015-January 23, 2017
box 2, folder 10
Meeting minutes and notes
January 25-April 25, 2016
box 2, folder 11
Meeting minutes, memos, agendas, and treasurer's report
February 27-October 23, 2017
box 2, folder 12
New Year's Eve speech, Christmas carols, and notes
undated
box 2, folder 13
Full reconveyance and policy of title insurance
August 1, 1957; January 23-25, 1967
box 2, folder 14
City of Santa Monica business license certificate for Nikkei Hall
June 30, 2015-June 30, 2018
box 2, folder 15
Santa Monica Rent Control Board notice of change in terms documents, information sheet, correspondence, and other documents
2013-2017
box 2, folder 16
Building management receipts
March 10, 2015; June 17, 2015; June 6, 2017
box 2, folder 18
Letter from Hirano Insurance and Financial Services to Teruo Naito
December 21, 2001
box 2, folder 19
Letter from Venice Japanese Community Inc.
November 25, 2008
box 2, folder 20
Letter from Bay Cities Gardner's Association
December 8, 2009
box 2, folder 21
Letter from Keiro
February 17, 2016
box 2, folder 22
Letters to Santa Monica Nikkei Hall and Jimmy Fukuhara
2000; January 26, 2016
box 2, folder 23
Letters from Steve Ohigashi to Nikkei Hall board member, Jimmy Fukuhara with drafts
December 2014-May 2015
box 2, folder 24
Correspondence from Coldwell Banker Commercial
January 29-March 1, 2016
box 2, folder 25
Printed email correspondence about Santa Monica Nikkei Hall building
November 2017
box 2, folder 26
Letters from grant recipients
January 24-October 11, 2018
box 2, folder 27
Letters and policy from Tokyo Marine America
June 26-October 1, 2017
box 3, folder 1-2
Letters from Lamb and Kawakami LLP, letters to Nikkei Hall members, member lists, agendas, financial information, notes, and
bylaws
2010-2018
General
Includes information about becoming a non-profit organization, donation of funds, and becoming a historical landmark.
box 3, folder 3
Letters and invoices from Lamb and Kawakami LLP
January 27, 2015-January 20, 2016
box 3, folder 4-5
Invoices from Lamb and Kawakami LLP
2016-July 2017
box 3, folder 6-7
Anniversary booklets
1967-1980; September 1982-2000
box 3, folder 8
Notes and documents about the history of Santa Monica Nikkei Hall
1983; 1999; undated
General
Includes membership interview prep questions and newspaper clippings.
box 3, folder 9
Community associations newsletters and programs
1998, 2001, 2004; undated
box 3, folder 10
Donation list for monument
March 1948
box 3, folder 11
Memorial Day service at Woodlawn Cemetery
November 23, 1959-May 28, 2018
General
Includes programs, newspaper clippings, photographs, and draft news articles for Shin Nichi Bei and Japanese American Daily
News.
box 3, folder 12
Letter to Tadao Suginura with photos of monument
November 18, 1960
box 3, folder 13
Memorial monument rebuilding committee 1994
1994
General
Title from document.
box 3, folder 14
Memorial service programs and cards, and Memorial Santa Monica Nikkei Jinkai and Fujinkai Members and Family from 1957 document
1989; January 16, 2005-October 11, 2015; undated
box 4, folder 1
List of Japanese names, graves at Woodlawn Cemetary with original document, copies, and notes
2015
box 4, folder 2
Newspaper clippings related to monument dedication in Santa Monica
undated
box 4, folder 3
West Los Angeles Japanese Community Center memo with subject: 35th Anniversary Memorial Day and Monument Dedication Ceremony
program- draft copy
May 4, 1994
box 4, folder 4
Santa Monica Japanese Language School copy photograph
August 27, 1939
box 4, folder 5
Santa Monica Japanese pre-war resident notes, lists, documents, and internment records from Woodlawn Cemetary
undated
box 4, folder 6
Santa Monica Japanese pre-war resident reunion invitation, lists, and notes
1972-1973
box 4, folder 7
History of Santa Monica and West Los Angeles
undated
box 4, folder 8
"From Settlement to Resettlement: Japanese Americans in (and out of) Santa Monica, California, 1899-1960"
August 12, 2001
box 4, folder 9
Newspaper clippings related to Santa Monica Nikkei Hall and Santa Monica
March 8, 2001; May 19, 2018; undated
box 4, folder 10
"The Conflict in the Far East" by Hiroshi Saito reprinted from "World Affairs" December 1937
December 1937
box 4, folder 11
Printed articles titled: "Japanese Physicians to Examine Hiroshima-Nagasaki Survivors" and "Hiroshima's Los Americans"
August 6, 1990; June 19, 2003
box 5
Santa Monica Nikkei Hall photo albums
circa 1960-1980
General
Two photo albums, one green and one white, with photographs of events from around 1960-1980.
box 5
Santa Monica Jinkai Fujin Kai annual family picnic photo album
June 28, 1987
box 5
Memorium Hay Uehara Dedicated Member 1912-2002 Dedicated member Santa Monica Nikkei JinKai President 1975 presented to Santa
Monica Nikkei JinKai by Jimmy and Eileen Fukuhara photo album
1975
box 5
Loose photographs of Santa Monica Nikkei Hall, events, and monument
circa 1960-2015
box 6
Memories of Samo Dance Club 1970 photo album
1970
box 6
Santa Monica Nikkei Kai September 1982-December 1982 photo album
September-December 1982
box 6
Santa Monica Nikkei Kai book no. 4 photo album
January 16, 1983
box 5
Annual family picnic
June 23, 1974
box 7
Issei founders plaque 1957
1957
box 7-8
President roll plaques
1957-2015
General
3 plaques with a list of President names.
object 1
Santa Monica Nikkei Hall podium