Museum of Riverside Awarded $500,000 Federal Grant to Support Harada House
Published: 08/26/2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Aug. 26, 2020
Contact:
Robyn G. Peterson
Museum Director
(951) 826-5792
Museum of Riverside Awarded $500,000 Federal Grant to Support Harada House
Historic site is one of 42 projects nationwide funded by “Save America’s Treasures” program
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Museum of Riverside has been awarded a $500,000 federal grant to support Harada House, a National Historic Landmark.
The Riverside grant is the only one awarded in California out of 42 preservation and conservation projects that received funding in 26 states from the National Park Service’s “Save America’s Treasures” program.
The National Park Service, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, awards these matching grants to support the preservation of nationally significant historic properties and collections.
The Museum of Riverside’s grant will support the initial phase of the rehabilitation of the Harada House on Lemon Street in downtown Riverside, a multi-year project due to the complex nature of the preservation work required. This initial phase includes foundation work and structural stabilization.
Harada House earned its National Historic Landmark status in 1990 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 1913 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.
“We are grateful for this award and the endorsement it represents for the Museum of Riverside’s plans to rehabilitate Harada House for eventual public access,” Museum of Riverside Director Robyn G. Peterson said. “This civil rights monument connects Riverside’s history with urgent contemporary social concerns. The grant could not be more timely.”
In 2019, Congress appropriated funding for Save America’s Treasures from the Historic Preservation Fund, which uses revenue from federal oil leases to provide a broad range of preservation assistance without expending tax dollars. The program requires applicants to leverage project funds from other sources to match the grant money dollar for dollar.
The 2020 awards, nationwide totaling $12.8 million, will leverage more than $25.9 million in private and public investment. For a list of all previously funded Save America’s Treasures projects, please view The Impact of the Save America's Treasures Grant Program Map at https://www.nps.gov/orgs/1623/hpf-in-action.htm
The National Park Service, which administers the Save America’s Treasures program, employs more than 20,000 who care for America's 419 national parks, monuments, and historic sites, working across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. For more information about the grants and the Save America’s Treasures Program, please visit https://www.nps.gov/preservation-grants/sat/index.html.
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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. Sites include the downtown Riverside main museum, Heritage House, Harada House, and Robinson House. All sites are temporarily closed for renovation, rehabilitation, or in response to COVID-19. The Museum has a proud history of exhibitions, programs, and publications foregrounding local and regional achievement.
For the latest information and resources regarding COVID-19 -- www.RiversideCA.gov/COVID-19
