Santa Monica Nikkei Hall Records

The Santa Monica Nikkei Hall was constructed in 1957 and served the local Japanese American (Nikkei) community over a period of 60 years. During the earlier years, Katsuzo Matsumura began holding Japanese language classes in his living room in 1924. As attendance grew, a school (Gakuen) was constructed, which also served as a community center. With the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, the Gakuen was used as a military training headquarters. Following the war, returning Nikkei informally gathered and socialized in community members’ homes, supporting each other in rebuilding their post-war lives and unifying the Nikkei community. In 1951, Issei (first generation Japanese immigrants to North America) community leaders formed the Santa Monica Nikkei Hall, Inc. and began raising funds to either repair the Gakuen or construct a new hall. With the Gakuen in a state of disrepair, it was decided to build a new community center. The one-story Hall was designed by Y. Tom Makino and completed in 1957. Over time, usage of the Hall declined and by 2000, the center was primarily utilized by senior citizens. In 2017, the Hall was sold with sale proceeds donated to local community and religious organizations. The following year in 2018, the Hall was designated a landmark by the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission and is listed as the “Santa Monica Nikkei Kai (Social Hall)”. The Hall’s historic significance is summarized among the reports to the Landmark Commission, “As the community center for Santa Monica’s Japanese community established upon resettlement after World War II, the building is of noteworthy interest to the community, and symbolizes elements of the cultural and social history of the City.”