American Express and National Trust for Historic Preservation Award $450,000 in Grants to Three Sites in San Francisco
14 November 2018 - 5:00AM
Business Wire
Two Sites Are Receiving Second Grants from
American Express; Initial Grants Were Given During Inaugural
Partners in Preservation Program in 2006
American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) and the National Trust for
Historic Preservation today announced they are awarding $450,000 in
preservation grants to three sites in San Francisco. These include
the Doolan-Larson building in Haight Ashbury, Nihonmachi Little
Friends and the Roxie Theater, the latter two of which also
received Partners in Preservation: San Francisco Bay Area grants in
2006. The three selected sites reflect the unique cultural heritage
of the City by the Bay.
Created by American Express and the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, the Partners in Preservation program launched in 2006
in the Bay Area. Since then, it has committed more than $22 million
in support of more than 200 historic places across the U.S. This
October, the Woman’s Building in San Francisco competed in the
Partners in Preservation: Main Streets 2018 campaign and secured a
preservation grant for $150,000.
“San Francisco is unique in that it welcomes change, yet
celebrates its rich history. These three landmarks reflect some of
the most important cultural movements that have shaped the city,”
said Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation.
“The Partners in Preservation program launched twelve years ago in
the Bay Area and set us on an amazing journey to engage Americans
all across the country on the importance of preservation. We are
honored to return to the city where this initiative began and
continue this critical work.”
“We chose San Francisco as the site of our 2018 PastForward
conference because it’s a beautiful and singular world city that’s
long used historic preservation as a key urban planning tool to
spur reinvestment and enhance communities,” said Stephanie Meeks,
president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
“With the help of our longtime partners at American Express, we’re
delighted to have this opportunity to recognize and help support
some of the city’s diverse historic treasures.”
The three historical sites receiving grants are:
Doolan-Larson Building, Haight Ashbury –
Upper Haight District
Constructed in 1903, the Doolan-Larson building and storefronts
have become synonymous with the counterculture of the 1960s. On the
corner of Haight and Ashbury streets, the building was home to
famed boutique Mnasidika, credited as the birthplace of the bell
bottom and a favorite shopping haunt of Janis Joplin. The Grateful
Dead were also photographed at the storefront. Noted
preservationist Norman Larson lived at the building until his death
early this year, after which he donated it to San Francisco
Heritage to rehabilitate and preserve it. Larson was instrumental
in achieving the building’s designation as a city landmark and its
listing on the National Register. This $150,000 grant will support
the repairs and restoration of the building’s exterior including
the roof, facades, and windows.
Nihonmachi Little Friends –
Japantown
Located in historic Japantown (one of just three in the
country), Nihonmachi Little Friends is a private, nonprofit
childcare center with a mission to provide Japanese/English
bilingual, educational childcare in a multicultural context for
preschool through elementary school-aged children. Famed architect
Julia Morgan originally designed the building in 1932 as the
Japanese Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). This is San
Francisco’s only pre-WWII building commissioned by and for the
Japanese American community and includes references to Japanese
architecture. At the time the building was constructed, the
Japanese were prohibited from holding land, so they partnered with
the YWCA to build it. The building reflects the complex story of
San Francisco’s long-standing Japanese community, its internment
and disenfranchisement during WWII, as well as its enduring
achievements. This $150,000 grant will support the repair and
replacement of exterior windows, as well as stucco repair and
painting of the building’s exterior.
Roxie Theater – Mission
District
One of the nation’s oldest continuously operated cinemas, the
Roxie Theater opened in 1909. A nonprofit organization and one of
the few independent theaters in San Francisco, the Roxie brings
people together to meet and connect through distinctive cinematic
experiences and is an important forum for the independent film
community. Located in the rapidly changing Mission District, it
strives to provide inspiration and opportunity for the next
generation and serve as a forum for the film community reflecting
the spirit of the diverse Bay Area population. This $150,000 grant
will support highly visible upgrades to the building entrance and
lobby concessions area, as well as neon sign maintenance.
About Partners in
Preservation
Partners in Preservation is a program in which American Express,
in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
awards preservation grants to historic places across the
country.
Through this partnership, American Express and the National
Trust for Historic Preservation seek to increase the public's
awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United
States and to preserve America's historic and cultural places. The
program also hopes to inspire long-term support from local citizens
for the historic places at the heart of their communities.
About American Express
American Express is a globally integrated payments company,
providing customers with access to products, insights and
experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn
more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on
facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress,
linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress,
and youtube.com/americanexpress.
Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility
information: charge and credit cards, business credit cards, travel
services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify,
InAuth, corporate card, business travel, and corporate
responsibility.
About the National Trust for Historic
Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded
nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places:
www.savingplaces.org.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181113005984/en/
AMERICAN EXPRESSAmelia T.
Woltering212-640-7034amelia.t.woltering@aexp.comorNATIONAL TRUST
FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATIONGermonique R.
Ulmer202-588-6475gulmer@savingplaces.org
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