Thanks so much for reading and sharing your own experiences. One can quickly see how both the nurseries and the neighborhood surrounding them have long histories, histories that were often more lively and community-oriented than the circumstances we see there today. The nurseries certainly are a blight, yet another challenge to a depressed neighborhood.
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Stacey,

Thank you too for reading and sharing. I can certainly see how a cultural divide would exist between the Japanese American families and the post-war imports in the surrounding community. At heart, this is a story about balancing historical preservation and new development. Clearly, the community and city are at this juncture more inclined toward development.

I will continue to follow any new developments on this public matter through December. The Planning Commission should be voting on Nov. 5. Stay tuned …

Thank you,
Robert Rogers

Growing up across the street, I would hop the fence with my friends or enter via storm drains underneath. Most times we went to retrieve our balls, model airplanes, or whatever else landed over the fence. Oftentimes we went just for the hell of it.

Over the years, we watched the owners — first the father and later the son — walk back and forth between the nursery and home. We went about our business (the work of play); they went about theirs. Except for the furtive glance, neither group ever spoke or made direct eye contact. The owners had no children our age (a generation older), so there was nothing to link us. Still, at a time when everyone spoke to their elders, it was a bit strange. From time to time, I would witness my father greet or hold a brief conversation with one of the owners. I was always afraid that our illegal trespassing adventures would get out and I would be in big trouble (the real kind).

Always well maintained, the greenhouses eventually fell into disrepair following purchase by Redevelopment Agency. The nursery is currently a blight on neighborhood.