Saving Joy Kogawa's Childhood Home as a Writing Centre in Vancouver

[Anton Wagner]

“Joy Kogawa House Facing Bulldozer"

October 27, 2005

Please circulate widely to colleagues and friends:

	
Only a week after writers from across Canada and around the world were 
celebrated at the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival, the 
childhood home of Vancouver- born Joy Kogawa, one of Canada’s most eminent 
authors, is in increased danger of being bulldozed into the ground.

Gerry McGeough, Senior Heritage Planner in the City of Vancouver Planning 
Department, has confirmed that the current owner of Kogawa's former childhood 
home on 1450 West 64th Avenue has drawn up architectural plans for the 
redevelopment of the site including demolition of the Kogawa house. Processing 
a development and demolition application by the City takes less than four 
weeks. 

McGeough will recommend to the Vancouver City Council Standing Committee on 
Planning and Environment on November 3 that City Council recognize the heritage 
value of the Marpole property and issue a 120-day demolition delay order as 
allowed by section 591 of the City Charter. The meeting is open to the public. 
The Save Kogawa House Committee, formed when the home first went up for sale in 
September of 2003, will also ask the Planning and Environment Committee to urge 
City Council to pass the 120-day demolition delay order.

The Committee has contacted professional writers organizations across Canada to 
support the drive to save Kogawa's childhood home as a Vancouver literary 
landmark and convert it into a major writers-in-residence centre for Canadian 
and international writers. This support from eight associations, representing 
several thousand professional writers, will be released shortly. For Kogawa, 
the 1450 West 64th Avenue property became a symbol of lost hope and happiness 
after she, at age six, and her family were removed from their home in 1942 as 
part of the forced evacuations and internment of over 20,000 Japanese-Canadians 
during World War II. The house is featured in the award-winning novel Obasan, 
in its sequel, Itsuka, and the children’s story Naomi's Road, which premiered 
on September 30 as Vancouver Opera's second-ever commissioned original work and 
is now touring to 140 schools and community centres throughout B.C. 

“The destruction of the Kogawa home would be a great loss of cultural heritage 
for Vancouver, for British Columbia, and for Canada,” Margaret Atwood declared 
at the Vancouver International Writers Festival on October 13. “Although Canada 
scored high on the recent all-nations report card, it scored low on culture, 
history and heritage. Why destroy more of this precious asset?” 

The Save Kogawa House Committee reactivated when it was alerted on September 
21st that a demolition application was expected.  Two years ago the committee 
tried to raise funds to buy the house and persuade the federal government to 
protect the cultural landmark, but became dormant when the owner made no plans 
for demolition at the time.  The committee seeks to preserve the Kogawa House 
as a Canadian and international writer’s centre, similar to the Pierre Berton 
House in Dawson City and the Margaret Laurence House in Neepawa, for the 
cultural heritage of future generations.

“There is only one literary monument erected in Vancouver for a Canadian 
author," says BC Bookworld publisher Alan Twigg, "It is the Pauline Johnson 
memorial in Stanley Park.” Johnson died in 1913.

Kogawa is the recipient of many awards including the Order of Canada in 1986. 
Roy Miki, Simon Fraser University Professor and 2003 Governor General's Award 
Winner for Poetry, has called Obasan the most important literary work of the 
past 30 years for understanding Canadian history.  In 2005 Obasan was selected 
by the Vancouver Public Library for its One Book One Vancouver program, 
encouraging all Vancouverites to read this single book.  

The Vancouver Heritage Foundation has set up a fund to save the Kogawa house 
and will issue charitable receipts for donations. All donations to the Joy 
Kogawa house rescue receive a tax receipt for the full amount of the donation. 
Cheques should be made out to “Vancouver Heritage Foundation” and mailed to the 
Vancouver Heritage Foundation, 844 West Hastings St., Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1C8. 
Donors are asked to indicate on the cheque memo line: “Save Kogawa House.” 
Donations can also be made on-line on the Vancouver Heritage Foundation’s 
website http://www.vancouverheritagefoundation.org/Kogawa.html
 
To prevent demolition, the Save the Kogawa House Committee is seeking community 
support and volunteers in Vancouver and across Canada in its drive to convert 
the house into a major writers centre. The Committee is also asking supporters 
to email the Vancouver City Council at mayorandcouncil at vancouver.ca urging 
Mayor Larry Campbell and City Councillors to prevent the demolition of the 
Kogawa House. 

--30--

Anton Wagner
Secretary
Save Kogawa House Committee
416-863 1209
fax: 416-863 9973
awagner at yorku.ca