Cardinal French Laundry

Cardinal French Laundry
Originally uploaded by jhhymas

Can you read this? Click for larger view. Another little evidence of our chequered past. No Chinese need apply. . .

Of course you can't! Here's the text of the bronze plaque:

Cardinal French Laundry
1931-1989
This reinforced concrete building was designed by Edwin Reichel and constructed for approximately $7,000 by Wells P. Goodenough in 1931. The structure housed the Cardinal French Laundry until 1989.
During the early twentieth century, the laundry industry in this neighborhood near African American, Chinese and Japanese residents was an important source of employment for workers who were unskilled. The industry was also associated with serious social issues in Palo Alto at that time including the treatment of women workers, racial prejudice and labor struggles. The term “French Laundry” originated as a code for laundries that did not hire Chinese workers.