Bok Kai Temple
City of Marysville & The Friends of the Bok Kai Temple
Marysville, California

The Bok Kai Temple in Marysville was built in 1880 to serve the city’s sizable Chinese population. The temple has been in continuous use as a religious and social anchor for the local population and was minimally altered, retaining many original materials and features, including the brick masonry wall portions of the wood floor and roof framing, and an exterior mural at the main entrance depicting narrative, decorative, and calligraphic scenes. Unfortunately, in recent years the building began to show signs of its age, prompting the National Trust for Historic Preservation to include the building on its 2001 list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Buildings.

ARG prepared a Historic Structure Report, the first step in documenting and preserving the temple. Our scope included archival research, drawing and photographic documentation of the building, on-site investigation, and building analysis.

For more information on the Bok Kai Temple, visit www.bokkaitemple.org.