Little Tokyo, an area in downtown Los Angeles that has been home to many Japanese immigrants and Japanese-Americans over the past 140 years, was included in an annual list of the most endangered U.S. historic places released by a nonprofit Wednesday.
"Gentrification and displacement of legacy businesses due to rising rents endanger the historic character that makes Little Tokyo unique," the Washington-based National Trust for Historic Preservation said, noting that restaurants and businesses have already been forced to close or relocate.
Little Tokyo, said to have emerged after Japanese immigrants started opening restaurants in the area in 1884, is the cultural home for the Japanese-American community in southern California.
According to the U.S. National Park Service, the population of Little Tokyo grew to more than 35,000 by the early 1940s. But the community diminished after many residents were incarcerated in U.S. government camps in other areas of the country following Japan's attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Linda Dishman, an advisor to the nonprofit, said, "Listing Little Tokyo as an endangered place is intended to support these community-driven plans and priorities," referring to local efforts to address increasing development and gentrification challenges.
"This designation helps to ensure that Little Tokyo's history, cultural heritage and legacy are recognized and its future is guided," said Kristen Hayashi, a curator at the Japanese American National Museum.
Other sites on the 2024 list of 11 endangered U.S. historic places include Minute Man National Historical Park, where the first battle of the American Revolution took place, and Eatonville, Florida, one of the first self-governing all-black municipalities in the United States.
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