SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. top banking operator the American Express Company and a private non-profit organization announced Tuesday that they are awarding 450,000 U.S. dollars in grants for the preservation of three historical sites in San Francisco.
American Express said it is teaming up with the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation to grant the money to protect the city's unique cultural heritage represented by the three historical sites.
Among the grants, 150,000 dollars will be used to support the repairs and restoration of the roof, facades and windows of the Doolan-Larson Building, which was built in 1903 and sits on the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets in San Francisco.
The Doolan-Larson building and storefronts have become synonymous with the counterculture movement of the 1960s. As the birthplace of the movement, Haight-Ashbury draws a lively, diverse crowd looking to soak up the historic hippie vibe.
The second site, Nihonmachi Little Friends, located in one of three Japantowns in San Francisco, is the city's only pre-World War II building. Designed in 1932 by famed architect Julia Morgan, it was originally built as the Japanese Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA).
The building now serves as a private, nonprofit childcare center dedicated to provide Japanese-English bilingual, educational service for preschool and elementary school-aged children. It will get 150,000 dollars to replace its exterior windows, make stucco repair, and have its exterior re-painted.
The last sum of 150,000 dollars will go to Roxie Theater in Mission Street in city's downtown, which is one of the U.S. oldest continuously operated cinemas. The theater, which opened in 1909, connects people through distinctive cinematic experience and reflects the spirit of the diverse population in the Bay Area.
These three landmarks reflect some of the most important cultural movements that have shaped the city of San Francisco, said Timothy McClimon, president of American Express Foundation.
