A Century of Union
/What has changed, stayed the same, shifted during the 100 years of Union? In what ways does Union Church reflect an emblematic and necessary history of Little Tokyo? How can we investigate history through site-specific storytelling?
Union Church, now Union Center for the Arts, celebrated its 100th Year Anniversary in 2023. Union Church’s story is of reclamation, and details the ways in which the Little Tokyo community had to fight across multiple decades to retain a concept built into the structure’s name: UNION. What does it mean to reclaim a space that was attempted to be destroyed?
“The new Union Church,” image sourced from Tanaka Studios, Photographer Chikashi Tanaka
New Beginnings (1923)
Union Church primarily served as a place of worship when it was built in 1923 as part of a relocation process of three Japanese congregations. Through Little Tokyo's many phases, the building has served the various communities who have called Little Tokyo home, functioning as the "Pilgrim House" during Japanese internment that stored belongings for internees, and acting as a community and worship center for African Americans. Its legacy as a long lasting structure that has been driven to uplift voices through fostering unity is still felt today, and lives on through the structure itself.
1960s-1970s - Interior Sanctuary of Union Church
Little Tokyo Collection
Rise and Fall of Union Church in Little Tokyo (1923-1942)
In the immediate years following Union’s construction, development across the nihonmachi exploded; various buildings along E. 1st Street and San Pedro Street were constructed, dilapidated 19th-century buildings in the neighborhood were remodeled, and the Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple was founded. By understanding the founding of Union as an authentic, historical anchor of claims for a Japanese community in Los Angeles in the early 20th century and the ways in which it signifies a foundational attempt at community development, we can begin to unravel the power of its historical legacy, memory, and continued role in community-building as the Union Center for the Arts within Little Tokyo.
The Japanese Union Church was only able to serve as a religious and community space for hardly two decades before Executive Order 9066 was issued on February 19, 1942, which deemed all people of Japanese ancestry (including Japanese-American citizens) a security threat to America and mandated their forced removal from their homes and communities. People of Japanese ancestry were processed for removal at a space they viewed as a cornerstone of their burgeoning ethnic community — leaving behind at the church household items, personal belongings, and familial heirlooms in hopes of receiving them back at an unknown future date.
July 2, 1996 - Union Center for the Arts (UCA) groundbreaking ceremony
Photographed by Abraham Ferrer, George T. Ishizuka & Harukichi Nakamura Asian American Movement Collection
From Left to Right: Gem Lew, Duane Ebata, Min Tomai, Jerome Academia, Erich Nakano
Bronzeville: Pilgrim House (1942-1950)
In trying to navigate the sudden emptiness of Japanese residency in the neighborhood, followed by the rapid population of Black migrants, the city of Los Angeles formed a special committee aimed at providing social services to these migrants and easing their transition into the “emptiness” of Little Tokyo and Los Angeles in general. Pilgrim House, a social service center, was born out of this committee, and the Japanese Union Church was chosen as its headquarters. Although its primary patrons were institutionally displaced from their neighborhood, Union Church remained a node of community building for those stewarding the area through this transition and time of uncertainty. At Pilgrim House, Bronzeville residents found health services, community arts events, work opportunities, and child care under one roof — evidencing community building and preservation attempts despite the neighborhood and community’s uncertain future in light of the ambiguity of Japanese incarceration.
Pilgrim House continued to serve the lasting residents of Bronzeville even after Japanese incarcerees began to return to their former neighborhood of Little Tokyo in early-1945. Reverend Kingsley and Pilgrim House helped to form the Common Ground Committee, an organization of African Americans, Latino-Americans, and Japanese to help ease the reintegration process — actively attempting to quell rising racial tensions and contests over space.
By 1947, the owners of the building, in agreement with Pilgrim House, transferred ownership back to the Japanese-community to re-establish Union Church — understanding the significance of the space for returning incarcerees.
The Future of Union (1962-1980)
The re-establishment of the Japanese Union Church, and the relocation of Pilgrim House, was made further complicated by city planning to expand the Los Angeles Civic Center and to build a new Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters downtown at 150 N Los Angeles St. This new Police Administration building, later named Parker Center, was grand and unforgiving in its use of land, scale, and police presence, and required the destruction of an entire section of Little Tokyo for its construction.
By the early 1960s, The Union Church of Los Angeles was seemingly back on its feet — offering religious and community services to the Little Tokyo community under the leadership of Senior Pastor Rev. Howard Toriumi. Business owners, community members, and religious leaders like Rev. Toriumi began to strategize ways of redeveloping Little Tokyo Tokyo along the lines of what the community envisioned rather than of what the City had in mind.
1998 - Bill Watanabe and Linda Mabalot outside of Union Church rehabilitation
A Place to Hold Creative Spaces (1980-Present)
In the following decades, the city left Union vacant, uninhabited, and dilapidated despite their original threats of its demolition for the expansion of Parker Center. However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Little Tokyo Service Center partnered with Visual Communications, to form the Old Union Church General Partnership in hopes of campaigning to buy back Union from the city.
By 1998, LTSC had fundraised the nearly five million dollars required to fully rehabilitate Union in the Northridge Earthquake’s aftermath and completed its renovation. From then on, the Old Union Church would be known as the Union Center of the Arts — housing Visual Communications, East West Players, and LA Artcore as central organizations tied to the historical legacy of community building integrated within Union Church’s walls.
Union is for the Community
In reflecting on the 100 years of Union, one facet stands out — Union Church holds a power, an aura, an affective effect on the people and communities that claim membership to Little Tokyo. Through sweeping historical change, displacement, conflict with the City of Los Angeles, and natural disasters, Union continues to mean something essential to the community. Its essence and meaning to the community may never be located or pinpointed — perhaps a single point of meaning for this old building doesn’t exist. Regardless, by understanding how the Little Tokyo community has fought for Union for a century, we can glimpse its true legacy and importance as a structure that has always been seen as a powerful monument of community building and a means to define Little Tokyo.
Read more about a Century of Union on First Street North: Open. How to access the article:
Visit First Street North: Open
Click “Continue to Exhibit”
Click on the blue circle over Union Church, 120 Judge John Aiso
Click the “OPEN TIMELINE” button
Select “UNION 100: A Century of Union” to read more!
101st Anniversary Celebration of Union
Join VC and the Little Tokyo community as we commemorate 101 years of the First Union Church & Union Center for the Arts on March 10, 2024! The event will feature:
A Rededication ceremony unveiling a new Historic Marker Plaque honoring the Location
Open house in the Visual Communications Offices and Archives
Behind the scenes tours at East West Players and a first look at the 1 Million dollar rebuild of the David Henry Hwang Theatre's Rigging Infrastructure
Open Gallery at LA Artcore
Presentations from Tuesday Night Project, and the other Building Tenants
TIME & DATE
Sunday, March 10, 2024 @ 1PM
LOCATION
Union Center for the Arts (120 Judge John Aiso St. Los Angeles, CA 90012)
Walk-ins are welcome, but RSVP's are encouraged!
140 Years of Little Tokyo
This year marks the 140th anniversary of the founding of Little Tokyo, whose history has reflected the story of our greater Japanese American community: filled with challenges to its very existence met by our families’ persistence and determination and the willingness to band together to maintain our businesses and our cultural institutions. We celebrate 140 years and 140 years more to come through our ongoing, unified perseverance and commitment to see our beloved community thrive.
