El Cerrito’s Japanese Community

In 1900 the first nursery in what became a very successful Japanese nursery community was founded in El Cerrito. Almost all these nurseries were west of San Pablo Avenue, specifically between Potrero Avenue on the south and El Cerrito’s northern city limits. Many of the nurseries were severely vandalized when the families were forced to move to distant internment camps during World War II. Years later, many growers lost considerable property when their land taken under eminent domain to build the Eastshore Freeway. But they persevered and prospered; the last Japanese nursery did not close until 2006.

• Remembering our local Japanese heritage

• Map of Japanese nurseries in the north El Cerrito/Richmond area

• Japanese nursery growers pioneered economic development of El Cerrito

• Historic evaluation of the Mabuchi family home and Contra Costa Florist Shop

  • National Park Service comments on evaluation

• Meriko Maida’s chapter one from book on the co-op at theTopaz Internment camp

• Race, Ethnicity, Resistance, and Competition: an Historical Analysis of Cooperation in the California Flower Market (Ph.D. thesis by Gary Kawaguchi)

El Cerrito’s Chinese Community

The Chung Mei Home was built near the intersection of Elm and Hill Streets in 1935 for boys of Chinese heritage whose parents could not take care of them. The home was built on property that once was the Heidie family dairy.

The Chung Mei Home was first located in an old wooden building in Berkeley, but had to move into larger quarters. The boys in the home, with lots of hard work, were able to raise part of the money to build larger premises. With the help of Bay Area citizens, they were able to raise the remaining money to buy the property and build this new home in El Cerrito.

Under the direction of Dr. Charles Shepherd, the director and supervisor of the home, the boys turned out to be first-class students, responsible and very nice children. Marching every school day from the home to the local schools, the boys were very courteous and careful not to disturb other residents.

The home closed in 1954 and reopened in 1956 as the Western Baptist Bible College, continuing until 1974 when it became the Armstrong Preparatory School. Windrush School took over the premises in 1987 and closed in 2012. Today the site houses the Summit K2 charter school.

• Tom Panas and former residents talk about life at the Chung Mei Hom (video)

• The Chung Mei Chronicles: 16 years of monthly newsletters produced by the boys documenting life at the Chung Mei Home from 1928 to 1944

• A collection of rare photos depicting the life of boys at the Chung Mei Home (also called the Chung Mei Lantern Slides)