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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:

.-, ., 3%Jc 0'. f --t 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) O Chinese Gospel Temple

Chinatown Historic District

Benjamin Franklin Pkwy Distrfct

u Block 1 (Riverfront Settlement) --

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 RECE1VJan 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:

Eligibility

Name of property SHPO Secretary of the Criteria opinion Interior's opiniort

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..

WASO-27 Date: ThAC F jq3 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 substantial number of Asians in the Delaware Valley Region. Besides playing a sinificant role in Philadelphia's history, Chinatown also has a significant 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 "irr eplaceable not only for its educational value, but because it is the physical focus of community life". S

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. 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 shipyards in Wilmington, Chester, or Camden, or to replace the labor force of other industries 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 community 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 commercial 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 history dating prior to 1900 and strong present day viability appears to meet the criteria 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 American Anthropologist, Old Series, vol. IV:, 4 (October) p. 348.

Darling, Henry R.

1969 Urban Squeeze Presses on Chinatown Here. The Sunday Bulletin, November 16, 1969.

Drumgold, Lisa J.

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. Unpublished term paper, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa.

Hsu, Francis L. K.

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 - South - Race Street (Figure 3) -

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 '.__ - :_ - ---

S -- - -•---- 5------5------• '--::-- ---:: SITE NO: 41

RESOURCE: Chinatown Historic District

Historic Name:

Common Name: Chinatown Historic District

LOCATION: Generally bounded by Winter Street to the north, 9th.Street to the east, Race Street to the south, and 11th Street to the west

CLASSIFICATION: Cultural District only

OWNER: Multiple ownership

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION: A

OTHER SURVEY LISTINGS: 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, encompasses 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 redevelopment 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 apartments.

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 dispersed 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 between 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 PLATE 20. Chinatown, S. side of Race St. 1982.

56 PLATE 21. Chinatown, 907-909 Race St. 1982.

57 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 's Chinatown the mixed residential /commercial neighborhood in which Philadelphia 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 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 w Chinese restaurants, grocery stores, and gift shops are concentrated on Race and 9th and 10th Streets, and service organizations occupy several intervening

addresses . A noodle factory and a fortune cookie bakery occupy nineteenth century storefronts on the north/ south streets.

the edges of the district on the west Two "Welèome to Chinatown" signs define side of the viaduct on Race Street and at the corner of Vine and 10th Streets. from Vine Street to the first row of Tenth Street introduces the traveller restaurants and specialty stores .of the area. A specific 'sign" declaring a hjnatown image make use of the gable end of a building to display a twenty panel mural of a dragon.

In the partial block immediately to the south side of Race Street (no number two major Bell Telephone assigned), the northeast quadrant is dominated by one of buildings which exist in center city. High brick lofts of narrow widths stand In the next block west is west of this post-World War II building. 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 agoda to the sense of place. The historic eave. Such architectural incongruity adds Race Street. This refers to anchor property of the district stands at 907-909 two 1820's dwellings which were modified in 1906 to accommodate the first public restaurant in Chinatown (Plate 21).

Block 22, bounded by Vine, Race, 10th, and 11th Streets, addresses more ---attan 35 improved properties; there are some lots along Race Street, however, are now vacant. Several generations of historic resources 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. Generally, while urban receveloc- ment is taking place along the north side of Spring Street through to Wi:er Street, the block emphasizes a significant survival 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 remains 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 ownership 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 tradition that the first Chinese tradesman to settle in the area and set up his business 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 business 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 A

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 evidenced 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 architectural 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 I

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 isolation 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,

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 between 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 cultura l 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

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 concentrated 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 Determinations either to avoid or the National Register will be defined. 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 PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION

WILLIAM PENN MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES BUILDING

4W. 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 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. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact this office. Sincerely,

Brenda Barrett, Director Bureau for Historic Preservation