riversideca.gov

Museum of Riverside Announces Architect for National Historic Landmark Harada House Project

Published: 07/13/2022




 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

July 13, 2022

           

Contact:

Robyn G. Peterson

Museum Director

[email protected]

(951) 826-5792

 

 

Museum of Riverside Announces Architect for

National Historic Landmark Harada House Project

 

Riverside, CA – Following a competitive selection process, the City of Riverside’s Museum of Riverside is pleased to announce that IS Architecture has been awarded contracts for architectural design work for the National Historic Landmark Harada House.

 

Two contracts were approved by Riverside City Council on July 5.  One is for architectural design services in connection with Phase I of the rehabilitation of Harada House, which will focus on rebuilding the foundation of the house and overall structural stabilization.  The second contract is for architectural design services that will result in the Harada House Interpretive Center next door to Harada House.

 

These contracts are funded by a federal grant from the National Park Service’s Save America’s Treasures program, a state of California allocation administered by the California Natural Resources Agency, and dozens of private grants and donations.

 

IS Architecture, based in La Jolla, was founded by Ione Stiegler (FAIA, NCARB) in the early 1990s and focuses exclusively on historic preservation projects.  The firm has more than 200 successful projects in its history, and Ms. Stiegler has earned multiple architectural awards.  Their years of experience include many preservation projects designed ultimately for public access.  IS Architecture has been engaged with Harada House for several years, bringing a passion for its unique social justice history to the public.

 

In 2004, Harada House with its entire contents was deeded by Harada family heirs to the City of Riverside’s museum.  Since then, the Museum has worked to deter deterioration while developing a plan of approach to the rehabilitation and raising funds to cover the costs.

 

The architectural design work will begin immediately and take several months to complete.  Selection of a contractor and work at the Lemon Street site will begin shortly thereafter.  All phases of the project will likely take several years and involve innovative historic preservation technologies.  A documentary record of the process is planned.

 

Follow the Museum of Riverside on Facebook and Instagram for more information.

 

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ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF RIVERSIDE

The Museum of Riverside, a department of the city of Riverside, holds a large multi-disciplinary collection relevant to the history, culture, and natural science of the region.  The Museum has a proud history of exhibitions, programs, and publications foregrounding local and regional achievement.  Sites include the downtown Riverside main museum, Heritage House, Harada House, and the Harada House Interpretive Center (forthcoming).  All sites except Heritage House are temporarily closed for renovation or rehabilitation.  Heritage House is open Friday-Sunday for guided tours; pre-registration for tours is required via Eventbrite.

 

 

 

 

ABOUT HARADA HOUSE

Harada House earned its National Historic Landmark status because it was the subject of a civil rights court case in 1916-1918, the People of the State of California v. Jukichi Harada et al., in which the Superior Court of California upheld the 14th Amendment rights of the American-born children of Japanese immigrants Jukichi and Ken Harada against California’s Alien Land Law targeting Asians.  The Harada case was the first test in the United States of the constitutionality of these exclusionary property and immigration laws.