A lumber camp in Selleck, Washington; a sento at 302 Sixth Avenue in downtown Seattle; a bowling alley in Los Angeles's Crenshaw district: each are "tangible remains of Japanese American heritage" and as such, argue Gail Dubrow and Donna Graves, are worthy of attention and preservation. Thus, "in the hope of stimulating public support to protect the remaining landmarks," they have given us "Sento at Sixth and Main," a book about these sites and seven others that they consider significant.
Whether they will succeed in stimulating public support for preserving these sites remains to be seen. Where they have been successful, however, is in giving us a document of these places that will survive even if the landmarks themselves are destroyed. Further, they have raised questions about history and preservation that will be engaging even for those with no particular interest in Japanese-American culture.
The malleability of history, for example, is highlighted in Dubrow's account of the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington. Given that the historical importance of the building has been recognized and that it has already been preserved, one might wonder why it is included in this book. It's here because in the long history of a place -- the Neely Mansion was completed in 1894 -- there is more than a single point that one might designate as historically significant, more than one aspect one might wish to preserve.