Go For Broke Plaza

The Go For Broke Plaza & First Street North Residences stand as a successful public, private, and nonprofit model with affordable housing, commercial space, and a permanent home for Go For Broke National Education Center. The project fulfills our founding veterans’ vision of an interpretive center adjacent to the Go For Broke Monument and will provide vital programming space and partnership opportunities so that we can continue to inspire audiences about the contributions of the Nisei WWII soldiers to our democracy.

ABOUT THE GO FOR BROKE PLAZA

On February 13, 2024, Go For Broke National Education Center and Little Tokyo Service Center proudly broke ground on the new mixed-use, multi-story Go For Broke Plaza, featuring the First Street Residences, legacy businesses and Go For Broke National Education Center.

Located on Little Tokyo’s historic First Street North block, this project is the culmination of a decades-long campaign of community control and self-determination to reclaim a site taken by eminent domain during the Urban Renewal period of the 1950s.
The Go For Broke Plaza and First Street North Residences is a six-story mixed-use, affordable housing development that contains 248 housing units, one-third of which are permanent supportive housing units, including housing for unhoused veterans.
The building is designed by Carde Ten Architects and the lead developer is the Little Tokyo Service Center. Go For Broke National Education Center is the community partner who secured the initial property lease from the City of Los Angeles.
Along Jackson Street, the ground floor will consist of retail and commercial spaces for Little Tokyo legacy small businesses, including Suehiro Cafe.
The creation of urban green spaces and thru-block pedestrian linkages will revitalize the formerly vibrant Jackson Street Paseo. The ground floor will feature a multipurpose room, learning hall, conference rooms, and office spaces for Go For Broke National Education Center.
The entry courtyard will incorporate the existing Go For Broke Monument, which pays tribute to the WWII American veterans of Japanese ancestry. “Go for Broke,” a Hawaiian phrase meaning “to go all in,” was the motto of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
Construction is slated for completion in late 2026. Visit Little Tokyo Service Center's website for details.

Support us

Support from our corporate partners and sponsors ensure that GFBNEC has the essential resources to meet the urgency and purpose of our mission and our work.