San Jose community trying to relocate historic Japanese farmhouse

San Jose community trying to relocate historic Japanese farmhouse

Community members are urging the city of San Jose to help relocate a historic Japanese farmhouse.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Community members are urging the city of San Jose to help relocate a historic Japanese farmhouse.

Recently, San Jose approved naming a new park after Eichi Sakauye.

He was the only Japanese American in San Jose to reclaim his property after he was put in an internment camp during World War II. 

But the farmhouse on the property needs to be moved, since the city approved apartments to be built on part of the site.

A nonprofit is trying to raise $800,000 to move the house by November. 

"The Sakauye house and the historical interpretation of the park are more than just a structure or a playground," Vanessa Hatekeyama of the Japanese American Museum of San Jose told the city council on Thursday. "They are vessels and spaces of memories and powerful educational tools."

Advocates call for more transparency in the project's progression.

Supporters say the park and house are more important than ever to preserve as immigrants face new challenges and threats of deportation.

Sakauye died in 2005.

Developers also plan to create a plaza at the park in his honor.