Notes:
Notes:
"Several blocks up a steep grade from the current UWT campus, the language school was at the heart of a bustling Japan Town before World War II. Built in 1922 with an addition in completed in 1926, the school was a place for Japanese children to study language and Japanese culture. During the war, the building was used to gather people of Japanese descent before sending them to internment camps. Unlike other urban centers, where Japanese communities returned and thrived, downtown Tacoma saw few of its Japanese return. Since the war, the Japanese Language School has, for the most part, remained vacant. UW Tacoma acquired the language school property in the early 1990s as part of its program to purchase land within the 46-acre "footprint" the campus will eventually inhabit. At that time, a study was commissioned to evaluate the building's potential, and tenants were sought with no success. Also in 1993, the University received approval from the Tacoma Landmarks Commission to remove the building but did not act. When the City of Tacoma notified UWT the building was a hazard in 2001, the Preservation Commission re-approved the original motion to demolish the building and create a commemorative garden. In 2002, UWT commissioned the BOLA Architects of Seattle to explore alternatives to tearing the building down." Article published 07/01/2003 by Michael Wark.