First Street North Project
There is much excitement as discussion between the City of LA and Little Tokyo community groups continue around The First Street North Project. The project area, with Temple Street, Alameda Street, First Street, and San Pedro Street as its boundaries, is being considered for major revitalization. What does this mean?
The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) on First Street, plans to begin construction this month, and hopes to open its newer, larger location right next door to its current site, fall of 1998.
The Temporary Museum of Contemporary Art (TMOCA) on Alameda Street, which will become the Geffen Museum of Contemporary Art (GMOCA), will also be expanding and opening a new cafe.
The old Union Church, located on San Pedro Street, will become the Union Center for the Arts, and will begin construction very shortly. When completed mid 1997, the new Center will be the home to East West Players, the eminent Asian-American theater company in the nation; Visual Communications, the oldest Asian-American media arts organization in the country; and LA Artcore, a non-profit art exhibitor and publisher of Visions, an arts quarterly.
The new Center will bring dynamic new cultural activities into the community, complementing existing facilities such as the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC) and JANM.
The Little Tokyo Community Gymnasium is once again being revived in the First Street North Project. When completed, it will be a multi-purpose sports complex with six high school size courts for basketball, volleyball, martial arts, senior citizen activities, and community events. The gymnasium will sit on top of a three level parking structure, and its current proposed site is on the corner of Temple Street and San Pedro Street. A Board of Directors has been created for the project, and the organization is now working on securing site-control and developing an extensive fundraising campaign.
The Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will be located at this project site as well.
Upon completion, the Little Tokyo residents will have more activities to enjoy. The businesses of the Little Tokyo community will also benefit as more and more people are drawn to the existing and new historical and cultural activities of Little Tokyo.
[ Little Tokyo News * Volume 1 Issue 2]