| 2006
Top Ten Endangered Sites
Top 10 2006 |
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(Updated)
 In late fall 2005, City Council approved
a 120-day demolition delay to allow sufficient funds to be
raised for the purchase and preservation of the Kogawa House
as a cultural and literary landmark.
The
Land Conservancy of BC (TLC) has stepped in to help raise
the over one million dollars required to buy the house and
pay for the repairs and renovations necessary to convert it
to a writers’ centre. However, if efforts to purchase
the property within the 120-day period (which ends March 31)
are unsuccessful, the current private owner will demolish
the house.
The Kogawa House has special literary significance
as the childhood home of acclaimed Canadian author Joy Kogawa.
Through its depiction in her novel, Obasan, the house has
a strong symbolic and historical association with the internment
of Japanese-Canadians during WWII. The novel recalls this
episode in Canadian history through the eyes of a child. Kogawa’s
childhood home and the cherry tree in the back yard figure
prominently in the novel.
Heritage Vancouver joins with other arts and
literary groups across Canada to support the proposed writers’
centre.
Updated 14 April
2006: The Land conservancy's (TLC) fundraising and
awareness campaign to save Joy Kogawa's childhood home continues.
There is both relief and urgency as City Council recently
granted a one-month extension to raise the funds needed for
acquisition and rehabilitation.
Updated 10 August
2006: With the help of a last minute anonymous corporate
donor who came up with $500,000 at the last minute, the TLC
has purchased the house to save it from demolition, but funds
are still needed to restore and convert it into a writer's
centre.
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| Vintage
photo showing front side angle of home; Photo courtesy
of Joy Kogawa |
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Save
Kogawa House website
www.kogawahouse.com
The
Land Conservancy
www.conservancy.bc.ca
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