Seeing Beyond the Place: Case Study on Angel Island Immigration Station

US/ICOMOS International Symposium on Heritage Interpretation, 2005

Daniel Quan, Interpretive Designer, Daniel Quan Design, Oakland, California, USA
Stephen J. Farneth, FAIA, Preservation Architect, Architectural Resources Group, San
Francisco, California, USA

1. Introduction to the Place

Nestled in a picturesque island cove, the collection of two-story buildings that make up
Angel Island Immigration Station appear ordinary and undistinguished. However, hidden
deep beneath its physical veneer rests a significant and little-known chapter in United
States immigration history. It is an intriguing story that takes U.S. immigration laws,
foreign policy, economics and upheaval in Asia and focuses them on one tiny port of
entry located in San Francisco Bay.

The challenge in preserving and restoring this National Landmark immigration site is to
make the story come to life. We must look beyond the mundane visual appearance and
carefully balance aspects of conservation and interpretation. Our goal is to enhance
interpretation of the site and create a draw, without sacrificing respect for the historic
structures and cultural landscape.

This place is called an island of immortals,

When, in fact, this mountain wilderness is a prison,
Once you see the open net, why throw yourself in?
It is only because of empty pockets I can do nothing else.
Author Unknown

The low building with three beams merely shelters the body.
It is unbearable to relate the stories accumulated on the Island slopes.
Wait till the day I become successful and fulfill my wish!
I will not speak of love when I level the immigration station!
By One from Taishan

These poems are carved on the wooden walls of the Detention Barracks at the Angel
Island Immigration Station. They were written by Chinese immigrants who were
detained between 1910 and 1940. The immigrants’ voices have been captured in time
and place, and serve as a physical and emotional testament that resonates with all
Americans who share a history of immigration. The poems are the link between the ruin-
like setting and the visitor experience.

Our task has been to capture the emotional resonance of the immigration station, using
the visitor’s imagination. As the interpretive designer and architect for the restoration
project, we approached our work collaboratively, thus integrating the interpretive
planning with conservation. This method has enabled us to look beyond the physical
limitations of the site and to explore creative solutions.
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History of the Place

Angel Island is located on the edge of San Francisco Bay and is home to the former U. S.
Immigration Station. Commonly referred to as the “Ellis Island of the West,” the Angel
Island facility is a powerful symbol of the American immigration experience. The Angel
Island Immigration Station parallels its East Coast counterpart as a remote, island-based
immigration facility in a metropolitan port city, though historically, the Angel Island
Immigration Station is smaller in scale, scope, and physical manifestation. While the
feelings associated with the Ellis Island facility tend to be more positive in terms of the
benefits and opportunities for immigrants, the Angel Island facility was marked by
discriminatory practices directed toward immigrants from the Pacific Rim. During the
Immigration Station’s period of operation, the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943) was in
effect, leading to interrogations, hearings, and appeals to the Secretary of Commerce and
Labor in Washington D.C., all resulting in long waits for Asian immigrants, specifically
Chinese and Japanese. Immigrants from other countries such as Russia, Korea, and the
Philippines were also detained, but their numbers were smaller and their stays at Angel
Island were usually brief. As a principal port of entry to the United States, immigrants of
many nationalities passed through the Angel Island Immigration Station, namely Chinese,
Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Asian Indian, Mexican, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, South
and Central American.

The design and operations of the Angel Island facility were modeled after Ellis Island.
The immigration station architect, Walter J. Mathews, traveled to New York and utilized
both visual and technical information. From the beginning, the condition of the
Immigration Station buildings were mired in complications related to site, topography,
climate, drainage, and transportation of materials to and from the island. The decision to
construct the buildings in wood was unusual, considering that the original wood-frame
Ellis Island buildings had burned in a fire in 1897. The first phase of construction at the
Immigration Station was completed in 1908. The facility initially consisted of five
elements: the Administration Building, the Detention Barracks, the Power House, the
Wharf, and the Hospital. Over the years, other structures were added, including staff
cottages designed by noted California architect Julia Morgan.

During the Immigration Station's operation, ferry boats brought immigrants and returning
Chinese natives to a large wharf at China Cove. They stored their luggage in the Baggage
Shed, and walked up the front steps and through the formal doors of the Administration
Building, where immigration processing began. The Wharf is gone now and most
visitors come by ferry to Ayala Cove, walk, bike or take a shuttle for about a mile along
Perimeter Road and then enter at the rear of the Station. Prospective immigrants who
were not quickly cleared for entry into the U.S., were usually directed up the Covered
Stair to the Detention Barracks, where they lived until a determination was made in their
case. The detainees would descend the Covered Stair to eat meals in the dining rooms of
the Administration Building or to plead their cases.
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The facility was in operation from 1910 until 1940; however, it is interesting to note that
within ten years of opening, the government was ready to abandon the facility and
searching for another site in San Francisco. When the Administration building burned to
the ground in August 1940, the government chose to find temporary housing for
immigrations within San Francisco and to formally close the Angel Island facility in
November 1940.

After use as an immigration station, the facility served the military as a Prisoner of War
camp and as housing for American soldiers from 1941 until 1946. Thus, another wave of
people, foreign and American, passed through the buildings.

Following World War II, Angel Island was declared by the Army to be surplus real
property. During a long period of neglect, from roughly 1946 through the 1960s, the
Immigration Station buildings were abandoned, suffering neglect, vandalism, and decay.
In 1963 California State Parks received the title to the Immigration Station. By 1970, the
buildings faced demolition, but interest in the Immigration Station was revived upon the
re-discovery of poems on the Barracks’ walls by a State Park Ranger. Though the
buildings were in quite poor condition, their historic value was apparent and spurred
interest within the Asian-American community. This was especially true for offspring of
detainees, some of whom were instrumental in the formation of the Angel Island
Immigration Station Historic Advisory Committee, which began to study and document
the site, publicize the findings and solicit funds for restoration, and which resulted in the
formation of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, a non-profit organization
that is presently leading the restoration and interpretation effort.

Of the five structures that comprised the original Immigration Station, three are still
standing: the Hospital, the Detention Barracks, and the Power House. The footprint of
the former Administration Building is still visible. Of the remaining structures, the
Detention Barracks is the most significant. Men, women and children of many different
nationalities were detained in this building, although Chinese and Japanese immigrants
formed the vast majority. Women and children were later moved from the Detention
Barracks and housed on the second floor of the Administration Building. While
immigrant groups were usually processed in a few days, Chinese immigrants were
scrutinized more closely. Typically, they were detained for three to five weeks, and
occasionally up to several months, while interrogation sessions and review procedures
determined whether they were qualified to enter the U.S.

Detained Chinese immigrants shared their personal stories, thoughts and emotions by
carving eloquent poems on the wooden walls of the Detention Barracks. Their voices
have been captured in time and place, and serve as a physical and emotional testament
that resonates with all Americans who share a history of immigration.
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2. Significance and Meaning of the Place

The U.S, exclusion laws had a direct effect on the immigration experience of most
Chinese and some Japanese immigrants. Today, the immigration station holds special
significance to many of these former detainees at Angel Island. Their numbers are
rapidly decreasing as this population advances in age, but for the outspoken minority
willing to discuss it, the immigration station was a place of remembrance–a place where
one journey ended and a new one began. Memories were bittersweet, as the actual
immigration experience was everything from inconvenient to painful and frightening, but
was balanced by the specter of opportunity and hope for the future. Many immigrants
have been reluctant to talk about their experience, partly because of painful memories,
partly from embarrassment, and partly through fear of government investigation into their
legal status.

For the first generation of children of Angel Island immigrants, the station likewise holds
a special meaning. To them, Angel Island also symbolizes opportunity and hope, but at
the same time represents the sacrifice made by their parents in coming to a new country.
Remembering Angel Island thus commemorates their parents, and the site becomes a
place for families to get in touch with their roots in America. To second and third
generation descendants however, feelings can be quite different. Awareness of family
genealogy, proximity to the site, and generational communication often determine the
meaning or non-meaning of the immigration station. With each succeeding generation,
the meaning of the place becomes less obvious. Many have little knowledge of Angel
Island and do not feel connected to it in any way. For young people who have
rediscovered their heritage, Angel Island has sometimes become a symbol of oppression
and rallying post for issues around institutional racism. The site is then seen as a catalyst
for expressions of anger and protest, as though this generation is speaking for the silent
generation of previous immigrants.

It was theorized that perhaps 75% or more of the Chinese population in the entire United
States during the early1960s was composed of Angel Island immigrants or their direct
descendants– underscoring the significance of this one site to the history of the United
States. The majority of the Asian population in the United States today did not immigrate
through Angel Island and does not have any knowledge about or connection to its history
or significance. Outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, public education does not
discuss this chapter of history to any extent, if at all. Unlike the Ellis Island Immigration
Station, the general populace has little direct connection with this site. Thus for them, the
significance of the site becomes a learned fact obtained through a visit to the island.

Historically, the significance of the immigration station diminished over time and was
lost to even those charged with its upkeep. During the 1970s, California State Park
planners determined that the former immigration station site held no value and slated it
for demolition. A campground and other recreational facilities were planned for the site,
and razing of the wharf and administration building site occurred. Additionally, twelve
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Julia Morgan-designed cottages for station employees were burned down for a scene in
the feature film “The Candidate.” It was not until one park ranger, exploring the
Detention Barracks just before demolition, discovered the carved characters that
blanketed the interior walls of the building. After alerting members of the Asian
American community to this find, the true meaning of the carvings was uncovered. Not
only were the carvings found to be Chinese poetry, their translations revealed them to be
first person accounts of the detainee experience on Angel Island. This held extremely
high significance to the Asian American community and ultimately was recognized by
historians as highly significant to United States history. In a matter of a few years, the
abandoned immigration site went from a place with no redeeming value to a cornerstone
in a chapter of the nation’s history. Its eventual nomination as a National Historic
Landmark validated the Angel Island Immigration Station’s place in mainstream U.S.
history.

The story of the immigrant experience is a universal one that nearly every family in the
United States has some connection to. Angel Island serves as a place to get in touch with
the common theme of journeys to a new land, and as a place to contemplate our national
policies and laws regulating who and how one is allowed to immigrate. In light of world
conditions after 9/11 and the concern over homeland security, issues surrounding
immigration policy have moved to the forefront in our collective consciousness. The
significance of the site to international visitors is not lost either, as in many countries
mass resettlement following war has caused innumerable conflicts over immigration. In
other countries, economics and the availability of cheap labor from abroad have also
resulted in immigration problems and internal strife. Viewed on the world stage, Angel
Island Immigration Station becomes all the more meaningful today as a reminder of the
past immigration policies in this country and the impact that it has had on our nation’s
history and growth.

3. Potential of the Place

Interpreting Angel Island Immigration Station is a daunting challenge. The subject of

immigration does not outwardly sound appealing and the site would not tend to attract a
huge audience. As a recognized part of California history and as a site that fulfills state
educational curriculum standards, it has been a popular field trip destination for Northern
California schools. Interestingly, the residual effect of the school visitation has been
family visitation, with children who have gone on field trips taking their parents back to
the island outside of the school venue. Over the years, potential supporters of the
restoration project have been concerned about the overall appeal of the subject matter.
Many expressed a desire not to tell a negative story, while others have made it a point to
“take the gloves off” when interpreting the site’s history. A recent marketing study found
that many potential donors to the project would be more apt to support the project if it
cast a wider net to include immigration to the Western United States as a whole rather
than to limit the story to only Chinese immigration through Angel Island.
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The subject of immigration is controversial and complex. The immigrant experience as

seen by one who was detained on the island was vastly different from one who was
directly admitted into the country. The viewpoint of the immigration officials and of the
staff would also be quite different. And the viewpoint of visitors today would be entirely
different based on the world context we live in today compared to the world context
between 1910 and 1940. Presentation and discussion of the exclusion laws and
discriminatory immigration policies of the United States is a very touchy subject that up
until a few years ago would not have been tackled by a public agency.

The isolation of the site is also a challenge. The only way to reach Angel Island, even
though it sits in the middle of San Francisco Bay, is by scheduled ferry service. This
limits visitation to the island as well as the length of stay on the island. Furthermore, the
location of the immigration station site is over a mile from the ferry dock. Most visitors
must walk this distance, although there is a tram service on the weekends. The
repercussion of this is that the length of stay at the immigration site itself is limited by the
ferry schedule and travel time to and from the dock. Interpretive programs, whether
guided or self-guided, must be short and concise to allow adequate transit time around the
island.

Another major hurdle is the perceived lack of high profile cultural artifacts associated
with the immigration station. The object collection is extremely small and does not
contain many significant items. Lack of proper conservation and display methods has
resulted in little material being shown at the site. On the other hand, the most significant
cultural resources are the carved poems and inscriptions on the barracks walls. Up until
now, the poems have not been easily viewable due to the building’s conditions. Measures
to correct this situation and highlight the carvings on the walls will undoubtedly alleviate
the visitor perception that “there is no there there.”

The final interpretive challenge is that of looking beyond the physical surroundings of the
immigration station and touching the emotions of visitors. The immigration story holds
universal experiences and feelings that many immigrants have consciously or
unconsciously had. Hardships such as war, extreme poverty, lack of employment or
opportunity, famine and natural disasters are all reasons for migration and immigration.
The ability for visitors to this site to feel some of these emotions and to process some of
these same thoughts delivers a powerful message. At the same time, they can also be
some of the hardest messages to convey in interpretation.

4. Remains in the Place Today

The site today is part of the island that presently operates as Angel Island State Park. The
Immigration Station is virtually a ruin now. Trees are overgrown and block views.
Fallen leaves and litter cover paths and landscaping. Drainage and erosion problems
have damaged retaining walls and paving. Age and neglect obscure circulation patterns.
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Many historic roads and paths still exist but are overgrown, and paving and retaining
walls are damaged by erosion, age and tree growth. Paths and roads vary in their
steepness -some have gentle slopes however, many are very steep and several include
steps.

The steep slope of the site poses a great challenge to accessibility, and thus our first
conversations about the restoration project began with the premise that universal access
must guide all site planning decisions.

5. The Planning Process

Both of us came to work on this project through personal interest. Dan is a descendent of
an Angel Island detainee and has been involved with the Immigration Station Foundation
as a board member and a consultant. Steve met with colleagues from both state and
federal agencies about the preservation challenges associated with the site, and he
participated in early workshops with volunteers and board members of the Angel Island
Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF). Since 1999, we have been actively involved in
visioning and planning workshops with community groups, California State Parks,
National Park Service, and the AIISF. These sessions created an initial framework for
thinking about the Immigration Station. Subsequently, the AIISF organized a Master
Planning process in 2003; the resulting Draft Master Plan now serves as the overall
guideline to the implementation of design and interpretive concepts for the site.

Simply stated, the overall planning objective for the site is to:
Conserve the remaining elements of the Immigration Station and use them to
create a place of:
Education,
Memory, and
Inspiration.

Within that overall objective for the site are a series of more specific goals and
objectives:

1) Conserve the remaining features of the site and use those features to tell the
story of the immigration experience at Angel Island, especially the Detention
Barracks and Poems.

2) Consider very limited reconstruction/restoration of missing features. Only

those features whose reconstruction may add important information to the
interpretation of the site will be restored or reconstructed. (Pier and
connecting stair between Barracks and Administrative Footprint.)
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3) Use the areas of open space created by major missing elements (such as the
Admin. Building) as an opportunity to expand beyond the literal interpretation
of what exists through a program of landscape design, interpretive design, and
art and sculpture, addressing the themes of immigration.

4) Rehabilitate the remaining structures of lesser significance to accommodate

the educational activities, visitor orientation and visitor comfort.

6. Place-Making: Conservation Master Plan and Interpretive Plan

Conservation planning and interpretive planning for this project, by definition, are
completely interrelated activities. In presenting the plans for conservation and
interpretation for the AIISF, we will first briefly describe the overall physical master plan
for the site and then describe the integrated interpretation plan.

A. Conservation Master Plan

1) Arrival: The original pier will be reconstructed to allow for ferry access to the site
and to reestablish the true arrival mode and path of the immigrant. There will
ultimately be two points of arrival to the site, by ferry to the reconstructed pier, or by
shuttle, foot, or bicycle from the other locations at Angel Island State Park. Visitors
arriving from either entry will be directed to the foot of the Pier.

2) Visitor Contact, Comfort and Orientation: The Power House will be rehabilitated for
visitor contact (ranger, information) self-guided tour information, visitor site
orientation, and restroom and bookstore facilities.

3) Administration Building: The Administration Building, once the imposing heart of

the Immigration Station, burned to the ground in 1940. Rather than reconstruct the
structure or fragments of the structure, the remaining foundation footprint of the
building will be conserved and developed in an abstracted representation of the floor
plan. Through pathways and paving materials, the visitor will be led through an ever-
ascending series of “rooms.” These rooms will physically and metaphorically
represent the difficulty of immigration. The path will lead to the entrance to the
Detention Barracks stairway. In addition to exploring the form of the Administration
Building, the elevations of the various outdoor rooms will allow for an accessibility
path to the Detention Barracks.
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4) Detention Barracks: Although the Detention Barracks still exists, the carved stairway
that connected it to the Administration Building is missing. The stair will be
reconstructed in order to link the visitor path to the Barracks Building. The building
itself will be conserved with very few alterations, only as required to support the
visitor interpretation, conservation of finishes and poems, and the need for
accessibility.

5) Hospital Building: The Hospital Building will be rehabilitated to serve as an

education center for the site. Its functions will include flexible exhibit space,
conference and meeting areas, library, and administrative uses. It will be available to
visitors but is not part of the primary visitor path.

6) Additional Outbuildings: There are a number of lesser buildings located on the site,
which will serve new functions within the overall plan.

• Mule Barn: This small structure will serve as a visitor comfort and orientation
center for visitors to Angel Island who may not be going down to the Immigration
Station.
• North and South Barracks: Built in 1942 as military temporary barracks, these
structures will be rehabilitated to serve as overnight lodging for group stays.
• POW Mess Hall: Constructed in 1941 as part of the POW period of the
Immigration Station. It will be rehabilitated for use as a group assembly and
meeting room.

7) Overall Site Conservation: The site contains many remnants of buildings,

infrastructure and landscape. Original circulation paths throughout the site will be
cleared and restored to allow visitors to understand and access all of the areas of the
site. Missing features, such as the employee cottages, structures and landscape
elements, will not be restored but will be conserved in-situ and interpreted. Planting
will be evaluated and rehabilitated throughout to be consistent with the landscape
intentions of the AIIS during its period of significance. Modifications to this
approach will be made as necessary for maintenance, cost, or safety considerations.

B. Interpretive Plan

The overall content goals for the immigration station were to illuminate the history of the
immigration station and the story of Chinese immigration within the historical context of
West Coast immigration and immigration policy in the United States. The general goal
for delivering this content was through immersion in an “immigrant experience” while
visiting the site.
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Creating the Arrival Sequence

To maximize the effectiveness of the visitor experience, it was essential to be able to
physically walk visitors through the arrival and processing sequence of the immigrants.
Originally, new arrivals came ashore from a ferry at a wharf in the bay and were walked
directly into an Administration Building for intake processing and physical examinations.
From there, those detained were led to the Detention Barracks or to the hospital (if found
to have a communicable disease). Immigrants spent their time in the Detention Barracks,
the Recreation yard, or in the Mess Hall. Detainees idled the days away in confinement
while awaiting hearings or appeals.

Because the wharf and Administration Building are no longer extant, the creation of a
meaningful immersive arrival experience could not rely on historical site features but
rather on symbols or representation of them. The closest point to the original wharf’s
location at the shoreline was defined as the start point of the arrival sequence. Concrete
paving simulating the width of the pier is scored and patterned to suggest the old wooden
wharf. The original bronze fog signal bell that once sat on the wharf is again displayed
here. Interpretive elements incised into the paving include a mixture of different shoe
prints suggesting the types of people who passed through the station. The prints are
directed both inward and outward, proportionally representing those who arrived and
those who were allowed entry to the country. A world map inset into the paving shows
the routes of immigrants to San Francisco and their relative numbers in the 20th century.

The arrival sequence continues with a landscape design interpreting the Administration
Building. A series of flat landscaped terraces was created to suggest the stepped floor
plan of the original building as it rose in elevation to meet the Detention Barracks.
Demarcation of the footprint of the building, along with major functional spaces within
the building, provides a walking sequence that follows the intake processing of the
immigrants. At key locations on each terrace are interpretive elements that recount the
processes occurring there and relate the viewpoints and feelings of the immigrants. At
the location of the main processing hall, imprinted paving elements display selected
poetry and words or inscriptions evocative of the feelings that new immigrants would
share (e.g. confusion, frustration, anger, fear, hope, opportunity). Nearby, a major
sculptural element is planned that will further strengthen the emotional forces at play for
new immigrants.

Interpreting Processes
At the location where hearing rooms once existed, an interpretive sculpture will highlight
the hearing process. A granite table and chairs will be set, with each chair representing
the key people present at a hearing: the detainee, immigration officer, interpreter,
transcriber, and guard. Embedded in the table in front of each chair will be documents
pertaining to each: detainee identification card, interrogation questions, a typed
transcript, and employee identification. Visitors can sit in each chair to study the different
documents from the viewpoint of each person in the interrogation.
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The integration of two and three-dimensional interpretive elements into the landscape
continues on each of the terraces as visitors follow the processing sequence of the
immigrants. Several more sculptural elements are planned for locations on these terraces
that will be added over time. It is hoped that each can be commissioned by different
artists to interpret the universal immigrant experience.

Responding to the Power of the Written Word

When visitors reach the top terrace representing the Mess Hall, they find a re-creation of
a covered stairway leading to the Detention Barrack. This was the one key element
missing from the site that was deemed necessary to accurately portray the entrance to the
main holding facility. Ascending the steps, visitors are invited to take a guided tour of
the Detention Barracks.

The Detention Barrack is the key resource of the immigration station site.
The carved poetry and inscriptions on its walls are filled with the thoughts and emotions
of the immigrants (and later P.O.W.’s from World War II) and is told from their
perspective, offering rare first person accounts of their experiences as well as
commentary on the world context at the time the inscriptions were written. The method
in which the poetry was carved, the subsequent campaigns of overpainting, and the years
of weathering and dirt created fragile condition s for the resource. Stabilization and
conservation of the walls and photographic documentation of all poetry and inscriptions
was essential prior to any interpretive or architectural planning. Consideration for
stripping paint from walls to reveal the poetry was integrated into the interpretive
planning to determine the most valuable or interesting areas that might be revealed, and
to determine a priority or sequence for their viewing.

By examining interpretive opportunities and conservation simultaneously, it was possible

to determine the interpretive path for the guided tour program as well as an area where a
self-guided tour could take place. Walls to be lit, areas to have paint stripped to reveal
carvings, and areas to place historic furnishings were all determined in the initial stage of
planning. Considerations for routing of new electrical wiring and other infrastructure
improvements was likewise able to proceed in a more carefully planned manner once
conservation and interpretive direction were established.

Story lines for the guided tour are developed around the content of the inscriptions in
each room. For instance, different rooms held Japanese, Chinese, and European
immigrants, while other rooms were designated for women and young children.
Inscriptions differed in each room based on its major occupants, with poetry mostly
evident in rooms where Chinese men were detained. To follow the idea of providing an
immersive visitor experience, the story lines for each room are reinforced with historic
furnishings particular to the room occupants. Audio background tracks provide ambient
conversations in different languages, phonograph recordings, and general activity noise.
Visitors are allowed to walk between the multi-tiered bunk arrangements in the large
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dormitory rooms to further enhance the immersive qualities of the visit. In selected areas,
audio narration in English and Chinese will be offered for key poems. Throughout the
guided tour, docent-controlled lighting will highlight the poetry or inscriptions on the
walls. All lighting is designed with conservation in mind, with minimal heat generation;
lower light levels and non-continuous lighting; and no ultraviolet radiation.

The guided barracks tour walks visitors through both floors of the building and includes a
loop through the outdoor recreation yard. Visitors will have experienced several different
room occupation experiences and will have seen and heard an array of different poems
and inscriptions. The tour ends in one of the large dormitory rooms on the first floor,
where a number of self-guided interpretive displays allow visitors to spend more time
listening to other narrated poems or exploring the basic structure of classical Chinese
poetry.

7. Conclusion: Lessons Learned

The Angel Island Immigration Station project has proven to be a successful collaboration
between heritage preservation and interpretation. We are already applying lessons
learned through this collaboration to a different project on which we are currently
working. We hope that these lessons inform and assist others in preserving heritage sites.

Interpreting Sites without a Full Richness of Historical Features or Major

Collections
While the physical fabric of a place may be relatively non-descript, the embodied
meaning and importance makes conservation of those non-descript features of equal
importance to conservation of a more imposing architectural monument. We sometimes
need to look beyond the obvious physical clues of our heritage sites in order to extract
their maximum interpretive potential. Interpretive planning for a site goes far beyond
superimposing an array of didactic graphic panels on the landscape. Integrating
interpretation into a site can mean considering ways to move people through time and
space, or it can mean incorporating interpretive symbolism into landscape elements or
materials. It can also mean using artistic expression to draw out intangible characteristics
or qualities of an experience or place, to provoke thought and encourage personal
interpretation, and to illicit emotional response.

Role of Interpretation in Preservation

Interpretation should not be an overlay added to preservation and conservation efforts,
but rather an integral part of the planning process. Interpretative planning helps
determine the public program and visitor interaction with physical surroundings, and
helps pinpoint areas or objects that would be most relevant to visitors. Incorporation of
interpretive planning into an overall planning and design process can lead to more
thoughtful applications of human and financial resources in the preservation of sites.
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Significance and Meaning

The highest significance of a site is often associated with those who had or have a direct
connection to it through a personal experience. This group often provides the primary
motivation to establish the status of a heritage site. The level of significance and its
meaning changes over time and as people move farther away from these direct
connections. As designers, our understanding of the meaning of a place such as AIIS is at
best partial, based on our own experiences and learning. The challenge for the
interpretive planner, and ultimately for the preservationist, is to establish some sort of
personal connection or relevancy between the meaning of a heritage site and its visitors.
At Angel Island Immigration Station, the universal theme of immigration, regardless of
country of origin or generation, strikes a resonant cord with nearly every family in
America. This universal theme carries over to an international audience as well,
magnifying its importance in our world context today.