Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts
Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts | |
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Location | Bounded by River Rd. and Union, E and H Sts., Isleton, California |
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Coordinates | 38°9′45″N 121°36′18″W / 38.16250°N 121.60500°WCoordinates: 38°9′45″N 121°36′18″W / 38.16250°N 121.60500°W |
Area | 6 acres (2.4 ha) |
Built by | Adams,Noah Lumber Co. |
Architectural style | Chicago, Commercial Style, Other |
NRHP Reference # | 91000297[1] |
Added to NRHP | March 14, 1991 |
The Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts is located in Isleton, California in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, a large agricultural area in Sacramento County, California. Also known as the Isleton Asian American District, it served as the commercial and social center for both the town's Chinese and Japanese residents and the laborers working in nearby canneries, farms, and ranches. Isleton Asian American District is the only Asian community built in the Delta during the 1920s, and the architectural style of the buildings in the districts, particularly the use of pressed tin siding, is unique to other Delta Asian communities and to the town of Isleton.
Isleton's Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts, while sharing a main street, were considered two distinct areas. They were listed as one historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. The listing includes 41 contributing buildings on 6 acres (2.4 ha).[1][2][3]
Having over 50 original buildings that were built after a fire on May 30, 1926, the two block segment of Main Street was primarily divided; the Japanese-Americans owned homes and businesses on one side while the Chinese-Americans used the other.[4]
After the internment of Japanese-Americans, the area never reclaimed its former multi-ethnic population.
Gallery
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Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts main street
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Chinese-style building
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Bing Kong Tong Society building
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Interpretive sign for Bing Kong Tong Society building
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Chinese-style buildings. The one on the left has traditional tin siding.
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Historic tin siding on building. Pressed tin was used to fire proof many of the wooden buildings after the 1926 fire.
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Brick building with second-story balconies typical of buildings in the Chinese section.
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Hotel Del Rio
References
- 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts" (PDF). National Park Service. and accompanying photos
- ↑ "Isleton Chinese and Japanese Commercial Districts". Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. National Park Service. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
- ↑ Mattons, Eric (2 February 1991). "3 County Sites on Verge of Joining Historical List". The Sacramento Bee. p. B1.