Sakura Foundation and Sakura Square LLC are excited to announce that the Heritage Partnerships Program (HPP) of the National Park Service has chosen Sakura Square as a location to archive.  The HPP “works closely with communities throughout our eight-state region to collaborate and share the stories of significant places that reflect our diverse heritage.  One of the programs our office oversees is our Heritage Documentation Program, that provides an opportunity to record unique properties and places by creating an archival record that will be submitted to the Library of Congress as a resource for future generations.”  The buildings and history of both Sakura Square and Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple will be included in the project.  The block was chosen for its important representation of Japanese and Japanese American culture and history in Colorado.  The HPP would also like to collaborate with Sakura Foundation on potential educational and outreach opportunities that would complement the project.  The timing for this archival process is serendipitous as the owners of Sakura Square were already planning an archival project as part of the redevelopment of the block.  The HPP will be able to conduct a much more robust effort which will include extensive drawings, an historic narrative, and photography of the site.

In addition, Sakura Square was recently included in Historic Denver’s 50 Actions for 50 Places Campaign in celebration of the organization’s 50th Anniversary.  Historic Denver will be providing funding and assistance in recording the rich history of Sakura Square through community interviews.  These narratives will serve to enhance the efforts of the HPP.  The entire archival project is schedule to take approximately one year to complete.