The U.S. Immigration Station on Angel Island was the main point of entry for thousands of immigrants between 1910 and 1940. The Immigration Service enforced policies intended to regulate and exclude Pacific Rim immigrants from entering the country. Many were detained on the island for months, awaiting a decision of their status. The most visible testament to the experience of Angel Island detainees can be found in the Chinese poetry speaking of sadness and isolation, etched into the walls of the detention barracks.
AIIS Foundation developed a Master Plan to restore the barracks and other buildings, to restore the poetry etchings and to landscape the site to function as an interpretive center. Place Partners worked with a team of architects, engineers, poetry scholars and AIISF Board of Directors to execute the redesign of grounds and restoration of buildings to allow visitors to wander, picnic and learn about the American immigration experience.