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Restoring Kinmon Gakuen:

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Providing a space for culture to grow

Section I
The Brief

Help us restore the heart
of Japantown!

Welcome to the Kinmon Community Center Restoration Project. We are embarking on a journey to revitalize a historic building located at 2031 Bush Street, turning it into a vibrant hub for the entire Japantown community.

This Kinmon Community Center project will restore for community wide use a historic building located in Japantown at 2031 Bush Street in District 5 of San Francisco.

The rehabilitated building will open the building up for classes, nonprofit offices, social and legal services, meetings, cultural activities, including art, exhibit, event, and performance spaces. This project will bring together multidisciplinary services with multicultural competencies to work against the inequities that our API communities
have faced.

Section II
History of the Site

The Golden Gate Institute, or better known in San Francisco’s Japantown as “Kinmon Gakuen,” represents a history and place that goes far beyond its official title and original use as a Japanese language school. Established in 1911, just five years after Japantown moved to its home in the Western Addition, and at a time when anti-Japanese sentiment was at one of its historical peaks, a group of first generation Japanese community leaders joined together to create a Japanese language school for their children(Nisei).

They envisioned a school that would not only provide language classes but introduce important cultural, historical and social customs and values that could be shared and passed down to future generations.

After many years of dedicated fundraising, a new building for Kinmon Gakuen was constructed in 1926, where it currently stands today. At its zenith, over 600 students were enrolled at Kinmon Gakuen.

Section III
The Promise

While the current state of the building does not meet current codes and lacks ADA accessibility, we see this as an exciting opportunity for transformation. Upgrading the space will not only bring it up to code but also make it more inclusive and welcoming. The enhanced facility will serve as a vital hub for Japantown area community-based agencies, catering to the needs of low-income API households.

These agencies include, but are not limited to, Kimochi Senior Center, Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC), Japanese Cultural and Community Center (JCCCNC), API Legal Outreach, Japanese American Religious Federation, Chibichan Preschool, and Nihonmachi Little Friends.

A new upgraded space would include auditorium space, kitchen, social hall, classrooms, meeting rooms, exhibit rooms, and office space. Full rehabilitation will include building alterations that are code required, and would require numerous architectural and structural upgrades, as well as upgrades to the electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems, and the addition of an elevator. All new construction would be compatible and sensitive to the historic character of the space.

Section IV
How You Can Help

Volunteer

Have a knack for fundraising? Join the fundraising committee. We are always looking for people to help with fundraising mailing, social media and other fundraising tasks.

Donate

Please consider giving towards our fundraising target of
$5 Million dollars.

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Project Updates

Stay informed about the progress of the Kinmon Community Center Restoration Project. We will regularly update this space with news, milestones, and stories from the community.