A Short History of The Danny Woo Community GardenA combination of vision and moxie created the Danny Woo Community Garden.

In 1975, resources specifically targeted for Asian and Pacific Islanders were scarce. The concept of culturally-appropriate services was new, social and health service agencies like the Chinatown-International District community clinic and the Head Start Center were just beginning, and Seattle’s own P-Patch program was only a couple of years old.

Activists and organizations led by InterIm CDA negotiated with local landowner and community leader Danny Woo to convert his property on sloping open space into a functional place for the residents of the Chinatown-International District.

The vision was simple: a community garden for neighborhood elders to work in, to feel the earth in their hands, to plant the foods they missed from their native countries, and, most importantly, to provide social connections, recreation and exercise for the aging immigrant residents.

“Uncle” Bob Santos provided the moxie. Executive Director of InterIm CDA at the time, Santos proposed an unprecedented private-public partnership that would combine Danny Woo’s property and a city-owned park, Kobe Terrace, into a single community garden.

“Danny and Wilma Woo owned the Quong Tuck Restaurant and Lounge,” recalls Santos, and it was becoming the hangout for the InterIm staff and community activists. “One day I asked Danny Woo for permission to build a garden for the Asian elders on his property above Main Street. But as a nonprofit agency, I told him InterIm could only afford $1 a year for rent. I also asked him, ‘Oh, and by the way, could we have a long-term lease?’ Well, Danny said yes to the dollar, but no to the long-term lease. That was in 1975, and InterIm is still operating the garden.”

People came together to plan and build the garden, terrace the slope, haul the lumber, till the soil and plant the first seeds. As they did this, they broke down racial, ethnic and generational barriers. This tradition continues today as hundreds of volunteers of different ethnicities from all walks of life, work in the garden each year.

and present

The Danny Woo Community Garden Walking Tour Map

see garden map inside

About Interim CDAInterIm CDA is a nonprofit community development organization with offices in the Chinatown-International District. Our mission is to promote resiliency in Asian, Pacific Islander, immigrant and refugee communities through culturally and linguistically responsive community building. For nearly 50 years, InterIm CDA has created affordable housing and built community resources for immigrant and refugee populations. To learn more about our organization, visit www.interimicda.org.

InterIm CDA created the Danny Woo Community Garden in 1975. It serves 65-70 low-income elders in the neighborhood, predominantly Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants and refugees. The garden is a vital source of food security and physical and emotional health. The food grown here represents ethnic traditions from Asia and the Americas, and feeds hundreds of people every year.

How You Can Help• Become a Friend of the Danny Woo Garden by making an annual

donation of any size to the garden.

• Be an activist for social change with us! Stay up to date on issues we’re working on by signing up for our e-newsletter on our website.

• Volunteer in the Danny Woo Community Garden!

• If you work for a company that has a community service program, coordinate with us to have a day of service in the garden.

• Make a gift to InterIm CDA to support a wide range of programs that promote social justice.

Contact: info@interimicda.org www.interimcda.org

Tours through the Wing Luke MuseumWe all need food to survive. More than that: we need healthy, delicious foods that connect us to our heritage. Fresh food nourishes our bodies and keeps us strong. But what does it take to sustain a community? We have to learn to plant seeds, tend the soil. Ever fed a chicken before?

The roots of this neighborhood extend deep into Seattle’s history and the history of the Pacific Northwest. Immigrants and refugees have made this place home for more than 150 years, carving out a future for themselves and their families. The history of the Danny Woo Community Garden reveals how food, culture and soil sustain the neighborhood, reflect the health of a community and support generations of residents. The Garden represents a significant piece of Chinatown-International District history, and is an important stop on Wing Luke Museum’s neighborhood walking tours.

Our tours give school children, college students, professionals and the general public insight into the fabric of the neighborhood. We lead several educational tours throughout the district; many take a direct walk to the Garden to begin the story. Tour content varies, but we cover:

• History of the neighborhood gardens

• How growing fresh foods helps build a community

• Nihonmachi and the history on Main Street

• Food Security

• Parks and Gardens: Exploring Danny Woo and Chiyo’s Gardens

… and more.

To bring your students or to find out how to join our daily tours, please visit wingluke.org/tours or call 206.623-5124 ext. 133.

Visit the exhibit,

: The Danny Woo Community Garden

on view at March 4, 2016–January 15, 2017

Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience 719 South King Street, Seattle, WA 98104 wingluke.org

Entry Gate and Signs*

To welcome gardeners and visitors and increase the visual presence for the garden on S. Main St. * Designed and built by University of Washington Architecture Design/Build students

from 1989 - 2005. Garden structures are built with a by-pass system that maximizes the longevity of the wood and contributes to the Asian cultural character of the garden.

south main street

kobe terrace park

south washington street

Pig Roast Pit*

Site of the annual pig roast in which a whole pig is roasted on a spit all night for a community potluck lunch.

Chicken Coop

Seattle’s only community garden chickens live here, tended by volunteers who get to keep the eggs.

Cookery*

Facility for children and youth cooking activities and group meals–part of InterIm CDA’s “seed to plate” curriculum.

Gathering Place / Wave Benches*

Seating for program activities, casual visitors, and more.

Accessible Garden Plots*

Designed for gardening while standing, especially helpful for elderly gardeners who have difficulty kneeling down.

Worm Bins

Built by volunteers, the bins provide a place where red worms transform garden clippings into rich, black soil that’s tilled back into the garden. Located throughout the garden.

Tool Shed*

Storage space for gardeners, garden staff, and volunteers.

Vegetable Washing Station*

A place for gardeners to wash vegetables and hang fresh greens in the sun to dry for pickling.

s yesler way

s king st

s jackson st

s main st

s washington st

s weller st

8th ave s

7th ave s

Maynard Ave S

6th ave s

5th ave s

4th ave s

I-5

10th ave s

12th ave s

boren ave s

INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT - CHINATOWN

TUNNEL STATION

CHINATOWN GATE

WING LUKE MUSEUM

DANNY WOO COMMUNITY GARDEN

Children’s Garden

Teaches youth and children about sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and their cultural connection to food.

Vegetable Washing Station*