The Luong family has plenty to celebrate this Lunar New Year. Besides hosting their 33rd annual New Year celebration, they are also celebrating a historic designation.
The Far East Center in Little Saigon at the edge of Westwood has been placed on the State's Register of Historic Properties by History Colorado. The designation marks the shopping center as a historic place in Colorado that has "significant cultural resources worthy of preservation."
"This is an extra special year and it just feels like our year," said Mimi Luong, owner of Truong An Gifts and manager of the Far East Center. "This is a year full of changes, more powerful energy...I've always wanted somebody to pick up on the story of my family and how the Far East Center came to be and now we're here."
Luong said the designation is another blessing in what is set to be a strong year for the AAPI community.
This Lunar New Year is the Year of the Dragon and, according to Luong, the designation makes the year extra special because the dragon is the only mystical creature on the zodiac chart and it represents strength, protection and prosperity.
This year is also the 33rd year the Luong family has celebrated Lunar New Year at the Center.
Luong's father, Thanh, emigrated to Denver in 1975, fleeing from Vietnam. He joined the wave of Vietnamese refugees coming to the city and setting up businesses along Federal Boulevard. Thanh Luong and his brother purchased the land that is now the Far East Center in 1986 and the Center has since become a staple in the area and Asian community. Past the Torii-style entryway, the center is a cultural haven and a mecca of Asian food and retail.
In a press release, History Colorado said the Center was nominated for the list because of its historical ties to Vietnamese migration to the state, its contributions to the economic growth of Asian Denverites and the site's architectural characteristics, which includes the Torii Gates, the red tile roofs, a stylized Guardian Lion Statue, and the presence of signage presented in both Vietnamese and English.
The Center is the third property on the State Register list that represents Colorado's Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The designation is also part of History Colorado's Colorado Heritage for All Initiative, a move that addresses the lack of representation within the State and National Register of Historic Places lists.
"Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, and their contributions to our shared history, are significantly underrepresented on both the State and National Registers," said Patrick Eidman, chief preservation officer and deputy state historic preservation officer, in a press release. "The addition of the Far East Center not only helps the State Register tell a more complete history of Colorado, but also preserves the remarkable story of the Luong family coming to the United States, after being displaced and losing their worldly possessions as a result of the Vietnam War, and building this remarkable center of culture and commerce."
Besides celebrating Lunar New Year on Feb. 10th and 11th, the Luong family will also be celebrating their new historic plaque noting that the Center is now on the State's Register of Historic Properties list.
