"In 1935, a corporation named "The Buddhist Church of Castroville" purchased the entire block bounded by Geil, Pajaro, Seymour, and Union streets.
Not long afterward, the community began building the simple Japanese School building on the southwest corner of the property, and for the next six years, many of the Nisei children living in and around Castroville attended the school. The curriculum centered on the Japanese language, with other instruction covering Japanese cultural practices. The Issei parents were hoping that their children might learn some of the Japanese traditions in this school while learning about America in public school.
The school building stood vacant when the Japanese community was evacuated to the Salinas Rodeo Grounds in late April of 1942 [the Japanese internment after Pearl Harbor].
Sometime following World War II, the building was acquired by the Castroville Elementary School, and slowly, over time, the building's history began to fade away.
Fortunately, however, the memories of one of the school's early students did not fade. In the 1990s, in an effort to save and preserve the building, Mr. Kunio Sumida of Los Angeles, began a successful effort to have the building placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Being on the register gives the building considerable protection, and when Monterey County recently purchased it, they vowed not only to preserve the building, but also to restore it to its original 1930s construction.
With the assistance of Jeff Sumida, Helen Kitaji, and Frank Oshita, a committee has been guiding the future plans for the building and the entire block. The plans are for the building to become a community center that can be used for Castroville community and non-profit organizations." -- Sandy Lydon
(
visit link)
The restoration of the Japanese School building has barely begun, but the rest of the block has been opened as a public park centering around a baseball and soccer field. There are bleachers and a concession building.
The park is part of the North County Recreation and Park District (North Monterey County).