Chinatown History

Philadelphia's Chinatown is a small, predominantly Asian neighborhood, located within the Center City district. While similar in concept to the "Chinatowns" of many major U.S. cities, this ethnic enclave possesses a great deal of distinctly Philadelphian architecture and cultural character.

History

Modern Chinatown spans from Arch to Vine Streets, and from 8th to 11th Streets. The first semblance of the neighborhood appeared in 1870 in the form of a laundry on Tenth and Race Streets. The neighborhood slowly grew from this initial area to encompass much of its current boundaries. Common usage of the term "Chinatown" to refer to the neighborhood began around 1926. During various periods of urban renewal, starting in the 1960's, portions of Chinatown were destroyed in construction of the Independence Mall, Vine Street Expressway, Pennsylvania Convention Center, and other projects. In an attempt to preserve the remnants of Philadelphia's Chinatown, the neighborhood was incorporated in 1969 as the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation. This gave community and business leaders more say in matters of local development. While these conservation efforts and the general popularity of this area have staved off several recent development efforts, its proximity to Philadelphia's expanding downtown has continued to threaten the small neighborhood. Today, Chinatown functions as a popular tourist destination, a center of trade, and as a home to many of the city's finest ethnic restaurants and bakeries. It is also typically considered the heart of the Asian culture in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area.

Growth

Chinatown has always been a smaller neighborhood, located in bustling Center City. However, since the construction of One Liberty Place, the tallest building in the city, in 1989, the city has rapidly transformed. The city entered a rebirth. Dozens of skyscrapers, condos, and shopping malls were constructed, and many abandoned buildings were demolished. The same happened with Chinatown. However, many parts of Chinatown were bought out for other development. But, many major preservation efforts have saved Chinatown, and is now considered a major part of the city, and a Philadelphia area tourist hotspot.
Chinatown in the 21st century, is a prospering and growing community. Home to about 10,000 people, Chinatown is branching out to many other city neighborhoods, like Callowhill. This was hard to do with the construction of the Vine Street Expressway separating them. The 10,000 residents are of mainly Chinese descent, but a few thousand Thai, Japanese, and Cambodian peoples are also found in the neighborhood.

Asian restaurants are very common, numbering a few hundred, plus a few hundred more Asian-owned delis and convenience stores. Chinese funeral homes are also another notable feature. Every year, Philadelphia plays host to one of the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside China. It's hard for the census to get a good count of exactly how many people reside in Chinatown, due to language barriers, and the prescence of a large illegal population.
A new Asian neighborhood is being formed in South Philadelphia, by massive settlement of Vietnamese peoples in this part of the city. For decades, South Philly was known for its large Italian population. But over the years, the descendants of those Italian immigrants have moved away to the suburbs, only to be replaced by Mexicans, African Americans, Colombians, and significantly, Vietnamese.

Landmarks

Chinatown is famous for its "Friendship Arch", an ornate paifang in the heart of the neighborhood. Though a feature common in many North American Chinatowns, the Arch Street incarnation is more elaborately rendered than most.

Controversy

In the late 1990's The Philadelphia Phillies baseball team was hoping to build a new ball park in downtown Philadelphia to replace the aging Veterans Stadium in South Philadelphia. Several locations were considered, including Broad and Spring Garden streets, Spring Garden and Delaware Avenue, and next to 30th Street Station. The team and the city then proposed to build the new ball park at 12th and Vine Streets, just north of the Interstate 676 freeway, a 5-10 minute walk from the downtown business district, convention center and SEPTA's Market East train station. The proposed location would sport a great view of the downtown skyline and provide a major boost to development in North Philadelphia between Center City and Temple University. Owners of the derelict and vacant buildings which were to have been demolished reported that it was the first time in decades anyone was interested in building in the area. The site was popular among the residents of Philadelphia and the Phillies fans.

The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation mounted an intense opposition to the ball park plans, even though the foot print of the ball park would not technically be in Chinatown. Chinese American residents were concerned that the ball park would destroy Chinatown. The PCDC staged protests and rallies that united neighborhood groups, religious, labor, ethnic, political. Polling showed, however, that the vast majority of city and suburban residents supported the downtown ball park plans. Eventually the Phillies built Citizens Bank Park at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex which opened in 2004. In the years following, city residents and fans have expressed regret that the stadium was not located in Center City. As a result many view (fairly or unfairly) Chinatown and the PCDC as obstructionist and selfish.