What you're looking at here is one of the 11 most endangered buildings in the country, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation--it's the Rancho Cucamonga Chinatown House. If you were unaware that Rancho Cucamonga had a Chinatown, that's probably because this is its last remaining structure. According to the National Trust, the two-story brick building was constructed in 1919 and "provided housing and a general store for a community of approximately fifty Chinese American laborers. Today, the house is one of the last tangible connections to the history of the once-thriving Chinese American community that helped build modern-day Rancho Cucamonga."
According the LA Times, preservationists are trying to raise more than $1 million to restore the dilapidated building--its second floor was condemned 50 years ago--and turn it into an educational space. The Chinatown House is the only local building on the list this year; the Port of LA's Terminal Island made the cut in 2012 but is no longer considered to be at risk thanks to its brand new historic preservation policy.
· Rancho Cucamonga Chinatown House [PreservationNation]
· Rancho Cucamonga Chinatown House listed as endangered historic site [LA Times]
Loading comments...