Harada House, Civil rights site in Riverside, California

Harada House is a two-story wood-frame house at 3356 Lemon Street in Riverside, California, built in 1884 as a single-story saltbox cottage with recessed shiplap siding and a wood shingle roof. In 1916 the Harada family added a second story with four bedrooms, a bathroom and an open front porch, later enclosed. A two-story porch supported by heavy posts fronts the house, and original chamfered posts and extended window frames remain.

The house became the center of a legal battle when California challenged the family's property rights in 1916 under the Alien Land Law. This case helped weaken the laws that had prevented Japanese immigrants from owning land.

The house's name comes from Jukichi Harada, who bought it in 1915 in the names of his three American-born children, Mine, Sumi and Yoshizo. After the war, Sumi Harada boarded Japanese families who had lost their homes and lived on Lemon Street for 53 years, keeping her parents' house.

The house is not open for regular visits while stabilization and restoration continue; the Museum of Riverside handles all arrangements. In 2020 emergency work addressed the foundation, plaster and chimney, and a 6.5 million dollar campaign begun in 2019 aims to rebuild the foundation and repair structural elements. Ask the museum about access before planning a trip.

A family friend named Jess Stebler protected the house during World War II by managing the property while the family was in relocation centers. This act of loyalty allowed them to reclaim their home after the war ended.