March 2004 - Society for California Archaeology

22
Articles
occurring wave action, but is more likely from high pressure
water hoses used to help put out the burning building.
Structural materials attributed to the WWII-era mess hall
(Trenches A and B: context 22 and 23) were found
approximately 1 ft. 7 in. below the surface, and 5 in. above
the nearest and shallowest identified Administration Building
remains (Trench C: context 35). The presence of gravel and
asphaltum in Trenches A and B indicates the area was leveled
and used as a road after the WW II buildings were
demolished.
The structural materials in Trenches E, F, and G cannot be
positively attributed to either the WW II era or the AIIS era
because of the lack of burned material in the trenches that
would indicate the level at which the Administration
Building was burned. However, the paved walkways
(contexts 2 and 8) in Trenches F and G appear to be similar to
those that appear above ground near the retaining walls and
that are associated with the Administration Building.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The excavation of the Administration Building reveals
that the site contains intact, though minimal, subsurface
structural remains. In terms of how these remains might
contribute to the interpretive program, the overall low
percentage of subsurface remains and the depth at which they
exist do not lend themselves to a feasible, meaningful, or safe
reconstruction or interpretation of the site. These conclusions
have assisted the DPR in ruling out the inclusion of
subsurface remains in the interpretation of the site, and allow
them to focus on what remains of the site above ground. In
addition to the standing structures (the power house, hospital,
and detention barracks), the above-ground remains include an
extensive retaining wall system, as well as the foundations of
the employee cottages and the large void where the
Administration Building once stood.
These voids are not simply the absence of structures; they
have shape and substance both physically and historically.
Artistically speaking, negative space plays an important role
in defining the subject. The fact that the Administration
Building is lost and that the employee cottages were
destroyed can itself be integrated into the interpretive
program. These negative spaces are a result of a lack of active
preservation of this important site, illustrating the ignorance
and ambivalence with which the site has been regarded. This
disregard is in stark contrast to our historic treatment of Ellis
Island—which has been preserved, maintained, and is a
widely recognized and familiar site to the general public
(Figure 6). These disparate conditions prompt us to ask
ourselves what the different treatments of Ellis Island and
Angel Island reflect. Is it a result of the focus on our country’s
history “from east to west”? Does it suggest that, while Irish
and Italian immigrants on the east coast were persecuted, the
racism toward the Asian population was, and may still be,
endemic throughout the country? The negative spaces at the
AIIS can speak as loudly as standing structures, conveying the
history of exclusionary policy, ignorance, and racism in the
United States and how this history shapes our contemporary
world.
The power of the negative spaces can be maintained in
the interpretive program while also creating an interpretive
exhibit through the site of the Administration Building. This
exhibit would include pathways to simulate the processing of
immigrants through the site, which would introduce visitors to
the social, physical, and psychological impact that
enforcement of the exclusion laws had on immigrants. Each
room of the building could be outlined with a low profile
stone or concrete wall, and a pathway could be delineated
Figure 6
SCA Newsletter 38(1)