Reviving Little Manila

July 2, 2007

Stockton was a destination for Filipino Americans laboring in the Central Valley in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Little Manila, recently recovering from a redevelopment plan to demolish the area, was once "full of pool halls, hotels, churches, grocery stores, barbershops" which residents build "after being banned from other parts of the city," according to Recordnet. In 2003, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed Little Manila on the list of the 11 Most Endangered Places.

According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation website, in April the Manila Foundation was in risk of foreclosure, as it was "still struggling to obtain financial backing to rehabilitate and adaptively reuse the Little Manila buildings," although the Recordnet article makes it sound like they are still active. I've contacted the Foundation and will post an update, when I hear back from them.

Contributor: