Denver Mayor Tours Tri-State/Denver Temple, Sakura Square

Visit Comes Amid Plans to Develop, Revitalize Downtown Area

The Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple and Sakura Square welcomed Denver Mayor Mike Johnston for a visit on May 21 — and the special occasion was marked by the rare blooming of wisteria in the temple courtyard. 

The mayor toured the temple and other parts of Sakura Square, the Japanese American block where the temple is located, to learn about plans for the redevelopment of the area, including a new temple that will continue to serve as a spiritual and cultural center for Denver and nearby communities. 

Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple Resident Minister Rev. Diana Thompson shared with him the teachings and traditions of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, as well as the rich history of our community and temple. 

The mayor’s visit comes at a time when both the city of Denver and Sakura Square are working to develop and revitalize the downtown community. 

In December 2024, the Denver City Council approved the city’s plan to invest $570 million to accelerate economic growth in the downtown Denver core. The city opened applications this year for funding for public and private projects that promote economic growth and revitalization.

“We do have to do a couple of things at once to make downtowns more active,” Mayor Johnston said recently in an interview with Colorado Public Radio. “One is we're going to move it from what we used to think of as a central business district to what we'll call a central neighborhood district. It should be a neighborhood like any other. You used to think about it, oh, you live in a neighborhood, but you go downtown. We want downtown to be more of a neighborhood.” 

Sakura Square, developed after the building of the current temple in 1947 as a central neighborhood for Japanese American life and culture in the city, is the only remaining ethnic cultural center in downtown Denver. 

It draws people of all generations and backgrounds downtown to live religious, cultural and active lives celebrating our interconnection with the history and future of Denver. The temple and Japanese American communities share the city’s vision for downtown Denver.

The temple community in Denver is growing and evolving, as the city and state evolve, with people from all backgrounds attending services (in- person or on the livestream) and participating in our semi-monthly, free online classes. 

The central location brings people together from across the Denver metro area and beyond to hear and receive the Dharma, form new connections and build community ties. 

At the close of the mayor’s visit, a group photo was taken with representatives of Tri-State/Denver Buddhist Temple, the Sakura Foundation, and Sakura Square, LLC, in front of one of the beautiful murals created by Casey Kawaguchi over the past year. 

His artist statement explains the mural titled, “The Seeds We Sow”: “The character holding the basket represents the strong agricultural heritage of the early Japanese American Colorado community and a nod to Jolie (Noguchi) and Pacific Mercantile. 

Her basket is filled with sugar beets, one of the main crops that Japanese Americans farmed in the state in the early 1900’s (sic). Butterflies represent the migration journey, the transformation and change our diaspora has gone through, and the future of Sakura Square. The rising light behind the character evokes a feeling of hope and serenity and symbolizes Sakura Square’s future growth. The Sakura (‘cherry blossom’) is a nod to the namesake.”