Classic Japanese Diner in Boyle Heights Could Receive Historic Designation - Eater LA
"LA Cultural Heritage Commission will vote on whether to recommend Otomisan restaurant in Boyle Heights to become a historic cultural monument later this week. The building was originally built by Ryohei Nishiyama in 1924, and operated as a Japanese grocery store and later a florist and barbershop. The Nishiyama family was part of the Japanese incarceration after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, where they were interned in Arizona and ultimately Tule Lake Concentration Camp until 1946. They eventually retained their property on East First Street and converted it into a food establishment in the 1950s. The restaurant inside the space was originally called Otemo Sushi Cafe before it was sold to new owners in the 1970s and changed to Otomisan. Yayoi Watanabe, who owned a nearby dry cleaner, acquired the restaurant in the mid-2000s and has been operating it since. The menu is homestyle Japanese fare like salmon sushi, oyakodon, tonkatsu, and soba. The designation would ensure the building that Otomisan occupies would require permits before any potential demolition, significant altercation, or removal. More likely the designation ensures the building will remain part of LA’s history for the foreseeable future." - Matthew Kang
