Temple of Kwan Tai, Mendocino门多西诺关帝庙

Type

Overseas Daoist Temples

Location

United States · California · Mendocino · 45160 Albion Street

Coordinates

39.305, -123.803 Map ↗

First built

Mid-1850s (various accounts give 1852, 1854, or 1867; the earliest documentary record dates to 1883) · Acquired by a non-profit organization in 1995; California Historical Landmark No. 927 (1979); listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2002

Heritage status

U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) (2002)California Historical Landmark #927(1979)

Overview

The Temple of Kwan Tai, Mendocino, was built around the mid-1850s (accounts of the founding year vary among 1852, 1854, and 1867; the earliest documentary record dates from 1883). It is dedicated primarily to Guandi, flanked by Liu Bei and Zhang Fei, and is the only surviving Chinese temple on the North Coast of California and the sole remaining building of Mendocino's Chinese community. Built of local redwood at an initial cost of only fourteen dollars, it is modest in scale and served Chinese laborers in the timber industry — including survivors of a Chinese junk fleet — its religious life closely bound up with the history of logging on California's North Coast. It was acquired by a non-profit organization in 1995, fully restored between 1998 and 2001, and received a National Preservation Honor Award in 2002. It was designated California Historical Landmark No. 927 in 1979 and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2002. It is a folk-religious site of Chinese laborers, not affiliated with any organized Daoist order.

Highlights

• The only surviving Chinese temple on the North Coast of California
• Built of redwood at an initial cost of $14
• Guandi worshipped together with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei
• NRHP (2002) and California Historical Landmark No. 927