Ei13 C iLJG1B1L1T
National Register of Historic Places National Park Service
Project Name:
Location: Philadelphia County Stater PA
Request submitted by: DOT/FHWA Louis M. Papet
'ceivø-. Addit;-a-al information .c.iv.d:
3c .-, ., %J 0'.
tf -- Eligibility
Name of property SH P07 Secretary of Hi. Criteria opinion Interior's opinion,
Roman Catholic High chooT Eligible ETigibTe o7's7
Benjamin Franklin Bridge o7'S Monument (Plaza)
Chinese Gospel Temple O
Chinatown Historic District
Benjamin Franklin Pkwy Distrfct
Block 1 (Riverfront Settlement) u --
Block 15 (Moravian Cèmetcr'
Block 18 (Fit African Baptist Church Cemetery)
Block ZO (19th Century Black Enclave) Eligible Eligible
Keeper of the National Register terniined. M4.gibis
WASO-27 Date: fl1PrCH !?83
/4
M0~16!593 RECE1VJ an
DETERMINATION OF EUG1BILI1Y NOT1 F1CAT1ON APR 27 3 National Register of Historic Places
PAC National Park Service lIORIc PRESERVTJg
Project Name: Vine Street Expressway (1-676)
Location: hiladelphia County State: PA
Ruesubnitt y: DOT/FHWA Louis ! Pa-pat
Date Received: 3-1-83 Additional information received:
Name of property SHPO opinion
Eligibility
Secretary of the Interior's opiniort
Criteria
Benjamin Franklin Bridge Eligible Eligible OT47I7- - -:
Free Library o Dhlladei ph iCL "
Boy Scouts of America Admin. Bldg." J.
Franklin rnstitute loto7 5
Family Court Bldg /
Bishop's Place ' O7SS
104---114 N Mole St c 117--129 N_ MoTe St " II
Friends Meeting House
Friends Center, o3Z7
Town Hall " I'
Hires/Sacks Bldg (Z1Q-214 N. Broad St.)
Philadelphia Technical tnatitute "
Keeper of the Natiojiqi Resister tariflied..
ThAC jq3 WASO-27 Date: F
Chinatown-
Chinatown, bordered by 8th, 13th,Callowhill, and Arch Streets has
been part of Philadelphia's cultural heritage for more than 100 years.
It is the 12th largest Chinese community in the nation and presently
has a population close to 1,000. Chinatown serves as a market place and
cultural center for not only those who live there, but also for a sub-
stantial number of Asians in the Delaware Valley Region. Besides playing
a sinificant role in Philadelphia's history, Chinatown also has a signif-
icant history of its cwn zrowch.
In 1784 the American Commercial Commission from New York landed
in Canton to initiate trade between the two countries. Although
Philadelphia became one of the earliest ports involved in the trading,
it was not until the mid 1800's that emigration became significant,
and then it came from the Western United States. The Chinese emigration
to the western states arose from the economic pressures in China and the
discovery of gold in the United States. They had come seeking wealth
in America and then intended to return to China with their new wealth.
Possibly the first Chinese settler in Philadelphia was a laundryman
c.lrio arrived as early as 1845 and located on Race Street. In 1869, fifty
Chinese were brought east to work in a laundry store in New Jersey.
Foe Chinese then realized the great opportunity for work in the east.
Most of the Chinese who emigrated to Philadelphia were Cantonese from
a section in China of about 100 square miles in Kwangchow, on the
southern coast of the province of Kwangtung.
Chinatown's history developed in three stages. The first stage
was the establishment of individual laundries throughout the city. The
second stage was the organization of recreational activities in certain
laundries, including food services for special celebrations. As the
Chinese colony grew and special services became profitable, restaurants
became a separate enterprise. The restaurant became a place where friends
and relatives could meet to eat, drink, and talk. About 1880 the first
restaurant was established over a laundry store. The third stage was
the establishment of grocery stores to supply foods not available in
the American markets. These grocery stores became the centers of
community affairs.
At first the Chinese stayed separate from the American culture,
because they had originally planned to become wealthy and then return to
China. Americanization of the Chinese started in the 20th Century. The
Chinese associations, which are a cultural trait, helped to maintain the
isolation. yany associations are still in existence today and represent
the traditional part of the present Chinese community. The western
influence came mostly in the form of religion; three Christian churches
are presently located in the community. World War II was also a major
turning point for the Chinese. As more Americans went to war, the
Chinese were able to take over their jobs and become a part of the
American labor force. With this move into the labor force there was a
tremendous increase in Chinese contact with the American lifestyle. At
first the Chinese community was basically a bachelor society because
the men would come to America first and later attempt to bring their
hinatown ?hiade1phia Vrban Design Plans and Policy recommend tcs
Glurck Chadbourne Associates, Inc. with Edgar Lampert, April, 1975
families to join them after they established themselves. The immigration
LdWj were very strict at first, therefore mostly limiting the immigration
to men. In 1962 and 1965 the immigration policies were eased and there
was a great influx of Chinese families into America, and the Chinese
community grew tremendously.
There were basically two categories of Chinese people who came
to America. The first were those who were professionally trained and
mixed easily into the American life. Their dependence on Chinatown was
minimal. The second group was composed of technicians who emigrated
from Hong Kong with hopes of economic advancement. Some of them were
family members of older Chinatown laborers. Most of these people spoke
little or no English and had no finances. These people depended on
Chinatown for employment and for living accommodations. The profes-
sionals have a desire to retain their cultural heritage, so many of
them come to Chinatown to shop, attend church, use the restaurants,
and to attend family functions and festivals. Chinatown is where
traditional culture is preserved and ethnic identify perpetuated.
Chinatown is the cultural and institutional center of the Chinese
community, not only for those who live there, but for all Asian groups
throughout the Delaware Valley. Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church is
a very key facility in the community. It provides a school for China-
town, a cultural center, and the only major recreational resource in the
community. Holy Redeemer is "irreplaceable not only for its educational
value, but because it is the physical focus of community life".
THE HEART OF CHINATOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT
Classified as a Cultural District only.
The Heart of Chinatown Cultural District is bound on the east by the cleared land of the Center City Commuter Rail Connection tunnel project as it parallels North Ninth Street. On the south, the Cultural District is defined by the property lines of the lots on the south side of 900 and 1000 blocks of Race Street. On the west, North Eleventh Street is the boundary for the cultural district. On the north, the boundary is established as along the open space provided for the right-of-way for the Vine Street improvement. The area is comprised of the two city blocks between Vine and Race Streets, 9th to 11th Streets, and portions of the city blocks along the south side of Race Street between 9th and 11th Streets.
S
Heart of Chinatown, page 5
The First Chinese Baptist Church was established here in October of 18, and among the first members were Horn Hop and Lee Hing, baptized in 1887, and Xu Ling and Lee
John, baptized in 1895 (MacKenzie 1970).
Some of the earliest of such real estate transfers relate today to the headquarters
of major community associations. In 1908, Lee Duk bought 927 Race Street, now the
headquarters of the Leung Chinese Merchants Association. Number 925, the present home
of the Lee Association, and 927 Race Street, the headquarters of the Leung Chinese
Merchants Association, became Chinese owned in the 1920's (Philadelphia Land Records).
In addition to Race Street, 9th Street north of Race became a strong model of Chinese ownership beginning in 1912. In 1927, 208 North 9th Street (now owned by the Hor Shan Lun Hing Association and the location of the office of Andrew J. Lee, attorney) was
sold to Harry Lee. In the 1940's, more Chinese ownership was concentrated in the area.
In 1941, there were approximately twenty families in the core area (MacKenzie, April
l82). Cuincidont3lly, only 922 Chinese were recorded in all of Philadelphia in 1940 (Cheng 1946, p. 74). Chinatown was defined as the block between 9th and 10th and
Race and Spring Streets (Cheng 1946, p. 72). By then, a family oriented community
had prompted the Catholic archdiocese to build a mission church and a school north
of the core area, north of Vine Street. While the Church of the Holy Redeemer,
built in 1941, served the Catholic families of the community, the auditorium was opened to the entire community and the school served any children of the neighborhood who chose to attend. English language instruction was, and is, a major part of the
curriculum.
The war in China in the 1920's and 1930's and the economic depression which hit
the local small businesses in the 1930's took a toll on the population of the
local Chinese community. Before the exodus began, the population in the 1920's was
predominantly alien; by the 1940's, however, the Chinese-Americans surpassed the
alien count (Cheng 1947, p. 77) attesting to the stability of the family unit in the
two decades of change.
In 1944, the families lived in the area bounded by Spring Street and Winter
Street (Cheng 1946, p. 73, identifies this at Block 12 of Census Tract IA). While
Heart of Chinatown, page 6
•the vitality of the commercial strip at this time was experiencing a high point, the
social effects of World War II also resulted in two changes, each of which was to have
permanent effects on the degree to which long-time cultural isolation of Chinatown
would be sustained.
During the war, several Chinese left the community workforce either to work in ship-
yards in Wilmington, Chester, or Camden, or to replace the labor force of other in-
dustries affected by mobilization. The Chinese-Americans entered the military. At
the end of the war, the servicemen brought home brides from Hong Kong, urbane young
women whose education and cosmopolitan background added a new perspective to a com-
munity previously occupied by people from more rural regions of China. The newcomers
came to a Chinatown where wooden boards embellished with Chinese characters served
as store signs and neon lights identified the restaurants. Strips of red paper in
the shop windows advertised the exotic merchandise inside (Cheng 1946, p. 72).
The community extended from 8th to 11th Streets, with its east/west edcies markedly
visible. The Salvation Army junk station was at Race and llth Streets;
east of 8th Street.
By the 1950's, the war industries no longer drew the local manpower, and there was
increased economic growth in the locale. This brought the population of the community
to 1,242 (Stanley 1975, p. 50). Areawise, the community extended from 8th to 11th
and from Race to Vine Streets. The tongs were less concerned with vice and more with
real estate (Stanley 1975, p. 50). New types of associations were formed to encourage
the overall cultural health of the community. Activity took place at both the com-
mercial and the spiritual levels. When the Merchants Association was established in
1954, the occasion was marked by feasting and dancing, and the Chinese Consul from Taiwan attended (Stanley 1975, p. 50). The Philadelphia Chinatown Redevelopment
Corporation was founded in 1966 (Stanley 1975, p. 56), a group geared to formulating
a comprehensive plan for Chinatown, including housing needs. This action preceded
by three years the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority's condemnation of thirty
area houses (Stanley 1975, p. 58).
In 1953, Protestant denominations combined to build a Christian Church on 10th Street
between Spring and Winter Streets. The work of the Philadelphia Baptist City Mission
continued its outreach program at 1006 Race Street, becoming the weekday Chinese
Christian Church and Center.
Heart of Chinatown, page 7
is In the last generation, immigrants from Taiwand and Vietnam have poured into China-town; further, the area serves as a base from which newcomers make contacts or learn
trades.
By 1968, the Inquirer identified the bounds of Chinatown as between 19th and 11th
Streets and Cherry and Vine Streets (Philadelphia Inquirer 7/28/1968). While this
corresponds to the area identified in 1982 as the heart of Chinatown, a larger,
less dense Chinese community exists on the periphery of this intense cultural node.
This extension is bounded essentially by 13th Street on the west, Arch Street on the
south, and Callowhill Street on the north; but like other clusters of Chinese who
live closeby or in New Jersey or Delaware, the residents in this peripheral area
refer to the heart of Chinatown as the principal place where tradition and ethnic
identity are perpetuated. The lesser areas, therefore, by reason of continuous his-
tory dating prior to 1900 and strong present day viability appears to meet the cri-
teria for a ethnic cultural National Register District.
Bibliography:
Cheng, David Te-chao.
1948 Acculturation of the Chinese in the United States: A Philadelphia Study. Foochow, China: The Fukien Christian University Press.
Culin, Stewart
1887 China in America. New York.
1891 The Social Organization of the Chinese Series, vol. IV:, 4 (October) p. 348.
Darling, Henry R.
1969 Urban Squeeze Presses on Chinatown Here.
16, 1969.
Drumgold, Lisa J.
American Anthropologist, Old
The Sunday Bulletin, November
1974 Philadelphia's Chinatown: An Historical Study of a Neighborhood.
Unpublished term paper, West Chester State College, West Chester, Pa.
Heart of Chinatown, page 8
0 Bibliography (continued): Jeffers, Hilde, et al.
1974 Philadelphia's Chinatown: A Study. University, Philadelphia, Pa.
Hsu, Francis L. K.
Unpublished term paper, Temple
1971 The Challenge of the American Dream: The Chinese in the United States. Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co.
MacKenzie, Mirabella
1970 Our Heritage (Chinese Christian Church and Center).
1982 Interview with Alice Kent Schooler, April 14, 1982. (Ms. MacKenzie is the Director of the Chinese Christian Center.)
Meanker, Drusie
1975 Chinatown's Famous Food Attracts Hungry Tourists. The Daily Pennsylvanian, January 24, 1975.
Novack, Janet
1975 Chinatown Threatened by Urban Renewal. The Daily Pennsylvanian, January 24, 1975.
Perkins, Helen C. (compiler)
1902-1912 Historic Philadelphia
1971 Philadelphia Chinatown Centennial, September 14-December 12, 1971.
Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation
1977 Response to Draft EIS for the Proposed Vine Street Expressway Interstate 76.
Philadelphia Inquirer
1968 Chinatown is Way Station En-Route to the Occident. July 28, 1968.
Philadelphia Land Records
Selected Sites.
*Scharf, J. T. and Thompson Westcott
1875 History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, volume II.
Heart of Chinatown, page 9
Bibliography (continued):
Stanley., John
1975 A History of the Chinese Presence and Influence in Philadelphia. Ms., Oriental Studies 30, April 21, 1975 (institution unidentified).
Smith
1908 Atlas of Philadelphia.
Webster, Richard J.
1976 Philadelphia Preserved. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Map Reference: 16
Block: 20
Resource: 10th Street - 200 Block East
Address: 227-239 North 10th Street
Classification: Building
Owners: 227 - Wing Sang Leong, 227 N. 10th St., Phi Ia., Pa. 231 - Tsung Ngar Assoc. , 231 N. 10th St. , Phila. , Pa. 233 & 235 - Leo Choi, 233 N. 10th St., Phila., Pa. 237 - Fong Wing Chong, 237 N. 10th St., Phila. , Pa. 239 - Herbert S. Lee, 239 N. 10th St., Phila. , Pa.
Proximity to Modified arterial: 300' Project: Scaled down: 250'
Status: None known (PHRS)
Period or Dates:
Description:
A row of seven attached brick buildings,six of which are set in Flemish bond. The group is morc diverse Lhdrl unified. Six structures (229-239) are three-and-one-
I& half-story; one (227) is five-story and face brick. Side bay entrances are common
to six of the seven and one (231-233) features two side-bay entrances which flank a central window detail. Italianate detail (moulded brownstone) is evidenced here and
also in the architrave of the door of 235. One original dormer, featuring corner-block fluted pilasters, exists at 229. The corner buildings have not survived.
Significance:
The group is divorced from the corners which anchored it and is so diverse a group of ordinary building types that is seems not to be eligible for the National Register, in its own right; they do, however, relate to Chinatown.
Bibliography:
Clio Group, Inc. Survey (PHRS 1981)
n. Block: 20
Location: Bounded: North - Vine Street -
(Figure 3) South - Race Street -
East - North 9th Street
West - North 10th Street - --
Potential Sites: 32 historic properties developed by 1860 as residential sites or residential sites with an industrial/commercial component.
1 clay pit, mid-nineteenth century. 1 steam marble works, mid-nineteenth century. 1 fire engine company, mid-nineteenth century.
Existing Conditions:
Block 20 is an intensively developed urban block of mixed land use associated with
Philadelphia's "Chinatown" district. The south part of the block between Race Street
and Winter Street (Figure 61) has retained much of its historic character (i.e.,
structures, property lines, the pattern of internal courts, small streets and alleys)
despite its ethnic associations with the Chinese community. The area between Winter
Street and the present south line of the Vine Street Expressway is an area of marginal
land use, including a paved parking area and an area used for vegetable gardens by the
Chinese community.
Civil History:
Block 20 was included within the original bounds of the City of Philadelphia, and until
1785 was not included in any ward divisions. In 1785, this block was included in the
Mulberry Ward, and from 1786 until city-county consolidation in 1854 it was located in
the North Mulberry Ward. In 1854, Block 20 became part of the 10th Ward and remained
there until 1965, when ward divisions were redefined and the block became part of the
5th Ward.
Historical Development:
Block 20 was initially included in a grant of land on term to Thomas Coates in 1737,
and has been tentatively identified as a clay pit site (Figure46 ). There was apparently
no further development of this block until the late eighteenth century, when the Suprerre
Executive Council divided the block into large lots which were sold at public auction.
All of the historic properties in the area of anticipated impact at the north end of
the block were developed c.1820-1840. (Figure 61, Area A & B). This was apparently an
area of mixed development with some developed rows fronting North 9th Street and Norn
Historical Development (continued):
lOthStreet, interior court development, and two heavy industrial sites (Figure 61,
A and B). - -
As-Jate as 1939 (Franklin, Plate 12) no substantial redevelopment had been undertaken
on the east end of the area of anticipated impact, while virtually no historic open
space survived intact in- the- st end (Figure 61 , A and B).
In- 1948i thenorthend of the block (Figure 61-A) was subsumed by the widening of
Vine Street to accommodate the present Vine Street Expressway.
Socio-Economic Development:
Thejarger streets of Vine, Morgan, North 9th and North 10th were dominated by occupa-
*ons:in Categories. 1 and. 2. These were followed by Category 3 until 1870, when
ttgbries 4; 5, and 6, unskilled workers replaced them. Within the model, the
largest ethnic group represented was native-born Americans. Only a small percentage
of Irish, German, or other foreign households were represented.
In 1841-1850, the two alleys were inhabited largely by Category 3, with unskilled
workers--Categories 4, 5, and 6--predominating in 1860 and 1870. Jackson/Java Court
had. .a large Irish population which was followed closely by native-born Americans. A
100 percent black/mulatto population was noted on Liberty Court from 1850, the earliest
recorded ethnic data available, through 1870, the last year in the model.
Anticipated Resources:
Potential subsurface remains include possible resources associated with an eighteent
century clay pit, as well as privy wells and associated artifact assemblages, sratied
backyard deposits, and filled cellars. The tj large mid-nineteenth century incustrai
sites may also provide resources associated with the marble works and the fire angina
factory. Of primary importance is the documented existence of a black enclave n
Liberty Court.
- - - - 7 2:: 77 '.__ - :_ - --- - -
- - • '--::-- ---:: - -•---- 5-- - ---5----- S --
SITE NO:
RESOURCE:
Historic Name:
Common Name:
LOCATION:
CLASSIFICATION:
OWNER:
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION:
OTHER SURVEY LISTINGS:
41
Chinatown Historic District
Chinatown Historic District
Generally bounded by Winter Street to the north, 9th.Street to the east, Race Street to the south, and 11th Street to the west
Cultural District only
Multiple ownership
A
As a district, none known; some individual structures, PHC, PHRS; 907 Race Street, HABS
PERIOD OR DATES: Before 1830 to th€ oresent
DESCRIPTION: Thr oroposed district is composed of two city blocks and par s of four other city blocks. The core community, Block 20, bounded by 9th, Race, 10th, and Winter Streets, encom-passes more than 60 properties. This is a cultural node more than 90 percent Chinese owned and/or occupied since the 1940s and evidences a major survival of the mixed residential/commercial neighborhood of late 19th C. Philadelphia.
The south side of Race Street exhibits vestiges of narrow residential and commercial structures built as early as 1829. On 11th Street, a loft erected c.1900 exists in the east corner of Race Street.
Rows of brick dwelling units built c.1830 have survived in part on the north side of Spring Street as well as on the south side of Winter Street. Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, and gift shops are concentrated on Race, 9th, and 10th Streets, and service organizations occupy several intervening addresses. A noodle factory and a fortune cookie bakery occupy 19th century storefronts on the north/south streets.
51
Two "Welcome to Chinatown" signs define the edges of the district on the west side of the viaduct on Race Street and at the corner of Vine and 10th Streets. Tenth Street includes one row of the restaurants and specialty stores of the area. The gable end of a building displays a twenty panel mural of a dragon.
In the partial block immediately to the south side of Race Street,high brick lofts of narrow widths stand west of a Bell Telephone building built after World War II. In the next block west is an eight-story brick loft built before 1908, a Romanesque Revival terra cotta and brick structure. Now used in part as a Chinese restaurant, the loft has recently been faced at sidewalk level with red ceramic brick, a walling which terminates in a demi-roof (pent roof) of ornamental tiles which imitate a pagoda eave. Such architectural incongruity adds to the sense of place. The historic anchor property of the districL stands at 907-909 Race Street. This refers to two 1820's dwellings which were modified in 1906 to accommodate the first public restaurant in Chinatown.
Block 22, bounded by Vine, Race, 10th, and 11th Streets, includes more than 35 improved properties; there are some lots along Race Street, however, that are now vacant. Several generations of historic resources in the core no longer exist. The property is now vacar.t. Generally, while urban redevelop-ment is taking place along the north side of Spring Street through to Winter Street, the block emphasizes a significant survival of the residential component of the mixed use community which existed here by 1862.
The new residences, aimed at providing affordable housing for the community, are two-and-a-half-story brick-faced row structures comprised of single and duplex houses and apart-ments.
The proposed District is that area which most consistently has been an Oriental enclave within Philadelphia. It serves as a marketplace and meeting place for a larger established Oriental community and is also a refuge for the newly arrived. Parts of this district have referred to the cultural center of the Delaware Valley's Asian community for more than a hundred years.
Chinatown celebrated its centennial in 1971, referring to the long accepted tradition that the first Chinese tradesman to settle in the area and set up his business was Lee Fong, a laundryman who established himself near Race and 9th Streets, probably at 913 Race Street (Culin 1891:347; Ching 1975:70; PCDC 1971).
52
By 1880, Mei Hsiang Lee opened a restaurant above his cousin's
laundry at 913 Race Street, providing a center where the dis-
persed population could congregate (Chinese Centennial 1971).
Other necessary services were established along Race Street,
and, as early as 1891, Culin identified the Race Street area
close to 9th Street as the cultural center of Philadelphia's
Chinese community (Culen 1891:347:348).
By 1911, the Chinatown community had expanded along Race Street
between 9th and 10th (Cheng 1946). The earliest public
restaurants had opened before 1910 on the north side of Race
Street at numbers 907, 921, and 931 (Campbell vol. 73). The
earliest of these, 907-909 Race Street, survives as the
architectural anchor of the ethnic district, a strong visual
reference to the Victorian oriental overlay which then identified
a commercial ChindLown.
Confirming the role of Race Street as the historic spine of
the community, a Chinese Baptist Church was organized by
1887, and social services were organized by 1898 when the
Philadelphia Baptist City Mission was established at 1022
Race Street (MacKenzie April 1982). The vitality of the
Chinese community continued to the 1920's when both social
discrimination and self-imposed isolation encouraged the
Chinese to continue gathering together and to perpetuate
Fdmily associations or tongs, which provided an incentive to
congregate.
The war in China in the 1920's and 1930's drew some Chinese to
the homeland, and the economic depression in America in the
1930's took a further toll on the population of the local
Chinese communty. Before the exodus began, the population in
the 1920's was predominately alien; by the 1940's, however,
the Chinese-Americans surpassed the alien count (Cheng 1947:
77).
In 1941, there were approximately twenty families in the
core area (MacKenzie April 1982). Coincidentally, only 922
Chinese were recorded in all of Philadelphia in 1940
(Cheng 1946: 74) and Chinatown was defined as the block be-
tween 9th and 10th Streets and Race and Spring Streets
(Cheng 1946: 72). By 1940, the Catholic archdiocese had
built the church and school of the Holy Redeemer, which while
outside of the heart of Chinatown, was the only indoor
recreational facility in the overall neighborhood. The school
served any children of the neighborhood who chose to attend.
The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation was founded
in 1966 (Stanley 1975: 56) to formulate a comprehensive
plan for Chinatown, including housing needs. By 1968, the
Inquirer identified the bounds of Chinatown as between 9th
and 11th Streets and Cherry and Vine Streets (Philadelphia
Inquirer 1968). While this corresponds to the area identified
in 1982 as the heart of Chinatown, there is a larger, less dense
53
Chinese community which exists outside the edges of the cultural node. The extension is bounded essentially by 13th Street on the west, Arch Street on thesouth, Callowhil1 Street on the north and 8th Street on the east. Like the Chinese who live in other parts of Philadelphia or closeby in New Jersey or Delaware, the residents in this peripheral area refer to the heart of Chinatown as the principal place of their commerce and tradition and ethnic identity. In the last generation, immigrants from Taiwan and Vietnam have poured into Chinatown, emphasizing the area's service as a base from which newcomers make contacts or learn trades.
SIGNIFICANCE: "The proposed district roughly defined by Winter Street (north), 9th Street (east), Race Street (south), and 11th Street (west) has been the center of the local Oriental community since the arrival of the first Chinese in Philadelphia in the latter half of the 19th century. Although the district is a mix of commercial and residential structures of varying scale and age (from early 19th to early 20th century), their use and ownership by the Oriental community has continued to the present day. In addition, several important cultural and social institutions dating from the late 19th century (Chinese Baptist Church - 1887; Philadelphia Baptist City Mission 1898) remain as active organizations in the community.
The properties at 910-924 and 1012-1024 Winter Street and 227-239 10th Street contribute to the Chinatown Historic District although they are not, in our opinion, individually eligible for the Register.'
SH P0 CONCURRENCE: *Letter of November 18, 1982 (page A-37)
54
01 01
PLATE 19. Chinatown Historic District, aerial view from north
(outline encompassing heights of buildings). 1932
ap Reference: 49
Blocks: 20, 22, and parts of corresponding blocks immediately
to the south of Race Street.
Resource: Heart of Chinatown Historic District
Address: Multiple
Classification: Cultural District only
Owners: Multiple ownership
Proximity to Modified arterial: 1.50 feet-550 feet from center of corridor
Project: Scaled down: 150 feet-550 feet from center of corridor
Status: As a district, none known; some individual structures, PHC;
PHRS; 907 Race Street, HABS (all noted on separate sheets).
Period or Dates: Before 1830 to the present.
Description (Plates 20, 21 , 22)
The Heart of Chinatown is bounded on the east by the cleared land of the Commuter
Tunnel project as it parallels North 9th Street, on the south by property lines
of the lots referring to the south side of the 900 and 1000 blocks of Race Street,
and on the west by the rusticated stone viaduct which carries the Reading Rail-
road tracks to and from the terminal built on Market Street in 1893. On the north,
the district is bounded by the open space relating to the right-of-way of the
Vine Street Expressway. The area is comprised of two city blocks and parts of
four other similar units (Figure 8).
In this core community, Block 20, that area bounded by 9th, Race, 10th, and
Winter Streets,is a city block which encompasses more than sixty properties
within the heart of Chinatown. This is not only a cultural node more than ninety
percent Chinese owned and/or occupied, it also evidences a major survival of
the mixed residential /commercial neighborhood in which Philadelphia's Chinatown
began in the late nineteenth century. On the south side of Race Street, new
construction exists adjacent to the vestiges of the narrow residential and
commercial structures, which were built as early as 1829 (Plate 20) ,
On 11th Street, a loft erected c.1900 exists in the east corner of Race Street
a church built in 1953 occupies the northeast corner at Spring Street,
adding to the strong sense of continuum which exists today.
114
w Rows of brick dwelling units built c.1830 have sur
vived in part on the north
side of Spring Street as well as on the south side
of Winter Street
Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, and gift shop
s are concentrated on Race
and 9th and 10th Streets, and service organization
s occupy several intervening
addresses . A noodle factory and a fortune cookie bakery occup
y nineteenth
century storefronts on the north/ south streets.
Two "Welèome to Chinatown" signs define the edges of the district on the west
side of the viaduct on Race Street and at the corner of Vine and 10th Streets.
Tenth Street introduces the traveller from Vine Street to the first row of
restaurants and specialty stores .of the area. A s
pecific 'sign" declaring a
hjnatown image make use of the gable end of a buil
ding to display a twenty
panel mural of a dragon.
In the partial block immediately to the south side
of Race Street (no number
assigned), the northeast quadrant is dominated by
one of two major Bell Telephone
buildings which exist in center city. High brick l
ofts of narrow widths stand
west of this post-World War II building. In the next block west is
an eight-story brick loft built before 1908, a Rom
anesque Revival terra cotta
and brick structure. Now used in part as a Chinese
restaurant, the loft has
recently been faced at sidewalk level with red cer
amic brick, a walling which
terminates in a demi-roof (pent roof) of ornamenta
l tiles which imitate a agoda
eave. Such architectural incongruity adds to the sense of place. The histori
c
anchor property of the district stands at 907-909
Race Street. This refers to
two 1820's dwellings which were modified in 1906 t
o accommodate the first public
restaurant in Chinatown (Plate 21).
Block 22, bounded by Vine, Race, 10th, and 11th St
reets, addresses more tan
35 improved properties; there are some lots along
Race Street, however, ---at
are now vacant. Several generations of historic re
sources in the core no Thnger
exist; as an example, a Public Normal School which
once stood on the soutn side
of Spring Street in 1860 was long ago replaced by
structures which themseTies
no longer exist. The property is now vacant. Gener
ally, while urban receveloc-
ment is taking place along the north side of Sprin
g Street through to Wi:er
Street, the block emphasizes a significant surviva
l of the residential c:mconet
of the mixed use community which existed here by 1862.
115
The new residences are two-and-a-half-story brick-faced row structures corn-
prised of single and duplex houses and apartments (Plate 22). These are aimed
at providing new affordable housing for the community. The police station
which serves the community stands on the southeast corner of Winter and 11th
Streets close to the c.1830 housing which survives on Winter Street.
Immediately outside of the district and on the east are several new landmarks.
These include Metropolitan Hospital, the Police Headquarters Building, and 'Market
Street East,' a commercial entity which stands two blocks to the south of Blocks
20 and 22. The latter includes current construction relating to the extension
of Market Street East.
Historical Background:
The Heart of Chinatown is that area which most consistently has provided strong
historic reference to an isolated Oriental - enclave within Philadelphia. This re-mains the marketplace and the meeting place for a larger established Oriental
community; it is also a refuge for the newly arrived. In this relatively small',
dense neighborhood the majority of the properties have related to Oriental owner-
ship and/or residence at least since the 1940's. As a viable continuum, parts
of this district have referred to the cultural center of the Delaware Valley's
Asian community for more than a hundred years.
Chinatown celebrated its centennial in 1971, referring to the long accepted tradi-
tion that the first Chinese tradesman to settle in the area and set up his busi-
ness was Lee Fang, a laundryman who established himself near Race and 9th Streets,
probably at 913 Race Street (Culin 1891:347; Ching 1975:70; PCDC 1971). It
was an economic as well as a social factor which set this oriental-operated
shop apart from similar such establishments in Philadelphia. Fong's busi-
ness also prompted the establishment of other enterprises, set up to serve
a Chinese community dominated by male laborers who had settled in various
parts of the city.
By 1880, Mei Hsiang Lee opened a restaurant above his cousin's laundry at 913 Race
Street, providing a center where the dispersed population could congregate
(Chinese Centennial 1971). Other necessary services were established along Race
116
Street, offering Oriental foods and imported supplies not available in American
stores. As early as 1891, Culin identified the Race Street area close to 9th
Street as the cultural center of Philadelphia's Chinese community (Culen 1891:
347:348).
When Lee Fong first set up shop in this core community, he did so in a mixed
residential-commercial neighborhood which had developed as such between the
1820's and the 1880's. Even before the Civil War, parts of this district evi-
denced pocket neighborhoods of blacks living in inner-block courtyard comolexes
such as Leyden's Court and Liberty Court between 10th and 11th Streets (U. S.
Census 1860). Between 1880 and 1920, industrial expansion along the Vine
Street corridor and a new transportation corridor identified by the Reading
Railroad viaduct changed the scale of the built environment of the Race
Street area as brick lofts punctuated the older residential rows, and rose
high above the south side of Race Street and the north side of the section close
to the viaduct. New land use caused the residential population to shift west,
leaving in its wake older, affordable housing to lure the laboring immigrants
then streaming into the city. This included the Chinese.
By 1911, the Chinatown community had expanded along Race Street between 9th and
10th (Cheng 1946). The earliest public restaurants had opened before 1910 on j
the north side of Race Street at numbers 907, 921, and 931 (Campbell
vol. 73). The earliest of these, 907-909 Race Street, survives as the architec-
tural anchor of the ethnic district, a strong visual reference to the Victorian
oriental overlay which then identified a commercial Chinatown.
The buildings at 907-909 Race Street were originally two adjoining, two-story
brick houses built before 1829 by Thomas and Joseph Walter, brickmasons, as
homes (Webster 1978: 128; Insurance Survey 1836; Desilver 1829). Thomas
Walter was later to become a prominent architect, known best for his desi;n
for Girard College and the dome and wings of the United States Capitol. ere
is little of the original exterior fabric remaining in either of these bu:i;s;J
909 was raised two stories and covered with a mansard roof in the late nie-
teenth century, - while 907 was raised one story after 1889 (Webster l978:',7_-:". These alterations to an otherwise straightforward vernacular row house fc
of Philadelphia's Federal era were then provided with, more of an eclectic :x
117
A
in 1906 when Oriental details, including an ornamental iron balcony and p'rte
coch're affecting Oriental Motifs, were added. These changes referred to the
altering of the interior second stories of both houses to accommodate a public
restaurant (City Building Permit 7469, October 16, 1906). A stained glass sign
"Chinese Restaurant" was incorporated in the new image. The Far East Rest-
aurant was a long-lived business at this address, closing in 1932 (Philadelphia
Business Directories 1908-1952). Coincidentally, Number 907 also served as the
headquarters of the Leong Tong Society during some of this time (Campbell n.d.,
vol. 115).
Confirming the role of Race Street as the historic spine of the community,
a Chinese Baptist Church was organized by 1887, and social services were or-
qani zed by 1898 when the Philadelphia Baptist City Mission was established
at 1022 Race Street (MacKenzie April 1982). The vitality of the Chinese community
continued to the 1920's when both social discrimination and self-imposed iso-
lation encouraged the Chinese to continue gatherihg together and to perpetuate
family accnritinn or tongs, which provided an incentive to congregate.
Some of the earliest real estate transfers relate today to the headquarters of
major community associations. In 1908, Lee Dick bought 927 Race Street or tax
parcel 2N8-189, now the headquarters of the On Leung Chinese Merchants Association.
Number 925, the present home of the Lee Association, became Chinese owned in the
1920's when John Livesey sold to Lee Dour Ping, et al. (Philadelphia Department
of Records n.d.; Philadelphia Public Ledger, February 4, 1908; cited in Cheng 1948).
In addition to Race Street, 9th Street north of Race became a strong'model of
Chinese ownership as early as 1912. In 1927, 208 North 9th Street (now owned
by the Hor Shan Lun Hong Association and the location of the office of Andrew
J. Lee, attorney) was sold to Harry Lee. By the 1940's, more Chinese ownership
was concentrated in the area.
The war in China in the 1920's and 1930's drew some Chinese to the homeland,
and the economic depression in America which hit the local small businesses
in the 1930's took a further toll on the population of the local Chinese community,
and also changed the social context of the neighborhood. Before the exodus began,
I
118
the population in the 1920's was predominately alien; by the 1940's, however,
the Chinese-Americans surpassed the alien count (Cheng 1947: 77) suggesting
the stability of family units over the two decades of change.
In 1941, there were approximately twenty families in the core area (MacKenzie
April 1982). Coincidentally, only 922 Chinese were recorded in all of Phila-
delphia in 1940 (Cheng 1946: 74) and Chinatown was defined as the block be-
tween 9th and 10th Streets and Race and Spring Streets (Cheng 1946: 72). By
then, family-oriented community had prompted the Catholic archdiocese to build
a mission church and a school north of the core and north of Vine Street. (For
the community, the auditorium and gym of the church the Holy Redeemer, while
outside of the heart of Chinatown, was the only indoor recreational facility in
the overall neighborhood. The school served any children of the neighborhood
who chose to attend and English language instruction was, and still is, a major
part of the curriculum.)
In 1944, the families of Chinatown lived in the area bounded by Spring Street
and Winter Street. Cheng (1946:73) identifies this as Block l2 of Census rac
bA. While the vitality of the commercial strip at this time was experiencing a
high point, the social effects of World War II also resulted in two changes, each
of which was to have permanent effects on the degree to which long-term cultural
isolation of Chinatown would be sustained.
During the war, several Chinese left the community workforce either to work in
shipyards in Wilmington, Chester, or Camden or to replace the labor force of c:r€
industries affected by mobilization. - Chinese-Americans also entered the miiiry
At the end of the war, the servicemen brought home brides from Hong Kong, urbane
young women whose education and cosmopolitan background added a new perspective
to a community previously occupied by people from more rural regions of Ciina.
The newcomers came to a Chinatown where wooden boards embellished with Chinese
characters served as store signs and neon lights identified the restauran:s.
Strips of red paper in the shop windows advertised the exotic merchandise ins -':e
(Cheng 1946 : 72).
The community extended from 8th to 11th Streets with its east/west edges arke-j
visible. The Salvation Army Junk Station was at Race and 11th Streets; S<id cw was east of 8th Street.
119
By the i950s, vhen the war industries no longer drew the local manpower, there
was increased economic growth in the locale, brigig the popuiatior of the
community to 1,242 (Stanley 1975: 50). Areawise, the community extended from
8th to 11th Streets and from Race to Vine Streets. The Tongs, then less concerned
with gambling and rivalry, invested in real estate (Stanley 1975 : 50) and other
types of associations were formed to encourage the overall cultural health of the
community. Coincidentally, considerable activity took place at the commercial
level which also sparked an ethnic reaction. As an example, when the Merchants
Association was established in 1954, the occasion was marked by feasting and
dancing, and a visit from the Chinese Consul from Taiwan (Stanley 1975 : 50).
The Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation was founded in 1966 (Stanley
1975 : 56) to formulate a comprehensive plan for Chinatown, including housing
needs. Three years later, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority condemned
thirty area properties, prioritizing plans for redevelopment. Churches have also
been long involved in social action. After the Catholic Church was built,
Protctant denominations, in 1953, uuuibined to build a Christian Church on 10th
Street between Spring and Winter Streets. In response to this ecumenical move,
the work of the Philadelphia Baptist City Mission continued the outreach program
it began in the 1890's at 1006 Race Street; the mission became the Chinese
Christian Church and Center.
In the last generation, the immigrants from Taiwan and Vietnam have poured into
Chinatown, emphasizing the area's service as a base from which newcomers make
contacts or learn trades.
By 1968, the Inquirer identified the bounds of Chinatown as between 9th and 11th
Streets and Cherry and Vine Streets (Philadelphia Inquirer 1968). While
this corresponds to the area identified in 1982 as the heart of Chinatown, there
is a larger, less dense Chinese community which exists outside the edges of the cultural node. The extension is bounded essentially by 13th Street on the west, Arch Street on the south, and Caflowhill Street on the north and 8th Street on
the east. Like the Chinese who live in other parts of Philadelphia or closeby
in New Jersey or Delaware, the residents in this peripheral area refer to the
heart of Chinatown as the principal place where their commerce is centered and
120
where tradition and ethnic identity are perpetuated.
Significance:
The heart of Chinatown responds to a fifty year history and a century long
continuum refering to an ethnic node of significant cultural and social
character which provides the City of Philadelphia with a culture beyond
its own English-oriented history. -
By reason of continuous history dating prior to 1900 and strong present day
viability, the heart of Chinatown embodies the distinctive characteristics
of an oriental community in its shops, its signage, and the make-up of its
population. It appears to meet the criteria for eligibility for a National
Register district which emphasizes the cultural impact of ethnicity concen-
trated in one area for more than 50 years.
121
IV. RESULTS OF STUDY
A. Considerations for Determining the Significance of Historican Architectural
Resources. Section 106 of the National Historical Preservation Act assures
that the planning stages of any federally sponsored project will identify
listed properties as well as those properties which seem to meet criteria of
significance. Relative to such identification and in consultation with the
office of the State Bureau for Historic Preservation, all sites eligible for
the National Register will be defined. Determinations either to avoid or
mitigate adverse effects on such properties will be sought.
Nine criteria have been used to rank resources inventoried in the course
of the project. Structures which have many of the characteristics in the
questions below have been included in the inventory.
Is the property presently on the National Register?
Is it included in any other administrative list?
Is the resource in its original location?
Has the integrity of its original design and materials been
maintained?
Is original workmanship apparent?
Does it embody the characteristics of a building type, period, method
of construction, or work of a respected architect?
Is it a rare survivor of building type or period?
Does it represent a significant, distinquishable entity whose components
may, by themselves, lack distinction? (Streetscapes, especially, apply
here.)
Is it associated with events (or persons) that have contributed signifi-
cantly to broad patterns of history?
The question of significance relative to individual buildings was discussed
in the Inventory of Resources (section III D.). The following section summarizes
those discussions.
122
th
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA
4W.
PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION
WILLIAM PENN MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES BUILDING
BOX 1026
HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA 17120
November 18, 1982
Louis M. Papet Division Administrator U.S. Dept. of Transportation P.O. Box 1086 Harrisburg, PA 17108 1086
Re: 1-676-1, Vine St. Expressway Philadelphia Co. Chinatown Historical District:
Eligibility ER82 101 0133
Dear Mr. Papet:
In accordance with procedures established under 36 CFR, Part 800, it is the opinion of this office that the Chinatown Historic District in Philadelphia is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. This is a change in our opinion of 22 October, 1982 and is based on the sub-mission of additional information to this office. It is also our opinion that the resource name be changed to the China-town Historic District.
The proposed district roughly defined by Winter Street (north), 9th Street (east), Race Street (south), and 11th Street (west) has been the center of the local Oriental com-munity since the arrival of the first Chinese in Philadelphia in the latter half of the 19th century. Although the district is a mix of commercial and residential structures of varying scale and age (from early 19th to early 20th century), their use and ownership by the Oriental community has continued to the present day. In addition, several important cultural and social institutions dating from the late 19th century (Chinese Baptist Church - 1887; Philadelphia Baptist City Mission - 1898) remain as active organizations in the community.
The properties at 910-924 and 1012-1024 Winter Street and 227-239 10th Street contribute to the Chinatown Historic District although they are not, in our opinion, individually eligible for the Register.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact this office.
Sincerely,
Brenda Barrett, Director Bureau for Historic Preservation