In anticipation of Monday's vote, several Huntington residents and even some from out of town wrote to the council urging preservation of the buildings — the most prominent of which, the former Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church constructed in 1934, features a rainbow mural with the slogan "Jesus Lives" overlooking the corner of Nichols Lane and Warner Avenue.
Donna Graves, the director of the statewide research project Preserving California's Japantowns, called the Wintersburg site a rare resource.
"This complex is unique within the nearly 50 communities we surveyed for the range of buildings and structures included, their physical integrity and the rich history they represent of an early 20th century farming community," she wrote. "As an Orange County native, I urge you to search for ways to honor this important piece of local history, one of the few that can connect current residents to these important aspects of Orange County heritage."
