Japanese YWCA Building

The Japanese YWCA building at eighteen thirty Sutter Street displays a light stucco exterior accented by dark wooden pilasters and complex, tile-covered gable rooflines. Architect Julia Morgan designed this structure in nineteen thirty-two to serve as a hub for Issei women, the first generation of Japanese immigrants. Because California laws at the time prohibited these women from owning property, the local YWCA held the title in trust for the community.