The Taoist Temple at No. 12 China Alley in
Hanford, in
Kings County, California
Kings County is a county located in the U.S. state of California. The population was 152,486 at the 2020 census. The California Department of Finance estimated the county's population was 152,940 as of July 1, 2019.http://dof.ca.gov/Forecastin ...
, dates from 1893. It was listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
(NRHP) in 1972.
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Background
It is historically significant as a surviving authentic structure from Hanford's Chinatown, after it moved to the 200-foot-long China Alley in the 1890s, after a fire in the previous Chinatown area. China Alley served the second largest population of Chinese in the U.S., behind San Francisco. The temple itself was argued in its NRHP nomination to be valuable "as an example of typical late 19th century indigenous construction, with oriental overtones.... in keeping with the theme of the original Hanford Chinese settlement and with the buildings still remaining."[ and ]
The Taoist Temple Museum is open for tours once a month.
''China Alley'', where the temple is located, was listed as one of the 11 most endangered historic places in America in 2011 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
On the evening of May 12, 2021, the building was heavily damaged by fire. Although the building itself did not sustain structural damage, the fire still caused severe smoke and heat damage to the second-floor temple room and its artifacts, which will require significant clean up and conservation.
See also
* Temple of Kwan Tai
The Temple of Kwan Tai (; Yale: ''Móuhdai Míu'', also known as the Mendocino Joss House or Mo Dai Miu) is a Chinese Taoist temple in Mendocino, California, dedicated to Kwan Tai. It is California Historical Landmark #927.
The temple was cons ...
(武帝廟) located in Mendocino, California
* Bok Kai Temple
The Bok Kai Temple () is a traditional Chinese temple in the city of Marysville, California, located at the corner of D and First Streets, and served as the center of what was a bustling Chinatown for a small town.
History
In 1854, five years aft ...
(北溪廟) located in the city of Marysville, California
* Kong Chow Temple (岡州古廟) located in San Francisco, California
* Tin How Temple
The Tin How Temple (also spelled Tianhou Temple, ) is the oldest extant Taoist temple in San Francisco's Chinatown, and one of the oldest still-operating Chinese temples in the United States. It is dedicated to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, who ...
(天后古廟) in San Francisco's Chinatown, California
* Oroville Chinese Temple
The Oroville Chinese Temple (列聖宮) is a Chinese folk religious temple built in 1863 in Oroville, California. The temple is now owned by the City of Oroville and open to the public as a museum, and it also continues to be used occasionally for ...
(列聖宮) located in Oroville, California
* Weaverville Joss House (雲林廟), located in the center of the town of Weaverville, California
* Imperial Dynasty restaurant
References
External links
China Alley Historic District website
— ''tours of the Taoist Temple Museum''.
Hanford, California
Hanford is a city and county seat of Kings County, California, located in the San Joaquin Valley region of the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 53,967 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census.
History ...
Chinese-American museums in California
Hanford, California
Museums in Kings County, California
Chinese-American culture in California
Temples in California
Religious buildings and structures completed in 1893
National Register of Historic Places in Kings County, California
Properties of religious function on the National Register of Historic Places in California
1893 establishments in California
Buildings and structures in Kings County, California
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