Contra Costa Florist
On Wednesday, January 22, 2020, the State of California
awarded El Cerrito’s very own Hana Gardens senior
residence the 1919 Honor for their efforts in preserving
the Contra Costa Florist building. This award is given
to just five sites state-wide and is “the only official
preservation award presented by the state” said Julianne
Polanco, State Historic Preservation Officer.
The ceremony took place from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
the historic Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building
in Sacramento. Paul Fadelli, El Cerrito’s mayor pro tem
was in attendance as well as historical society members
and volunteers who aided with the restoration and
development of this historical site.
Dianne Brenner, who prepared the award’s
nomination, explained the rich history that the building
had endured. The Contra Costa Florist first
emerged as “an even earlier era of El Cerrito
history – the quarrying industry.” Originally
built in the 1920s, it became the sales office of
the Valley of the Moon quarry in Sonoma due
to its close proximity to Bay Area markets’ as
well as two near-by quarries.
As the quarry industry weakened, the building
was bought by Hikojiro and Tomi Mabuchi in
the mid-1930s and was turned into the Contra
Costa Florist shop. A 2011 article, written
by community member, Dave Weinstein,
22 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM SEPTEMBER 2020
commented on the nursery’s importance within El
Cerrito. He explained that the “quaint, stone-faced
building was a Mecca for people planning celebrations
or seeking to please their paramours.” The shop, known
for their high-quality, provided their services to all of
the high schools, parties, and clubs throughout the
community. Weinstein briefly outlined the Mabuchi
family’s humble beginnings. He wrote that Mr.
Hikojiro Mabuchi was “known for his carpentry
skills” and helped build nurseries for fellow
Japanese floriculturists while Mrs. Tomi Mabuchi
raised their three American-born daughters.
The Mabuchi’s made sure to purchase their
flowers from these new family-owned, Japanese-
American greenhouses which strengthened
the ever-growing Japanese-American floral
businesses and community.
Despite their successes, the bombing of Pearl
Harbor damaged the reputation of their entire
industry. One of the Mabuchi daughters,
Akiko, recalled the new hostility they felt
from former customers, saying that the people
“started slowly not coming. ... We’d go out and wait
on them and they’d call us Japs and leave.” In 1942,
the Mabuchi family as well as twenty families in the
Richmond and El Cerrito floral business were forced
from their homes and business to join the 120,000
other Japanese-Americans in the ten internment camps
across California, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah,
and Arkansas. The preservation of these businesses
was uncommon, as race-relations in World War II
Contra Costa Florist - Past
By Olivia Frenkel
Contra Costa Florist - Present