PRESERVATION APPROACHES TO PRESERVING SITES OF CHINESE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN NEW YORK CITY PDF Free Download

Name: PRESERVATION APPROACHES TO PRESERVING SITES OF CHINESE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN NEW YORK CITY PDF
Author: mark612419

1 / 100

1 views•100 pages

PRESERVATION APPROACHES TO PRESERVING SITES OF CHINESE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN NEW YORK CITY PDF Free Download

PRESERVATION APPROACHES TO PRESERVING SITES OF CHINESE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN NEW YORK CITY PDF free Download. Think more deeply and widely.



PRESERVATIONAPPROACHESTOPRESERVINGSITESOF

CHINESEAMERICANHERITAGEINNEWYORKCITY



YuexianHuang



ATHESIS

in

HistoricPreservation



PresentedtotheFacultiesoftheUniversityofPennsylvaniainPartialFulfillmentofthe

RequirementsoftheDegreeof

MASTEROFSCIENCEINHISTORICPRESERVATION

2018



______________________

Advisor

DavidHollenberg

AdjunctProfessor



______________________

ProgramChair

FrankG.Matero

Professor



ii



Acknowledgements

Firstofall,Iwouldliketothankmythesisadvisor,DavidHollenberg,for

exploringmythesiswithmeandforallthevaluablecomments,feedbacks,and

encouragements.

IwouldliketothankProfessorFrancescaAmmonforkeepingthingsontrackand

forofferingawiderangeofhelpduringtheproject.

SpecialthankstoProfessorRandyMasonforguidingmeinthehistoric

preservationfield.Yourideashaveinspiredmyinterestsonexploringhowpreservation

couldhelpmakecitiesmoreequal.

IwouldliketoexpressmygratitudetopeopleIinterviewedandchattedwithfor

thisproject,includingFranklinOdo,MichelleMagalong,AnniePolland,AlexandraSmith,

andRichardMoses.Thankyouforofferingyourtimeandsharingyourideaswithme.

Also,thankyouforyourcontributiontothefieldandtothepreservationofChinese

Americanheritage.

IalsowanttothankmyfellowChinesepeopleintheU.S.foryourdiligenceand

perseveranceintheearlyimmigrationperiodandforyourdedicatedworktopreserve

ourheritageinbothtangibleandintangibleways.

ManythankstomyfamilyandfriendswhoIfeelluckytohaveinmylife.Iwould

nothavebecomewhoIamtodaywithoutanyofyou.Iwouldliketothankespeciallymy

fellowsinGraduatePrograminHistoricPreservation.Thankyouallforyoursupportand

company.

iii



TableofContents

Acknowledgements.........................................................................................................................ii

ListofTables...................................................................................................................................iv

ListofFigures..................................................................................................................................iv

I.Introduction..................................................................................................................................1

II.LiteratureReview........................................................................................................................5

III.Background...............................................................................................................................15

3.1TheTransformingPreservationFieldinTheUnitedStates.................................................15

3.2HistoricPreservationinNewYorkCity................................................................................22

3.3ChineseAmericanandTheirImprints..................................................................................25

IV.PowerandRegulatoryDynamicsinPreservingChinatown...................................................31

4.1NewYorkStateHistoricPreservationOffice.......................................................................31

4.2TheNewYorkCityLandmarksPreservationCommission...................................................36

4.3MuseumofChineseinAmerica...........................................................................................41

4.4TheTenementMuseum.......................................................................................................47

4.5Non‐ProfitOrganizationsWorkingonDesignationofChineseAmericanHeritageSites....56

4.6OtherOrganizationsandCommunityGroups.....................................................................64

V.AnalysisandRecommendations..............................................................................................72

5.1HistoryofChineseAmericansHasBeenOverlookedinTheNational,State,AndLocal

Context.......................................................................................................................................72

5.2CurrentPoliciesofThePreservationAgencyAreNotEfficientEnough..............................76

5.3StoriesAreNotFullyExploredinCurrentlyRecognizedHeritageSites...............................80

5.4TheLocalCommunityIsLackofRecognitiononHistoricPlacesandHistoricPreservation82

5.5CollaborationsAmongDifferentPlayersAreInsufficient....................................................85

VI.Conclusion................................................................................................................................88

Bibliography..................................................................................................................................91

Index..............................................................................................................................................95





iv



ListofTables

Table1.Racial/EthnicMakeupofNewYorkCity...........................................................................24

Table2.DesignationTypesandCriteria........................................................................................38



ListofFigures

Figure1.ChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict.....................................................................32

Figure2.ARecreatedChinatownGeneralStoreinMOCA............................................................45

Figure3.TheRecreatedBedroomofWongsinUnderOneRoof..................................................52

Figure4.ChinatownHistoricDistrictStudyAreabyLESPI...........................................................61

Figure5.WingOnWo&Co...........................................................................................................71

1



I.Introduction

Attitudestowardhistoricpreservationarevaluablewindowsintomuchbroaderissuesof

socialandculturalchangeinsociety,beyondthespecificbattlestopreserveindividual

buildingsandplaces.1

AlthoughthehistoryofhistoricpreservationinNewYorkCityisnotthelongest

intheU.S.,ithasbecomeoneoftheleadingcitiesinthefield.Thedemolitionof

PennsylvaniaStationinNewYorkCityin1963notonlyarousedamovementinthe

historicpreservationfield,stronglycontributingtothepassageoftheNationalHistoric

PreservationActof1966,butalsodirectlyledtothecity’senactmentofitsLandmarks

PreservationLawin1965.AsaresultoftheLaw,theLandmarksPreservation

Commissionwascreatedtomanagethecity’shistoricresourcesbyidentifying,

designating,andregulatingNewYorkCity’slandmarksandhistoricdistricts.Now

monitoringover36,000NewYorkCitylandmarkproperties,ithasbecomethelargest

municipalpreservationagencyinthecountry.2Moreover,therearenumerousnon‐

profitpreservationorganizationstakingcareofvarioushistoricsitesandhistoric

neighborhoodsaroundthecity.

However,intermsofpreservationofheritagesites,inparticularthoserelatedto

minoritygroups,NewYorkCitystillneedstoimproveitswork.Giventhatthecityhasa



1MaxPageandRandallMason,GivingPreservationaHistory:HistoriesofHistoricPreservationinthe

UnitedStates(NewYork:Routledge,2004).

2NYCLandmarksPreservationCommission,“AboutLPC‐LPC,”accessedFebruary15,2018,

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/about/about‐lpc.page.

2



longandrichimmigrationhistoryandadiversepopulationcomposedofvariousethnic

groups,itissurprisingthatlocaldesignationshavenotyetcomeclosetoreflectingits

diversity.Especially,althoughManhattan’sChinatownhasbeenthelargestinthe

countrysincethe1970sbasedonpopulation,thereisstillnolocallydesignated

landmarkordistrictshowingexplicitconnectionwiththeChinesecommunityinthe

city.3

ThelackofculturaldiversityinNewYorkCity’slandmarksdoesnotcorrespond

toseveralofthetransformationsthathavebroadenedthehistoricpreservationfield.As

thefieldhasbeenturningtoavalue‐centeredapproach,incontrasttoatraditional

fabric‐centeredapproach,moreattentionhasbeenpaidtointangiblevaluessuchas

cultural,social,andpoliticalvalues.Also,inadditiontomonuments,preservationists

havebeguntohonorordinaryarchitectureandlandscapethatusedtobeoverlookedby

thesociety.Mostimportantly,basedonthesetwochanges,itisincreasinglyrecognized

thatpreservinghistoricstructuresneednotbetheendofpreservationworkbutcanbe

ameanstoothersocialends.Guidedbythisidea,preservationoftheheritageof

minoritygroupshasbeenregardedasatooltoaddresssocialjusticeissues.Bytelling

theunknownhistoryofminoritygroupsandrecognizingtheirheritage,preservationists

helpincreasethevisibilityofthesepeopleandacknowledgetheroletheyhavebeen

playinginshapingboththetangibleandintangiblepartsofthesociety.



3ChuoLi,“CommercialismandIdentityPoliticsinNewYork’sChinatown,”JournalofUrbanHistory41,no.

6(November1,2015):1118–34.

3



Thus,severalactionshavebeentakentoincreaseculturalandethnicdiversityin

thepreservationfield,respondingtotheawarenessofracialinequalityissuesinour

society.Theseincludedesignationofsitesdirectlyrelatedtothehistoryofminority

groupsandnewinterpretationofthoseunknownhistoryinexistinghistoricsites.In

particular,twoinitiativesatthefederallevelhavesetanationalcontexttopreserve

AsianAmericanandPacificIslanderheritage,whichincludesChineseAmericanheritage.

In1992,CongressdesignatedMayasAsian/PacificAmericanHeritageMonthto

appreciateAAPI’scontributiontothecountry.Maywaschosenbecausethefirst

JapaneseimmigrantarrivedattheU.S.inMay1843andthetranscontinentalrailroad

wascompletedinMay1869,constructedmostlybyChineseimmigrants.4More

recently,in2012,theNationalParkServiceinitiatedtheAsianAmericanandPacific

IslanderHeritageThemeStudies,whichissupposedtobefinishedthisyear.5Asdo

othersuchthemestudies,itwouldsetahistoriccontexttounderstandthesignificance

ofAAPIheritageandserveasapreconditionforfuturedesignationofNationalHistoric

Landmark.

Despitealltheseindicatorsofaraisingawareness,whenitcomestothepractice,

minoritygroupsstillfacealotofchallengestopreservetheirheritagebecauseitishard

toconvincethemainsocietyaboutitsvalueandsignificance.Besides,evenamong

minoritygroups,unevenattentionandeffortsexist:comparedwithAfricanAmericans,



4TheLibraryofCongress,“AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth,”webpage,accessedApril15,2018,

//asianpacificheritage.gov/about/.

5InterviewwithFranklinOdo,interviewbyYuexianHuang,January23,2018.

4



ChineseAmericanshaverelativelylessinterestintheirheritagepreservation;also,due

totheabsenceofpoliticalpowerinthiscountry,theyarefacingmorechallengeto

preservetheirheritages.TheabsenceofofficiallyrecognizedChineseAmerican

landmarksinNewYorkCityindicatesthatthefieldisstillonitswaytoincreasecultural

diversityandtoincreaseitssocialimpact.

Basedonallthecontextsmentionedabove,thisresearchtakesacloselookat

preservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesinNewYorkCity,withafocuson

Manhattan’sChinatown.TheresearchpurposeistotrytodetermineswhyNewYork

CityhasbeensoinactiveinpreservingChineseAmericanheritagesites.Basedon

interviewsandpolicyreviews,thisresearchexaminespreservationeffortsofstateand

localagencies,non‐profitorganizations,andcommunitygroups,whichhavedirectlyand

indirectlycontributedtopreservingthehistoricChinatown.Afterananalysisofcurrent

preservationapproaches,itoffersseveralrecommendationstowardsimproving

preservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesinNewYorkCity.Theultimategoalisto

getthehistoryandcultureofChineseimmigrantsrecognizedandpreserved,which

wouldcontributetoleadingtoacitywithmoreracialjustice.



5



II.LiteratureReview

PreservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesisstilltobeexploredinthefield.More

oftenthannot,itisincorporatedintodiscussionsonpreservationofAsianAmericanand

PacificIslander(AAPI)heritage.SinceAAPIisusuallyregardedasanethniccommunityin

Americansociety,theirheritagesarealsobroughttothetableasawhole.Asfor

ChineseAmericanheritagesitesspecifically,researchonthemislimitedtoparticular

sitesandthuslacksholisticviewpoints.ConsideringtheChinesecommunity,alongwith

otherAAPIcommunities,isstillonitswaytoberecognizedbythemainsociety,itisnot

surprisingthattheirheritageisunderrepresentedinthepreservationfield.However,

thefieldhasalongerhistoryofvaluinghistoricsitesrelatedtominoritygroups.Togeta

biggerpictureofpreservationofChineseAmericanheritage,literaturesreviewedhere

includetopicssuchasthemultiplicityofheritagevalues,culturaldiversity,racialand

ethnicdiversityintheculturalresourcesmanagementfield.Inaddition,duetothefocus

ofthispaper,researchonManhattan’sChinatownisexaminedhere.

Traditionalpreservationpracticehastendedtohighlightmainlyarchitectural

featuresofhistoricbuildings.Asthefieldhasmovedfromafabric‐centeredtoavalue‐

centeredapproach,othervaluesnotnecessarilytiedtoabuilding’sspecificfabricsuch

ashistorical,cultural,andsocialvaluesareincreasinglyandmoredeeplyrecognized.

VariousvaluesinheritagehavebeenidentifiedbyscholarssuchasAloisRigel,William

6



Lipe,andBrunoFrey.6ThemultiplicityofvalueswasalsorecognizedintheAthens

Charter(1931),theVeniceCharter(1964),andtheBurraCharter(1998).However,when

itcomestothemanagementofculturalresourcesindailypreservationpractice,

intangiblevaluessuchasculturalvaluearestilltoooftenoverlooked.

Asoneofthoseresponsestothechangeinpreservationfield,astudywas

conductedin1983bytheAmericanFolklifeCenterandtheNationalParkService.The

study,CulturalConservation:TheProtectionofCulturalHeritageinTheUnitedStates,

surveyedfederaleffortstoprotectthefullspectrumofculturalresourcesintheUnited

States,goingbeyondafabric‐centeredapproach.Thereportidentifiedtwoweaknesses

inthenationalsystem;first,thesystemforhistoricpreservationdevotesitsmaineffort

tophysicalstructuresandoftenneglects“thelivingcontextandmanytraditional

expressionsofculture”;second,thesystemsupportingculturalresourcesdoesn’tpay

enoughattentiontodocumentationandthus“missesamajorchanceincultural

preservation”.7Basedonathoroughevaluationonculturalconservationeffortsby

privateandpubliclocal,state,andfederallevels,thereportoffersaseriesof

recommendations.AgoalfortheNationalParkServiceistocoordinateitsefforts,as

wellasthoseofothers,toincorporatetheintangibleculturalvalueofhistoricsites.



6AloisRiegl,“TheModernCultofMonuments:ItsCharacterandItsOrigin,”Oppositions,no.25(1982):

20–51;WilliamD.Lipe,“ValueandMeaninginCulturalResources,”inApproachestotheArchaeological

Heritage:AComparativeStudyofWorldCulturalResourceManagementSystems(NewYork:Cambridge

UniversityPress,1983),1–11;BrunoS.Frey,“TheEvaluationofCulturalHeritage:SomeCriticalIssues,”in

EconomicPerspectivesonCulturalHeritage(NewYork:St.Martin’sPress,1997),31–49.

7OrmondLoomis,CulturalConservation:TheProtectionofCulturalHeritageintheUnitedStates:AStudy

(Washington,D.C.:LibraryofCongress,1983).

7



Aspreservationistsbecomemoreawareoftheculturalmeaningofhistoric

places,theyhavestartedtofrequenttheideaofculturaldiversity.Theideaisboosted

bytheincreasinglydiversepopulationaroundthecountryduetoimmigration,whichin

turnhasledtomoreanddeeperdiscussionsonracialandethnicdiversityinthe

preservationfield.Forexample,intheNationalTrust’s1991NationalPreservation

Conference,whichmarkedthe25thanniversaryoftheNationalHistoricPreservation

Act,diversitywasidentifiedasamajorforcethatwouldshapebothhistoric

preservationandthelargerAmericansociety.Thisconferenceresultedinthefollowing

conference’sfocusondiversityandmorediscussionsaroundit.

WhenAntoinetteLeewrote“CulturalDiversityandHistoricPreservation”in

1992fortheHistoricPreservationForum,culturaldiversitywasnotsomethingnewin

thefield.AccordingtoLee,theideahasitsrootsintheoriginsofthepreservation

movement,andpreservationofhistoricsitesrelatedtogroupsotherthanNative

American“beganinthe1940swhentheGeorgeWashingtonCarverMonumentin

Diamond,Missouriwasaddedtothenationalparksystem”.8AccordingtoLee,this

conceptgainedmomentuminthe1960sinresponseto“thecivilrightsmovement,new

trendsinhistoricalresearchandinterpretation,andthecoalescingofculturalgroups

interestedintheirheritage”.9



8AntoinetteJ.Lee,“CulturalDiversityinHistoricPreservation.,”inHistoricPreservationForum,vol.6,

1992,28–41.

9Lee.

8



TheNationalHistoricPreservationActof1966anditsensuingregulatorypolicies

incorporatedcriteriatoincludethesocialhistoryofstructuresandtheimportanceof

propertieswithlocalsignificance,whichwasregardedbyDianeLeaasanadditiontothe

nationalfocusofthe1930HistoricSitesAct.10AsAntoinetteLeeputsitinFromHistoric

ArchitectureToCulturalHeritage:AJourneyThroughDiversity,IdentityAndCommunity,

althoughtheActanditsimplementationguidelinesdidnotexplicitlymentiondiversity,

theexpansionoftheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlacestoincludepropertiesofstate

andlocalsignificance“setthegroundworkforidentificationandrecognitionofhistoric

placesassociatedwithminoritygroups”.11Asaconsequence,inthe1970sand1980s,

preservationistsstartedtomakeseriouseffortstoaddressculturaldiversityin

“numeroussurveyandinventoryprojects,nominationstotheNationalRegisterof

HistoricPlaces,rehabilitationandrestorationprojects,andinterpretationand

educationalefforts”.

Amongallethnicgroups,AfricanAmericanstodatehaveperhapsbenefitedthe

mostfromthegrowingattentiontoethnicheritage.AccordingtoAlanenandMelnick,

asearlyas1930s,thereweresomeeffortstorecordoralhistoriesofearlyenslaved

peopleduringtheDepression.12InPlace,Race,AndStory:EssaysonthePastAndFuture



10DianeLea,“America’sPreservationEthos:ATributetoEnduringIdeals,”inARicherHeritage:Historic

PreservationintheTwenty‐FirstCentury,ed.RobertE.Stipe,RichardHamptonJenretteSeriesin

ArchitectureandtheDecorativeArts(ChapelHill:UniversityofNorthCarolinaPress,2003),1–20.

11AntoinetteJ.Lee,“FromHistoricArchitecturetoCulturalHeritage:AJourneyThroughDiversity,

Identity,andCommunity,”FutureAnterior:JournalofHistoricPreservation,History,Theory,andCriticism

1,no.2(2004):14–23.

12ArnoldR.AlanenandRobertMelnick,“PreservingCulturalLandscapesinAmerica,”Baltimore:Johns

HopkinsUniversityPress,2000.

9



ofHistoricPreservation,NedKaufmannotesthatbythe1980s,severalstatessuchas

NewYork,aswellasAlabama,Georgia,andothersouthernstates,createdpreservation

groupsandguidebookstorecognizeandpreservehistoricAfrican‐American

properties.13Moreover,somehistoricsites,includingColonialWilliamsburg,Monticello,

andIndependenceHall,alsobegantointerprettheirhistoricinvolvementwithslavery.

ComparedwithAfricanAmericans,otherethnicgroupssuchasAsianAmericans

aremoreunderrepresentedinthenation’spreservationefforts,letaloneChinese

AmericansasasubgroupwithintheAsianAmericancommunity.In2004,NedKaufman

madeanefforttoevaluatetowhatextentminorityethnicgroupswererepresentedin

theNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.Itwasnoteasy,sincemostpropertieswerenot

listedbytheirassociationwithanyethnicgroup.Outofover77,000listingsincludedin

theNationalRegister,therewereabout1,300explicitlyrelatedtoAfricanAmerican

heritage,90withHispanic,and67withAsian.14Thesenumbersshowanunevenfocus

onheritageassociatedwithdifferentethnicgroups.

Luckily,therehasbeenincreasingattentiontoAAPIheritage.Focusingonthe

WestCoast,GailDubrowanalyzedtheimprintsofimmigrantsfromAsiaandPacific

Islandsin2010.Sheidentifiedtwomainreasonsbehindtheinvisibilityoftheirheritage:

thoseimmigrants“leftremarkablyfewobviousculturalimprintsonthebuilt

environmentandlandscape”andinsteadsettledinalteredAmericanbuildings;



13NedKaufman,Place,Race,andStory:EssaysonthePastandFutureofHistoricPreservation(NewYork:

Routledge,2009).

14Kaufman.

10



preservationagenciesdidn’thaveenoughknowledgeandguidancetoeffectively

identify,evaluate,andpreservethoseresources.15SinceAAPIshavemadesignificant

contributionstothewesternlandscapeofAmerica,Dubrowcalledformoreeffortsto

preservetheirculturalresources.Shesuggestedmoresurveystoidentifyhistoricsites,

involvementofethniccommunities,anddevelopmentofusefulframeworkstoevaluate

significanceofethnicheritage.Shealsohighlightedtheimportanceofnewdesignations

ofAsianAmericanpropertiestoimprovetheircoverageintheNationalRegister

programandparallelprogramsatthelocallevel,aswellasoverlookedethnicresources

inexistingHistoricDistricts.

Morerecently,asaresponsetothefiftiethanniversaryoftheNationalHistoric

PreservationActof1966,MichelleG.MagalongandDawnBohulanoMabalonexamined

historicandculturalpreservationofheritagesitesofAAPIs.BasedonthefactthatAAPI

heritagesiteshavenotgainedenoughrecognitionatmunicipal,state,andfederallevels,

theyofferedfourpolicyrecommendationstobetterpreserve,designate,andinterpret

AAPIheritagesites.Whattheysuggestedarebroaderpreservationapproachestodeal

withculturaldiversity,moresupporttolocalnon‐profitsorganizationsinethnic

neighborhoods,morepartnershipswithAAPIcommunities,andmorediverseand

broaderrepresentationintheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.Theypointedoutthat



15GailLeeDubrow,“AsianAmericanImprintsontheWesternLandscape,”PreservingCulturalLandscapes

inAmerica,2000,143–68.

11



theNationalRegisterofHistoricPlacesshould“reflectthepopulationsizeanddiversity

ofAAPIs”.16

Basedonhistoricsitesacrossthecountry,researchonChineseAmerican

heritage,althoughincorporatngvariousthemes,allcallforbetterheritagepreservation.

Forexample,LelandT.SaitodocumentedthenegotiationbetweentheChinese

communityandcityofficialsoverthearchitecturalandhistoricalsignificanceofthe

ChineseMissioninSanDiego,California.Hepointedoutthateventhoughcurrent

designationpoliciesseemedracial‐neutral,theystillfavoredthehistoryofwhitepeople

overthehistoryofracialminorities,andthusledtoracializedresults.17PeterNien‐chu

Kiang,ontheotherhand,lookedatthehistoricChineseimmigrantburialgroundswithin

MountHopeCemetery,apubliccemeteryinBoston.Byexploringthesite’srolein

foundingandsustainingtheChineseHistoricalSocietyofNewEnglandandits

involvementintheAsianAmericanStudiesprogramattheUniversityofMassachusetts

Boston,hedemonstrateditssocial,cultural,historical,andspiritualvaluestonotonly

thelocalChinesepopulationbutalsotheSoutheastAsiancommunities.18

IntermsofManhattan’sChinatowninNewYorkCity,researchershavebeen

demystifyingthisoldethnicenclavebytellingitshistory.MichelleChen,forinstance,



16MichelleG.MagalongandDawnBohulanoMabalon,“CulturalPreservationPolicyandAsianAmericans

andPacificIslanders:ReimaginingHistoricPreservationinAsianAmericanandPacificIslander

Communities,”AAPINexus:Policy,PracticeandCommunity14,no.2(January1,2016):105–16.

17LelandT.Saito,“From‘Blighted’to‘Historic’:Race,EconomicDevelopment,andHistoricPreservationin

SanDiego,California,”UrbanAffairsReview45,no.2(November1,2009):166–87.

18PeterKiang,“AsianAmericanStudiesPraxisandtheEducationalPowerofBoston’sPublicChineseBurial

Grounds,”ChineseAmerica:HistoryandPerspectives,2016,59–70,83.

12



exploredthestoriesofChinatown’stongsintheearly20thcenturyandexplainedhow

theyreflectedthedevelopmentoftheChineseAmericancommunity.19KennethGuest

focusedonmorerecenthistoryaboutChineseimmigrantsfromFuzhou,Southeast

China.ThesenewerimmigrantshavenotonlyrevitalizedtheChinatowninManhattan

butalsodevelopedsatelliteChinatownsinQueensandBrooklyn.What’smore,Guest

alsoidentifiedrealestatespeculationandgentrificationasmainchallengesfor

Manhattan’sChinatowntoservenewlaborimmigrants.20Inadditiontothehistoryof

Chinatown,otherinterestsincludeChinatown’sgentrificationandeconomic

developmentaswellasculturalidentityofChineseAmericans.21

AlthoughthosehistoricalnarrativesofChinatownusuallyfocusonitsintangible

aspects,suchashistory,culture,andtradition,someliteraturesalsoexaminephysical

structures.InChinatownsofNewYorkCity,WendyWan‐YinTanusedhistoricmaps,

accompaniedbyhistoricalimagesandcorrespondingcontemporaryonesofbuildings

andstreetscape,toshowphysicalchangesinChinatown.22Similarly,inNewYorkCity’s

ChineseCommunity,JosephineTsuiYuehLeeexploredthestreetlifeandexperiencesof



19MichelleChen,“ACulturalCrossroadsatthe‘BloodyAngle’:TheChinatownTongsandthe

DevelopmentofNewYorkCity’sChineseAmericanCommunity,”JournalofUrbanHistory40,no.2

(March1,2014):357–79.

20KennethJ.Guest,“FromMottStreettoEastBroadway:FuzhouneseImmigrantsandtheRevitalization

ofNewYork’sChinatown,”JournalofChineseOverseas7,no.1(January1,2011):24–44.

21NannanXu,“WhyChinatownHasGentrifiedLaterthanOtherCommunitiesinDowntownManhattan:A

PlanningHistory”(ColumbiaUniversity,2013);JanLin,“PolarizedDevelopmentandUrbanChangeinNew

York’sChinatown,”UrbanAffairsQuarterly30,no.3(January1,1995):332–54;NishaA.Fernando,

“CultureandIdentityinUrbanStreets:ACaseStudyofChinatown,NewYorkCity”(Universityof

Wisconsin‐Milwaukee,2007).

22WendyWan‐YinTan,ChinatownsofNewYorkCity(ArcadiaPublishing,2008).

13



theChinesecommunityinNewYorkCitythroughhistoricphotographs.23These

researches,althoughnotspecificallyaimedatheritagepreservationofChinatown,

correspondtopreservationists’interestonhistoricbuildings.

ThephysicalfabricofChinatownanditstransformationhavebeenexploredin

somedetailthroughthelensofurbanplanningbysomescholars.GregUmbachandDan

Wishnoff,forinstance,reviewedthreefailedproposals,including“ChinaVillage”,

ChinatownRevitalizationPlan,andTheUnityArch,introducedbetween1950and2005.

Accordingtothem,althoughtheseinitiativeswereputforwardbycityofficials,business

leadersalsostrategicallymadeuseoftheseurbanplanningpoliciestoorientalizethe

physicalspaceofChinatownanditsresidentstogainmoreeconomicbenefits.24Thus,

thephysicalfabricoftoday’sChinatownistosomedegreeshapedbythenegotiation

betweenthecityandChineseAmericanmerchants.

Sofar,littleresearchhasbeenspecificallytargetedatpreservationinChinatown

inNewYorkCity.OnerareexampleisChuoLi’sstudyonpreservationpracticesof

Chinatownin“CommercialismandIdentityPoliticsinNewYork’sChinatown”.Inthis

paper,henotesthatthetransformationofphysicalfabricofChinatownreflectedthe

socioeconomicchangesinbothlocalandinternationallevels.Thus,thearchitecturaland

landscaperepresentationofChinatown,whichtendstoshowexoticism,istosome

degreeassociatedwithcommercialinterests.Thesesocioeconomicchangesandefforts



23JosephineTsuiYuehLee,NewYorkCity’sChineseCommunity(ArcadiaPublishing,2007).

24Greg(“Fritz")UmbachandDanWishnoff,“StrategicSelf‐Orientalism:UrbanPlanningPoliciesandthe

ShapingofNewYorkCity’sChinatown,1950‐2005,”JournalofPlanningHistory7,no.3(August1,2008):

214–38.

14



toorientalizeChinatownurgedpreservationtosavethecollectivememoryandthe

community’sidentity.Here,Liexaminedseveralactionsincludingearlyendeavorsto

preserveactualhistoricbuildings,aswellastheshiftedfocusinthe1980stothe

“reconstitutionofthedilutedsocialandculturalmemoriesoftheChinesecommunity”,

exemplifiedbytheNewYorkChinatownHistoryProject.25

Aswecanseefromliteraturesdiscussedabove,muchresearchonNewYork

City’sChinatown,andothercities’aswell,hasbeenconductedbyChineseAmerican

professionals.Itisself‐explanatorythatChineseAmericansaremoreconcernedabout

theirheritageduetotheirculturalandhistoricalrootsinChinatown.However,italso

reflectsthemainstreamacademicfield’slackofinterestintheseheritagesitesandtheir

preservation.Therefore,effortsareneededtoraisetheawarenessofimportanceof

ChineseAmericanheritageinhistoricpreservationfield.





25Li,“CommercialismandIdentityPoliticsinNewYork’sChinatown.”

15



III.Background

3.1TheTransformingPreservationFieldinTheUnitedStates

ThefieldofhistoricpreservationintheUnitedStateshaschangedalotsinceits

emergenceinthe19thcentury.Oneoftheearliestpreservationefforts,ascommonly

recognized,wasthegrandsuccessofsavingMountVernonbyAnnPamelaCunningham

andhercolleaguesin1853.26Thewaywethinkaboutpreservationandthewaywe

practiceitcontinuetosteadilyevolve.Majorchangeshaveincludedthetransformations

fromanalmostexclusivefocusonindividualmonumentstovaluingvernacular

landscape,fromafabric‐centeredapproachtorecognizingthemultiplicityofvalues,and

fromhonoringaselectedpasttoappreciatingthefullspectrumofhistory.Most

importantly,thefieldhasbeeninvolvedinalargercontextofsocialmovementby

recognizingthatpreservingahistoricstructureisnotalwaysoronlyanendbyitself,but

ameanstoothersocialends.Duetoallthesetransitions,theheritagesofminority

groups,whichusedtobeinvisibletothepublic,havebeengettingmoreattentionfrom

preservationistsandarethusincreasinglyseenbythesociety.

HistoricpreservationintheU.S.hasitspatrioticrootsintheearlyperiod.27When

AnnPamelaCunninghamendeavoredtosaveMountVernon,shewasaimingat

preservingstoriesofthefoundingfatherssoastoeducatefuturegenerationsabout

patriotism.28SimilartoMountVernon,otherhistoricsitespreservedinthesameperiod



26PageandMason,GivingPreservationaHistory.

27DianeBarthel,“HistoricPreservation:AComparativeAnalysis,”SociologicalForum4,no.1(1989):87–

105.

28NationalTrustforHistoricPreservation.America’sForgottenArchitecture.1976.NewYork:Pantheon.

16



aremainlysignsofpatriotism,suchasWashington’sHeadquartersinMorristown,New

JerseyandValleyForgeinPennsylvania,savedin1873and1878respectively.29Fora

longtime,monuments,representingdirectlytheheritagesofgreatmen,werethefocus

ofpreservation.

Followingthepassionforhistoryofheroesandleaders,preservationworkwas

laterledbywealthyindividualswhoregardedpreservationasawaytoexpresstheir

visionofAmericansociety’spastandpresent.30Asaresponsetoindustrialization,

several“historicvillages”wereestablishedorpreserved.Forexample,in1929,Henry

FordfoundedGreenfieldVillage,anopen‐airhistorymuseumcomposedofalmost100

buildings,structures,andobjects,whichweremovedfromtheiroriginallocations,to

memorizepre‐industrialhistory.31Amorewell‐knowneffortistherecreationofColonial

WilliamsburgbackedbyJohnD.Rockefellerin1920s,asacelebrationofAmerican

history.Here,thepurposeofpreservinghistoricplacesistocapturethehistoryandto

commemorateit.

Althoughthefieldstartedfrompreservationeffortsbyafewactivists,itdidnot

remainlonginthehandsofasmallgroupofindividualsandinstitutionsbeforeitbegan

togothroughprofessionalizationandbureaucratization.32Before1930therewerevery



29CharlesB.Hosmer,“PreservationComesofAge:FromWilliamsburgtotheNationalTrust,1926‐1949,”

BulletinoftheAssociationforPreservationTechnology12,no.3(1980):20–27.

30Barthel,“HistoricPreservation.”

31NationalParkService,“GreenfieldVillage&HenryFordMuseum,”accessedApril15,2018,

https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/detroit/d37.htm.

32KennethBurke,AttitudesTowardHistory,ThirdEdition:WithaNewAfterword(UniversityofCalifornia

Press,1984).

17



fewattemptstocreateanationalpreservationorganization.33Anearlyefforttocreatea

regionalpreservationorganizationisthefoundingoftheSocietyforthePreservationof

NewEnglandAntiquities(SPNEA)in1910.LedbyarchitecturalhistorianWilliamSumner

Appleton,SPNEAfocuseditspreservationworkonarchitecture.34Itdidnottakelong

beforearchitectsandhistoriansbecamemorecrucialinpreservationfield.35Also,

parallelingtheseriesofnation‐widelegislativeachievementsthattookplaceinthe20th

century–includingthe1906AntiquitiesAct,thefoundingoftheNationalParkServicein

1916,theHistoricSitesActof1935,theHistoricAmericanBuildingsSurveyinthe1930s,

thefoundingoftheNationalTrustforHistoricPreservationin1949,andtheNational

PreservationActof1966–ledtoanincreasinglyorganizedpreservationfield,inboth

institutionalandlegalways.

Thepreservationfieldhasbeenthroughmanymovementssinceitsorigin,andit

keepsmovingforward.Amongallthetransformations,theevolutionofthewaywe

valuehistoricstructuresisremarkablesincearangeofvalueshasbeencentraltowhy

wepreservehistoricbuildings.Asthefieldchanges,thescopeofsocialvalueshasbeen

enlarged.Thetraditionalpreservationapproachfocusesonphysicalfabric,and

architecturalandhistoricvaluesarehighlightedwhenidentifyingthesignificanceofa

historicsite,whichisprobablytheresultofarchitects’andhistorians’dominantearly

roleinthefield.However,preservationistshavebeenembracingtheideaofamore



33Barthel,“HistoricPreservation.”

34Hosmer,“PreservationComesofAge.”

35Burke,AttitudesTowardHistory,ThirdEdition.

18



values‐centeredapproachandstartedtorecognizethemultiplicityofvalues.Thisidea

couldbetracedbackto1902whenarthistorianAloisReigldefinedage,historical,

commemorative,use,andnewnessvaluesofheritage.36Sincethen,severalscholarsand

organizations,suchasWilliamLipe,BurraCharter,EnglishHeritage,haveexploredand

broadenedthetypologyofheritagevalue,recognizingvariousvaluessuchassocial,

cultural,andeconomicvalues.37Thesechangeshavebeenreflectedonthedesignation

criteriaofNationalRegisterofHistoricPlacessincethreeoutoffourcriteriaarenot

aboutarchitecturaldesign.Benefittingfromthistransition,historicsitesthatdonot

havedistinctivearchitecturalfeaturesbutaresociallyandculturallysignificantareable

togetprotected.

Anotherbenefitofrecognizingthemultiplicityofheritagevalueisthatithelps

thefieldgobeyondphysicalstructuresandgetconnectedwiththewholesociety

throughthoseintangiblefactors.Toputitanotherway,byadmittingvariousvaluesof

heritage,preservationistsrecognizevariouswaysbywhichheritagecancontributeto

thesociety.This,inturn,supportstheimportanceofpreservingabroaderarrayof

historicplaces.

However,itwasnotuntilrecentlythatthepreservationfieldstartedtorelate

itselfmoretotheoutsideworld.Thistrendisreflectedonpreservationists’effortto



36Reigl,Alois.1902

37Lipe,“ValueandMeaninginCulturalResources”;AustraliaICOMOSInc,“TheBurraCharter,1999,”

Scribd,accessedMarch29,2018,https://www.scribd.com/document/342771580/The‐Burra‐Charter‐

1999;EnglishHeritage,SustainingtheHistoricEnvironment:NewPerspectivesontheFuture.(London:

EnglishHeritage,1997).

19



interpretthehistoryofhistoricpreservationthroughthelensofsocialmovementandto

practicepreservationasatooltobuildabettersociety,lookingintobothpastand

future.AccordingtoRandallMason,whenconsideringpreservationfield’srelationto

society,therearetwoimpulses,onelookinginwardwhiletheotherlookingoutward.38

Theformerone,termedcuratorialimpulse,isrootedinpreservation’sfundamentalgoal

toconserveartworks;thelaterone,termedurbanisticimpulse,seekstorelatehistoric

preservationtootherdisciplines.Thewholefield,asMasonseesit,isbecomingmore

outward‐looking,tryingtorespondtosocialissuesincollaborationwithotherfields.39

Whilethefieldhasbeentransforming,itisstillexploringwaystobebetter.The

fundamentalquestions,theonespreservationistshavealwaysbeentryingtoanswer,

includewhywepreserve,whatwepreserveandforwhom.Theanswershavebeen

changing,inabroaderway,andwillsurelycontinuetobeso.Althoughthefieldhasits

rootinovertlinkstopatriotism,overtime,ithasrelatedtomoresocialissueslikeurban

development,socialwell‐being,culturalexpression,discrimination,andimmigration.40

Especially,asMaxPageandRandallMasonstatedin“RethinkingTheRootsofThe

HistoricPreservationMovement”,duetoaseriesofpoliticalrevolutionssincethe

1960s,fromcivilrightsmovementtowomen’srightsmovementtopostmodernism,

“thepoliticalvaluesofpreservation,anditsvalueinshapingpersonal,social‐group,and



38RMason,“TheoreticalandPracticalArgumentsforValues‐CenteredPreservation,”CRM:TheJournalof

HeritageStewardship3(January1,2006):21–48.

39Mason.

40Mason.

20



nationalidentity,areparamount”.41Thus,preservinghistoricplacesisnolongermerely

formemorializingthehistoryoffoundingfathersbutismoreabouttopreserveour

senseofstability,ouridentityandsocialmemories,whichhavebecomeexplicit

component,forexample,ofthe1966NationalHistoricPreservationAct’sintroductory

language.

Intermsofwhatwepreserve,thefieldhasnotonlybeenbroadeningitsscopeto

lookatintangiblevaluescontainedinphysicalstructuresbuthasalsobeenexploringa

fullersenseofourpast.Keepingarchitectureintactisnolongerthefullcontentorend

ofourwork.Whilehistoricandaestheticvaluesarestillcritical,contemporaryvalues

suchaseconomicvalueareequallyimportantsincetheyhelpheritagekeepupwiththe

modernworld.Inaddition,preservationreflectsitssocietyinwaysofchoosingwhatto

preserve,howtopreserve,andhowtointerpretandforandbywhom.Ifwelookatthe

historyofhistoricpreservation,itisrelativelyeasyinretrospecttoidentifyhistoriesand

memoriesthatwereusuallyfilteredandselectivelypresented.Forinstance,structures

relatedtothehistoryofAfricanAmericansandimmigrantswerekeptofftheNational

Manyearlyregisteredbuildings,suchasMountVernon,althoughcontainthehistoryof

slavery,donotincludethemintheirnominationreports.Also,thehistoryofother

minoritygroupssuchaswomenandtheLGBTQcommunitywereinvisibletothepublic



41PageandMason,GivingPreservationaHistory.

42PageandMason.

21



foralongtime.Luckily,asaresultofsocialreforms,abroaderspectrumofhistoryis

gettingacknowledgedbypreservationists.Actionsincludedesignationofsitesdirectly

relatedtohistoryofminoritygroupsatfederal,state,andlocallevels,andnew

interpretationofinvisiblehistoryinexistinghistoricsites.

In2016,markingthe50thanniversaryoftheNationalHistoricPreservationAct

and100thanniversaryoftheNationalParkService,preservationistsreflectedaloton

thehistoryofthefieldandkeptseekingforchangesatthesametime.Acommonly

sharedideaisthat“preservationisaboutpeople.”43Lastyear,asafollow‐up,the

NationalTrustforHistoricPreservationpublishedanissuenamedPreservationfor

People:AVisionfortheFuture.Inthisvision,threekeyconceptsofapeople‐centered

preservationmovementareproposed:highlightingthefulldiversityofAmericanstory,

moreequitableandsustainablecommunities,andmorepartnershipstoaddress

fundamentalsocialissues.44Inthenarrationofthefirstconcept,itpointsoutthat

currentdesignationandinterpretationhavenotfullyrepresentedthestoriesofall

Americans.Basedonthecurrentsituation,itpicturesafuturewherethefullAmerican

experienceisunderstood,wherehistoricsitestelltheirfullstories,andwherepeople

areabletogetplaces,aswellastheuntoldstoriesofplacesthatarealreadyrecognized,

thatmattertothemrecognizedbythesociety.Asaresponsetothesegoals,thispaper

willlookatspecificheritageofminoritygroups,ChineseAmericanheritagesites,and



43DavidBrown,“Preservationinthe21stCentury:PreservationIsAboutPeople,”July8,2014,

http://forum.savingplaces.org/blogs/forum‐online/2014/07/08/preservation‐in‐the‐21st‐century‐

preservation‐is‐about‐people.

44NationalTrustforHistoricPreservation,“PreservationforPeople:AVisionfortheFuture,”May2017.

22



preservationinNewYorkCitytoexplorebetterapproachestoimprovethepreservation

workthere.



3.2HistoricPreservationinNewYorkCity

AlthoughNewYorkCitydoesnothavethelongesthistoryofhistoricpreservationinthe

U.S.,asthefieldhasitsorigininNewEnglandandVirginia,ithasbecomeoneofthe

leadingcitiesinthefield.Therearemorethan36,000NewYorkCitylandmark

propertiesundertheprotectionoftheLandmarksPreservationCommission.45In

addition,variouspreservationorganizationshavebeenactiveinpreservingthecity’s

heritagesthroughoutallfiveboroughs,includingcity‐wideonesliketheLandmark

PreservationConservancyandHistoricDistrictsCouncilandneighborhood‐basedones

suchastheFriendsoftheUpperEastSideHistoricDistrictsandLandmarkWest.Also,

historicsitesaroundthecityaremanagedbynot‐for‐profitorganizationsand

foundations.Thediversityofhistoriclandmarksandpreservationorganizationsmakes

NewYorkanidealcitytoresearchandpracticehistoricpreservation.

HistoricpreservationinNewYorkCityisusuallyconsideredtostartfromthe

destructionofPennsylvaniaStation.However,asarguedbyRandallMason,bytheturn

ofthe20thcentury,preservationwasalreadythrivinginNewYorkCityandwasactive

betweenthe1890sand1920s.46ThehistoryofhistoricpreservationinNewYorkis



45NYCLandmarksPreservationCommission,“AboutLPC‐LPC.”

46RandallMason,OnceandFutureNewYork:HistoricPreservationandtheModernCity(Minneapolis:

UniversityofMinnesotaPress,2009).

23



consistentwiththenation‐widehistoryofthefield,asitemergedwithtwoseemingly

oppositeapproaches–curatorialapproachandurbanisticapproach–onelooking

inwardwhiletheotherlookingoutward.However,itisalsodistinctiveasthefieldin

NewYorkCitycameintobeingwhenthecitywasgoingthroughdrasticchanges.Here,

historicpreservationwaspartoftheProgressivemovementattheturnofthe20th

centuryandthemodernizationofthecity.BorninthelargestmetropolisintheU.S.and

stilloneofthelargestintheworld,preservationwas“firsttransformedfroman

occasionalhobbyofelitesintoanurbanreformmovement”.47

PreservationistshavebeenfightingfortheprotectionofheritagesinNewYork

City,asseeninsavingGrandCentralTerminalandtheBroadwaytheaterstothe

campaigntopreserveGreenwichVillage.Yet,amongallthoseeffortstosavehistoric

places,preservationofsitesrelatedtominoritygroups,suchasethnicheritages,is

relativelynewasitisinthepreservationfieldinU.S.Thus,althoughthecityhasalong

historyofimmigrationandrichhistoricalresourcesofdifferentethnicgroups,foralong

time,preservationwasnottheprimary,orevenamajorway,bywhichthosestories

weretold.Amongdiverseethnicheritages,AfricanAmericanheritagemightbethe

earliesttogainattentionfromNewYorkpreservationists.Anexampleisthediscovery

andpreservationofAfricanBurialGroundinLowerManhattan,whichreflectsnational

awarenessoffacingtheslaveryhistory.However,comparedwithAfricanAmericansand



47Mason.

24



LatinoAmericans,otherethnicminoritygroupssuchasAsian‐Americansstillhavenot

gottentheirheritagesrecognizedinNewYorkCity.

Table1.Racial/EthnicMakeupofNewYorkCity

Race/Ethnicity Year Percentage

White

1990 43.2%

2000 35.0%

2010 33.3%

Black

1990 28.7%

2000 26.6%

2010 25.5%

Hispanic

1990 20.9%

2000 22.8%

2010 23.6%

Asian&Pacific

Islander

1990 6.7%

2000 9.8%

2010 12.6%

Other

1990 0.5%

2000 5.9%

2010 4.9%



NewYorkCityhasalwayshadadiverseracialpopulation,anditsdiversification

continues.Accordingtothe2010census,33percentNewYorkCityresidentsarewhite,

26percentareHispanic,26percentareblack,and13percentareAsian(Table1).48

Comparedwithcensusrecordsin1990and2000,whiteandblackpopulationshave

beendecreasingwhileHispanicandAsianpopulationsaregrowing.Thesedemographic

changes,however,havenotbeenreflectedinpreservationfield.Onthecontrary,the

heritageofAsian‐Americans,forexample,isstillunderrepresentedinthecity.Asthe



48FurmanCenterforRealEstateandUrbanPolicy,“TheChangingRacialandEthnicMakeupofNYC

Neighborhoods,”May2012,http://furmancenter.org/research/publication/the‐changing‐racial‐and‐

ethnic‐makeup‐of‐nyc‐neighborhoods.

25



fieldofhistoricpreservationischangingtowardsapeople‐centeredapproach,itistobe

expectedthatthehistoriesofallAmericansareunderstoodwithvaluableheritage

recognizedandpreserved.ThisisespeciallyimportantinNewYorkCityduetoitsrich

historyofimmigration,historicpreservation,andsocialmovement.Astheracial

makeupofthecitybecomesincreasinglydiverse,preservationofminoritygroups’

heritageshouldgainmoreattention.



3.3ChineseAmericanandTheirImprints

AlthoughthefirstwaveofChineseimmigrationintotheUnitedStatesbeganasearlyas

themid‐19thcenturyduringtheCaliforniaGoldRush,Chineseimmigrantshavenotleft

manydistinguishablephysicalimprintsonthiscontinent.49Themainreasonisthatthe

Chinesecommunitywentthroughalongperiodofexplicitdiscriminationinthiscountry.

Also,ChineseimmigrantswhofirstcametotheU.S.mainlyworkedaslaborers,

originallyinrailroadconstruction,andlaterinlaundries,restaurants,andgrocerystores.

Thus,ontheonehand,earlyChinesepeopleintheU.S.didnothavetheabilitytobuild

greatarchitecturetobememorizedbylatergenerationsand,ontheotherhand,they

didn’twanttobetargetedbythemainstreamsocietybyattachingtheirChineseidentity

tobuildingsinwhichtheylived.Therefore,thelackofexistingChineseAmerican



49HenryKittredgeNorton,TheStoryofCaliforniafromtheEarliestDaystothePresent(Chicago:A.C.

McClurg&Co.,1913).

26



heritagesaswellassocialrecognitiontowardsthemcomesfrombothinsideand

outsidethecommunity.

DiscriminationtowardsChineseimmigrantsstartedfromtheverybeginning

whenChineseworkersarrivedattheSanFranciscoBayAreaforminingintheearly19th

century.TheNaturalizationLawof1790prohibitednon‐whiteimmigrantsfromgetting

U.S.citizenship.Soevenbeforetheycame,thecountryhadbeenexcludingnon‐white

residents.AsthenumberofChineselaborersgrew,therewasincreasinganimus

towardsthemfromwhitelaborers,whichledtotheCongress’senactmentofthe

ChineseExclusionActof1882,awell‐knownactthatcompletelysuspendedthe

immigrationofChineselaborers.ThisActwasoriginallyaimedfor10yearsbutwas

renewin1892andlatermadepermanentin1902.Later,theJohnson‐ReedActof1924

mitigatedtheanimustowardsimmigrantsbyallowingtheirentrythrougharace‐based

quotasystem.ItwasnotuntiltheChineseExclusionRepealActof1943thatChinese

peoplewerefinallyallowedimmigrationandnaturalization,around60yearslater.

However,thisActstillprohibitedpropertyownershipandbusinessbytheChinese

community.Finally,theImmigrationandNationalizationActof1965abolishedthe

quotasystemandallowedtheentryofalargenumberofChineseimmigrants.Thiswas

asignofofficialterminationofdiscriminationtowardsethnicChinese.However,dueto

thelongtradition,Chinesepeople,alongwiththeirheritage,arestillunderestimatedin

theU.S.

27



 Despitethedifficultpast,earlyChineseimmigrantsleftavaluableheritageto

theirfuturegenerations.ThemostcommonformofChineseAmericanheritageisno

doubtChinatowns.Asaresultofracialdiscriminationandculturaldifference,early

Chineseimmigrantstendedtoconcentrateinsomeareasinmajorcities,andthisishow

Chinatownscameintobeing.TheseethnicenclavesprovidedChineseimmigrantswith

“protection,affordablehousing,jobs,ethnicproductsandcommunitysupport”.50

However,sinceChinatownsaremostlylocatedinornearcenterareasincities,they

oftenhavebeenthreatenedbyurbandevelopment.What’sworse,sincethehistoryof

Chinatownisnotusuallyappreciatedbythelargersociety,buildingshereareunder

largerriskofdemolition.Today,thesurvivalofthesedowntownChinatownsbecomes

uncertainastheyarenolongerthemainstartingpointsfornewimmigrantswhocome

withmoreknowledge,skills,andcapital.

 Asmanyothercitiesintheeastcoast,NewYorksharesasimilarstoryofChinese

menbeingdrivenoutofthewesternstatesastheirworkonthefirsttranscontinental

railroadcametoanend.ThehistoryofManhattan’sChinatowncouldbetracedbackto

1858whenaCantonesemannamedAhKenresidedonMottStreetandranacigarstore

onParkRow.51AsmoreChineseworkersmovedinfromtheWestCoast,laterjoinedby

newimmigrants,ChinatowninManhattanhasexpandedalot.However,Chinesepeople

havetraditionallysettledalongMottStreetanditssurroundingareassincethe1870s.52



50ArthurAcolinandDomenicVitiello,“WhoOwnsChinatown:NeighborhoodPreservationandChangein

BostonandPhiladelphia,”UrbanStudies,April19,2017,1–21.

51Lin,“PolarizedDevelopmentandUrbanChangeinNewYork’sChinatown.”

52Li,“CommercialismandIdentityPoliticsinNewYork’sChinatown.”

28



WiththeImmigrationandNaturalizationActof1965,alargewaveofnewimmigrants

floodedintoNewYorkCity,bringingseveraltransitionstotheChinatownneighborhood

includingthegrowthofpopulationandrealestateinvestment.SinceManhattan’s

Chinatownwasnotabletoaccommodatesuchalargeamountofpopulationand

capital,manyresidentsandresidentswereforcedtoleavethedowntownareaand

movedtonewethnicenclavessuchasFlushinginQueensandSunsetParkinBrooklyn.

AsfortheinitialChinatowninManhattan,theimmigrationwavehasmadeitthe

largestChinatownintermsofpopulationsincetheearly1970s.53Sincethen,ithas

experiencedaseriesofphysicaltransformationsasaconsequenceofafewarchitectural

andlandscapeprojects.Especially,duetoitscloseproximitytotheeconomiccenterof

Manhattan,ithasbeentargetedandinfluencedbyseveralurbanredevelopment

projects.Forexample,asearlyasearly1950s,a“ChinaVillage”plancalledfora

clearanceofthecentralareaofChinatown,athennotoriousslum,tobereplacedwith

Chinese‐stylemodernpublichousingattheplace.Thisproposal,althoughfailed,isone

ofthoseplanning‐involvedeffortstoexoticizethephysicalfabricofChinatowninorder

toattracttourists.54Othersimilarinitiativesincludethe1976StreetRevitalizationPlan,

whichsuggestedmoreculturalandartisticdisplaytorepresentChineseidentity.Like

the“ChinaVillage”plan,itdidnotsucceedaswell.However,someofitsideas

materializedlater,suchasthevisitors’informationkiosk,whichwasbuiltin2004.55



53Li.

54UmbachandWishnoff,“StrategicSelf‐Orientalism.”

55Xu,“WhyChinatownHasGentrifiedLaterthanOtherCommunitiesinDowntownManhattan.”

29



Theseinitiativescausedlotsofnegotiationsamongauthorities,businessandassociation

leaders,andresidents,whichhaveinfluencedthephysicalfabricofChinatownto

varyingdegrees.

ThepreservationofhistoricChinatownfacesmorechallengesinadditionto

thoseplanningschemes.Duetoalargeamountofinternationalcapitalsincetheearly

1970s,steel‐and‐glassandtallbuildingshavebeenreplacingtraditionalsmall‐scaleand

low‐riseones.56Also,rapidurbandevelopmentintheareahasmadeithardforold‐

fashionedbusinesstosurvive.Intheearly1980s,manytraditionalChinesestoreswere

forcedtocloseasaresultofunaffordablerents.Someothershaveexpandedtheir

businessestotargetnewimmigrantsandtourists.TheSeptember11Attacksin2001

alsobroughtaboutaseriesofeconomicdownturnsinChinatownandcaused

shutdownsofmanystores.TheseeconomictransformationsofChinatownhavemadeit

hardtopreserveitsheritage,inbothtangibleandintangibleways.

 ThedevelopmentofChinatownispartofthecity’shistoryandisalsorelatedto

thehistoryofChineseimmigrationaroundthecountry.PreservationofChinese

AmericanheritageinNewYorkCity,especiallyManhattan’sChinatown,ismeaningfulto

boththelocalandnationalChinesecommunity.AsthediscriminationtowardsChinese

immigrantsandChineseAmericanshasnotcometoanendsincetheImmigrationand

NaturalizationActof1965,preservationofChineseAmericanheritagewouldbea

crucialtooltoincreasethevisibilityofthisethnicgroup.Byappreciatingtheirhistory,



56Li,“CommercialismandIdentityPoliticsinNewYork’sChinatown.”

30



theirheritage,andtheirroleinAmericanhistory,preservationistswouldcontributetoa

moreequalandbroadlyinclusivesocietywhereChineseAmericans,alongwithother

minoritygroups,willhaveabetterqualityoflife.

WhilesectionsofManhattan’sChinatownappearvibrantduringtheday—

particularlyEastBroadwayandCanalStreet—theoldcoreofChinatown,including

Mott,Elizabeth,DoyerandPellstreets,islargelydesertedintheevening.Risingrents

havedrivenmanylong‐termresidentsoutoftheneighborhood.Dramaticshiftsare

alreadytakingplaceontheedgesofthenewChinatownasoldtenementsarebeing

renovatedtomakeluxurycondominiums,whiletrendynightclubsandbarsfrequented

byyoungprofessionalsfromoutsidetheneighborhoodarepoppingupnexttolong‐time

localbusinesses.Increasingdevelopmentofluxuryhousingisspurringincreased

gentrification,risingcostsandinstabilityforlocalbusinesses.57





57Guest,“FromMottStreettoEastBroadway.”

31



IV.PowerandRegulatoryDynamicsinPreservingChinatown

4.1NewYorkStateHistoricPreservationOffice

TheNewYorkStateHistoricPreservationOffice(SHPO),withintheNewYorkState

OfficeofParks,RecreationandHistoricPreservation,playsaroleinpreservingChinese

AmericanheritagesitesinNewYorkCitysincetheChinatownandLittleItalyHistoric

DistrictisontheNationalandStateRegister.ThehistoricdistrictwaslistedintheNew

YorkStateRegisterofHistoricPlacesin2009andwasaddedtotheNationalRegisterof

HistoricPlacesin2010.Byapprovingthedesignation,theSHPOrecognizedthe

significantrolethesetwocommunitiesplayinthehistoryofimmigrationinAmerica

from1800to1965.58Here,ChineseAmericanheritage,alongwithItalianAmerican

heritage,contributestothesignificanceofthishistoricdistrictintermsoftheirsocial

history,architecture,andarchaeology.

Thehistoricdistrictisanarrowrectangularareacontaining38blocksinlower

Manhattan(Figure1).ItisroughlyboundedbyBaxterStreet,CentreStreet,Cleveland

PlaceandLafayetteStreettothewest,JerseyStreetandEastHoustontothenorth,

ElizabethStreettotheeast,andWorthStreettothesouth.59Withintheseboundaries

arelocatedhistoricbuildingsconstructedmainlyfromthemid‐19thtoearly20thcentury,

whichformtheoriginalhistoriccoreofChinatownandthehistoricextentofLittleItaly.60

Intotalthereare,asofthedateofdesignation,624contributingresources,including



58KathyHowe,“ChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict,”February12,2010.

59Howe.

60JeffJoeckeletal.,“ChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict,”May1,2010,

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/asia/2010/chinatown_little_italy_hd.htm.

32



621buildings,2parksand1structure,aswellas76non‐contributingbuildings.Inthis

area,ChineseandItaliancommunitiescoexistandhavebeencloselyinteractingwith

eachotherforalmostacenturyandahalf.61

Figure1.ChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict.





61Howe,“ChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict.”

33



TheChinatownandLittleItalyNationalRegisterHistoricDistrictmeetsthreeout

offourdesignationcriteria.Underthesethreecriteria,itsstatementofsignificance

highlightsthesocialvalueandhistoricvalueofthesebuildings.Firstofall,theChinese

AmericanandItalianAmericanethnicheritageandsocialhistoryareregardedas

nationallysignificantconsideringtheirassociationwiththeimmigrationhistoryofthe

U.S.Also,theneighborhood’shistoryembodiesimportantinformationabouthousing,

commerce,industry,ethnicity,etc.Themostimpressivepartofthisreportisits

descriptionofthearchitecturalsignificanceofthishistoricdistrict.Insteadofmerely

focusingonphysicalfabricsuchasarchitecturalfeaturesandstyles,thereportbasesthe

architecturalsignificanceonhownumeroustenementsintheareaplayedtheirrolein

accommodatingalargeamountofimmigrantpopulationaround20thcentury.By

detailingthestoriesofChineseandItalianimmigrants,thedesignationnotonly

recognizesthecontributionofthesetwoethnicgroupstothebuiltenvironmentofNew

YorkCitybutalsosetsanationalcontexttounderstandthesignificanceoftheseethnic

heritagesandthesocialhistorytheyentail.

TheSHPOwasinvolvedinitsroleofdeterminingtheeligibilityoftheproposed

listingandreviewingthenominationreport.Earlyinthelistingprocess,theSHPO

supportedthedesignationbyadmittingthatboththetenementarchitectureandthe

area’sculturalandsocialhistorymaketheproposeddistrictworthpreserving,according

34



toDanKeefe,spokespersonofSHPO.62Aftertheeligibilityfordesignationwas

determined,KathyHowe,theSHPOHistoricPreservationSpecialist,wasassignedto

workwiththeTwoBridgesNeighborhoodCouncil,sponsorofthenomination,to

completethenominatingprocess.

ByapprovingthedesignationofChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict,the

SHPOalsoallowspropertyownerstohaveaccesstopotentialfinancialstimulus.

Accordingtothefederalpolicy,ownersofincomeproducinghistoricpropertiesthatare

contributingresourcesinahistoricdistrictmaybeeligiblefora20%federaltaxcredit.

NewYorkStatealsooffersasimilartaxcreditprogram,whichmustbeusedin

conjunctionwiththeFederalInvestmentTaxCreditProgram.Besides,rehabilitation

workonhistoricresidentialbuildingsmayqualifyforataxincentivefromtheState.

Throughvarioustaxcreditandincentiveprograms,theSHPOhelpspreservethe

physicalfabricoftheneighborhood.

However,theStateandNationalRegisterhavetheirlimitsinpreservinghistoric

buildingsinthehistoricdistrict.Firstofall,alterationsonprivatepropertypaidforwith

privatemoneyarenotprotectedorregulatedinNationalRegister.Secondly,unlikethe

localdesignation,althoughthedesignationhonorsheritageofChineseandItalian

immigrants,neitherStateorNationalRegistercanpreventhistoricbuildingsfrom

demolition.TheSHPOdoesnotmonitorphysicalchangesofthehistoricdistrictexcept



62JulieShapiro,“BidtoMakeChinatown‐LittleItalyHistoricDistrictClearly‘Registers,’”accessedMarch

16,2018,http://thevillager.com/villger_293/bidtomakechinatown.html.

35



incertainsituations,suchaswhenSection106isinvolved.Inaddition,thehistoric

districtonlyincludesthehistoriccoreofChinatown.Chinatownnowadays,althoughit

hasnoofficialboundaries,continuestogrowwellbeyonditshistoriccore.Thus,historic

buildingslocatedoutsidetheareathattheNationalRegisterhistoricdistrict

encompassesareundernoprotection.

InadditiontotheNewYorkStateandNationalRegistersofHistoricPlaces,the

federalhistoricrehabilitationtaxcreditprogram,andthestatehistoricpreservation

grantsprogram,theSHPOalsoconductsaStatewideHistoricResourcesSurvey,which

canbeapotentialtooltopreserveChineseAmericanheritageinNewYorkCityand

elsewhereinNewYorkState.AHistoricResourcesSurveyisaprocessofidentifyingand

documentinghistoricresourceswhichhavelocal,stateand/ornationalsignificance.As

itiswritteninNewYorkStateHistoricPreservationPlan2015‐2010,topreserveNew

YorkState’sdiverseculturalresources,theSHPOhasbeenworkingonsurveysof

historicsitesrelatedtominoritygroupssuchastheLGBTandPuertoRican

communities.63IftheSHPOweretoinitiateasurveyrelatedtoChinesecommunity,it

wouldsetastate‐widecontexttoidentifyandfurtherpreserveChineseAmerican

heritagesites.



63NewYorkStateHistoricPreservationOffice,NewYorkStateHistoricPreservationPlan2015‐2020(New

YorkStateParks,RecreationandHistoricPreservation,DivisionforHistoricPreservation,2016).

36



4.2TheNewYorkCityLandmarksPreservationCommission

TheNewYorkCityLandmarksPreservationCommission(LPC)isthemunicipal

preservationagencyinNewYorkCity.Itwascreatedin1965withtheenactmentofthe

LandmarksPreservationAct,whichwasaresponsetothedemolitionofthe

architecturallysignificantPennsylvaniaStationin1963.64TheCommissionisresponsible

foridentifying,designating,andprotectingNewYorkCity’slandmarks,including

individuallandmarks,interiorlandmarks,sceniclandmarks,andhistoricdistricts.

Currently,therearemorethan36,000landmarkpropertiesthroughoutallfiveboroughs

andmostofthemarelocatedin141historicdistrictsandhistoricdistrictextensions.

Besides,theLPChasgrantedlandmarkstatusto1,405individuallandmarks,120interior

landmarks,and10sceniclandmarks.65However,noneofthesedesignatedlandmarksis

explicitlyassociatedwithChineseimmigrantsorChineseAmericans.Althoughseveral

landmarksarelocatedinChinatown,thedesignationsofthesesitesarebasedontheir

architecturalvalueandthushavenothingtodowiththeneighborhood’speopleortheir

heritage.Additionally,thereisnopendinglandmarkdesignationrelatedtotheChinese

community.

TodeterminewhythecitylacksofficiallyrecognizedChineseAmericanheritage

sites,thefirststepmaybetoexaminethedesignationprocessofNewYorkCity

landmarks.TheCommissionidentifiespotentiallandmarksandhistoricdistrictsthrough



64RebeccaBirmingham,“SmashorSave:TheNewYorkCityLandmarksPreservationActandNew

ChallengestoHistoricPreservationNotesandComments,”JournalofLawandPolicy19(2010):271–306.

65NYCLandmarksPreservationCommission,“AboutLPC‐LPC.”

37



surveysandresearch.SomeofthemareinitiatedbytheCommissionstaff,whileothers

aresuggestedbythepublicthroughsubmissionofRequestforEvaluation(RFE)forms

accompaniedbyanyrelatedinformationorphotos.Staffsfromtheagency’sResearch

DepartmentfirstreviewthoseRFEsandtakethemintofurtherconsiderationifthey

meetdesignationcriteria(Table2)andare“inlinewithagencypriorities”.66Selected

propertiesordistrictsarebroughttothe11Commissionerswhovoteonwhetherto

calendarapublicmeetingtofurtherconsidertheirdesignation.Ifapropertyordistrict

iscalendared,theResearchDepartmentthenwritesadesignationreportandmakesa

presentationatoneormorepublichearings.AvotebyamajorityoftheCommissioners

infavorofdesignationatthehearingwillleadtothedesignationofalandmarkora

historicdistrict.Afteralltheseprocesses,CityPlanningCommissionandCityCouncil

havetoreviewthedesignationandfinalizethedesignationdecision.

AlthoughnoChineseAmericanheritagesiteshavebeendesignated,therehave

beeneffortstonominateindividuallandmarksandhistoricdistrictssincethe1970s.67In

theCommission’sarchives,therearearoundtenfilesdocumentingtheseefforts,most

ofwhichareRFEsfromthecommunity.Amongthem,onlyonesite,CitizensSavings

Bank,hasbeensuccessfullydesignated,whileothersallfailedatthefirststep.The

nominationeffortofCitizensSavingsBankstartedin1975,butitwasnotuntil2011that

itwasfinallydesignatedasanindividuallandmark.Thisbuildingdesignation,however,



66NYCLandmarksPreservationCommission,“LPC‐ProposeaLandmark,”accessedApril16,2018,

http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/html/propose/propose.shtml.

67CorrespondencefromChineseConsolidatedBenevolentAssociationtoBeverlyMossSpatt,10June

1975,Block202,Lot18,NYCLandmarksPreservationCommissionArchives,NewYorkCity,NewYork.

38



isnotrelatedtothecultureoftheChinesecommunity.Asitwaswritteninaletterto

theCommissionbytheWeWon’tMoveCommittee,atenantsgroupinChinatown,“the

architectureofthebankbearslittlerelationshiptoChineseculture”althoughthey

admittedthesignificantrolethatthebankplayedinthedevelopmentofChinatown.68

Ironically,itwasfinallydesignatedduetoitsarchitecturalsignificance.Accordingtoits

designationreport,thebuildingisa“fineexampleoftheBeaux‐Artsstylebankbuilding

ofthelate19thandearly20thcentury”.69

Table2.DesignationTypesandCriteria

Type Criteria

Individual

Landmark

Atleast30yearsold Have"aspecialcharacterorspecialhistoricaloraesthetic

interestorvalueaspartofthedevelopment,heritage,or

culturalcharacteristicsoftheCity,state,ornation"

Interior

Landmark

Beatleast30yearsold Have"aspecialcharacteror

specialhistoricaloraesthetic

interestorvalueaspartofthe

development,heritage,or

culturalcharacteristicsofthe

City,state,ornation"

Customarilyopenor

accessibletothepublic,

ortowhichthepublicis

customarilyinvited,

suchasatheater,a

courthouse,oroffice

building

Scenic

Landmark

Beatleast30yearsold Have"aspecialcharacteror

specialhistoricaloraesthetic

interestorvalueaspartofthe

development,heritage,or

culturalcharacteristicsofthe

City,state,ornation"

Bealandscapefeature

oraggregateof

landscapefeatures

Historic

District

Representatleastone

periodorstyleof

architecturetypicalof

oneormoreerasin

theCity'shistory

Haveadistinct"senseofplace" Haveacoherent

streetscape



68CorrespondencefromWeWon’tMoveCommitteetoBeverlyMossSpatt.

69LandmarksPreservationCommission,CitizensSavingsBankDesignationreport(LP‐2466)(NewYork:

CityofNewYork,2011).

39



SomerejectedRFEseitherfailedtheagetestofdesignation–thebuildingshould

beatleast30yearsold–ordidnotprovideenoughinformationforevaluation.For

othersthatpassedboththeagetestandmaterialrequirement,theCommissionpushed

thembackfortwomainreasons.Oneisthatthenominatedsitedidnotmeet

designationcriteria,andtheotheristhedesignationdidnotmatchCommission’s

prioritiesatthattime.AnoticeableexampleisthenominationofQuongYuenShing&

Co.buildingat32MottStreetin1995.Foundedin1891,itwastheoldestChinese

generalstoreatthattimeandwasnominatedasanindividuallandmarkandinterior

landmark.AlthoughthenominatorRachelSaltzprovidedalotofmaterialstoevidence

thebuilding’ssignificantroleinChinatown’searlyhistory,theCommissiondecidednot

todesignateitbasedontheirassessmentoftheproperty’sarchitecturalandhistorical

qualities.In2003,duetotheeconomicdownturninChinatownsinceSeptember11th,

2001,theowner,PaulJ.Q.Lee,shutdownthestorepermanently.70

AnothernotablefactisthediscussionarounddesignatingalocalChinatown

HistoricDistrictinearly1980s.DuetogrowingawarenessofChinatown’svaluable

heritageatthattime,theCommissioncooperatedwiththeNewYorkChinatownHistory

Project,whichlaterbecametheMuseumofChineseinAmerica,incompleting

architecturalandhistoricalsurveywork.71AccordingtoformerChairmanKentBarwick,



70MichaelLuo,“ChinatownJournal;StoreFoundedin1891SuccumbstoEffectsof9/11,”TheNewYork

Times,October26,2003,sec.N.Y./Region,https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/26/nyregion/chinatown‐

journal‐store‐founded‐in‐1891‐succumbs‐to‐effects‐of‐9‐11.html.

71CorrespondencefromKentBarwicktoAnnaCaraveli,14July1981,ChinatownHistoricDistrict,NYC

LandmarksPreservationCommissionArchives,NewYorkCity,NewYork.

40



theCommissionwasinterestedinpossiblelandmarkdesignationofsitesidentifiedby

theChinatownProject.Besides,whenrespondingtotherequestfordesignating

ChinatownandLittleItalyashistoricdistricts,thethenManhattanFieldDirectorFrank

SanchisstatedthattheCommissionhadconsideredthedesignationbutdidnot

implementtheideaduetothechallengetodistinguishthesetwoareasinboththeir

architecturalandculturalaspects.AstaffmemberRitaCaviglialaterexpressedher

interestsinfuturedesignationofindividuallandmarksinChinatownandregardeditas

thefirststeptowardthemorecomplicateddesignationofahistoricdistrict.The

CommissiondidnotformallydenytherequestfordesignatingaChinatownHistoric

District.Yet,aswecanseetoday,despitesuchstronginterestsfromtheCommission30

yearsago,Chinatownstillhasnotbeenlocallydesignated.

TherearevariousreasonsfortheabsenceoflocaldesignationofChinese

Americanheritagesites,whichcanbedividedintoissuesofidentificationand

designation.Intermsofidentifyingpotentiallandmarks,thereisalackofeffortfrom

boththeChinesecommunityandtheCommission.TheCommissionreviews

approximately200RFEseachyear,butasevidencedbythenumberoffilesfoundinits

Archive,onlyveryfewofthemareaboutChineseAmericanheritagesites.72Thus,

peoplefromthecommunitydonothaveenoughinterestinlocaldesignation.Fromthe

Commission’sperspective,theyhavecompiledsurveysoftheLowerEastSide,which

includesChinatown,andsomeofthemmighthaveresultedindesignationofindividual



72NYCLandmarksPreservationCommission,“LPC‐ProposeaLandmark.”

41



landmarksinChinatown.However,thesesurveyshavenotledtodesignationofany

ChineseAmericanheritagesitesoralocalhistoricdistrict.So,thereisadisconnection

betweenthesurveysandactualidentificationofhistoricsites.

Intermsofdesignationofpotentiallandmarks,thecriteriaarevagueinaway

andtheCommission’sinterpretationofthesecriteriafavorsarchitecturaloraesthetic

valueofbuildings.Thiscanhelpexplainwhyalldesignatedindividuallandmarksin

ChinatownarenotrelevanttotheChinesecommunity,whyexistingsurveyshavenot

ledtodesignationofChineseAmericanheritagesites,andwhymanyRFEsgotpushed

back.ThecoreissueisthatwhenwetalkaboutChineseAmericanheritagesites,wedo

notusuallymeangreatbuildingswithChinesearchitecturalfeatures,whichareinfact

alsobarelyseeninChinatown.Instead,theideaofChineseAmericanheritagesites

indicatesbuildingsthattellthesocialhistoryorcultureofChineseimmigrantsand

ChineseAmericans.Anditismorelikely,ifnotalways,thatthesebuildingswillhave

ordinaryfacadesandinteriors.Asaresult,theyarelessnoticeableinarchitectural

surveys.Itisalsohardtoprovetheirsignificancewhenphysicalfeaturesarepreferredin

decision‐makingprocess.



4.3MuseumofChineseinAmerica

LocatedinNewYorkCity’sLowerEastSide,theMuseumofChineseinAmerica(MOCA)

hasbeencommittedtopreservingandpresentingthehistoryandcultureofChinese

peoplesinceitsfoundingin1980.Likemanyothermuseums,MOCAtellsstoriesmainly

42



throughexhibitionandinterpretationofhistoricalobjects.Sinceitsworkdoesnotfocus

onhistoricbuildings,itseemsthatMOCAdoesnotcontributemuchtothepreservation

ofChineseAmericanheritagesitesassomepreservationorganizationsdo.

However,ifwelookatitshistoryandcurrentwork,itisnothardtofindsome

explicitandimplicitassociationswiththepreservationfield.Mostimportantly,through

itsalmost40‐yeardedicationtomakingthehistoryofChinesepeoplevisibleand

accessibletoeveryone,MOCAhelpstosetacontextforthepublictounderstandand

valuetheheritagesofpeopleofChinesedescent.Thissupportspreservationofphysical

heritagesbyraisingpeople’sawarenessoftheirsignificance.

MOCAbeganasasmallgrass‐rootsorganizationnamedtheNewYorkChinatown

HistoryProject.Itsfounders,Chinese‐AmericanhistorianJohnKuoWeiTchenand

activistCharlesLai,metattheBasementWorkshop,anarts‐orientedAsian‐American

resourcecenter.73TheynoticedthechangesinChinatowninthelate1970s,whennew

immigrantscrushedin,andrealizedtheimportanceofdocumentingthelivesofChinese

inNewYorkCity.TheystartedtocollectculturalobjectssuchasshopsignsandChinese

lettersfromthestreetsandinitiatedtheChinatownHistoryProjectforwhichthey

continuedtocollectartifactsandoralhistoryanddocumentChinatownbyphotographs.

Astheircollectionsanddocumentationsexpanded,theyhadtheirfirstexhibit,Eight

PoundLivelihood,aboutthehistoryoflaundriesin1983.



73CrossTies,“TheMuseumofChineseinAmerica:ContinuityandChange,”Mid‐AtlanticRegionalCenter

fortheHumanities,February22,2017,https://march.rutgers.edu/2017/02/the‐museum‐of‐chinese‐in‐

america‐continuity‐and‐change/.

43



TheprojectmovedintofourroomsoftheformerPublicSchool23at70

MulberryStreetin1984andfunctionedtheretill2009whenitrelocatedtoitscurrent

spotat215CentreStreet.Theoriginalspaceisnowusedforthemuseum’scollection

andresearchcenter.Throughouttheyears,itchangeditsnameseveraltimesbeforeit

wasfinallynamedMuseumofChineseinAmericain1995,indicatingitstransformation

fromacommunitymuseumtoaculturalinstitutionwithanexpandedmissionoftelling

itsstoriesofChinesepeoplearoundthecountry.Currently,visitorscanexperience

MOCAthroughitsmuseumgalleriesandChinatownwalkingtours.Themuseumholds

onecoreexhibit,WithaSingleStep:StoriesintheMakingofAmerica,andone

temporarygallery.Italsoorganizeswalkingtoursoutsidethemuseumbuildingfrom

ApriltoDecemberwhentheweatherissuitable.

AlthoughbuildingsarenotthemainvehiclesforstorytellingwithinMOCA,we

canstillfindvariousevidencesshowinghowthemuseum’sworkisrelatedto

preservation.Firstofall,twohistoricbuildingshavebeenrenovatedtoprovidespace

forthemuseum’soperation.Since1984,theMuseumhasbeenoccupyingaprevious

schoolbuilding,P.S.23,at70MulberryStreet.Tosupporttheexpansionofthe

Museum,ChineseAmericandesignerMayaLinrenovatedatenementbuildingat215

CentreStreet,whichbecametheMuseum’snewhomein2009.Byadaptivelyreusing

thesetwobuildings,theMuseumhelpsmaintainthehistoricfabricofthe

neighborhood,eventhoughdoingsoisnotanexplicitpartofitsmission.

44



Inaddition,eventhoughmostoftheMuseum’sworkisrelatedtocultural

objects,italsodoesspace‐basedandbuilding‐basedinterpretations.Forexample,inits

coreexhibit,thereisaroomhousingarecreatedChinatowngeneralstore(Figure2).As

statedinitsdescription,this“store”isnotmodeledafteraspecificstorebutratheris“a

compositeofsalvagedobjectsandmemoriesfromChinatownstoresacrosstheUnited

States”anddisplayedartifactsherearealldonationsfromstoresalloverthecountry74.

ThisinterpretationapproachissimilartowhattheLowerEastSideTenementMuseum

hasbeenusing,asdescribedinSection4.4below.Inthisrecreatedspace,visitorsare

abletoexperienceatypicalstoreexistingonlyinthememoriesoftheoldergeneration.

Byplacinghistoricalobjectsintheircontext,theexhibitprovidesamoreauthentic

experienceforvisitorstounderstandcriticalrolesthatsuchastoreplayedinthe

community,suchaseverydaygoodssupplier,pharmacy,postoffice,andcommunity

center.75

TheMuseumalsoholdsexhibitionsandwalkingtourswithdifferentthemes,

someofwhichhavebeenrelatedtohistoricbuildingsinChinatown.Forexample,from

September2015toMarch2016,MOCAhadasurveyexhibitionnamedChineseStyle:

RediscoveringtheArchitectureofPoyGumLee,1923‐1968.Thisexhibitexamined

ChineseAmericanarchitectPoyGumLee’sprojectsinNewYorkandChinaandhis

influenceinNewYorkChinatown.Also,walkingtourChinatown:AWalkThroughHistory



74Walltext,WithaSingleStep:StoriesintheMakingofAmerica,MuseumofChineseinAmerica,New

YorkCity,NY.

75Walltext,WithaSingleStep.

45



isMOCA’sanothereffortoftellinghistorythroughphysicalstructures.Thistour

highlightsbothordinarybuildingsandhistoricallysignificantplacestoshowthe

relationshipbetweenneighborhoodchangesandcommunitydevelopment.Both

exampleshereevidencethatMOCA’sinterpretationofChinesecommunity’shistoryhas

gonebeyondhistoricobjects.

Figure2.ARecreatedChinatownGeneralStoreinMOCA.(Phototakenbyauthor)



Throughitsalmost40‐yearendeavors,MOCAhasnotonlyearneditsreputation

amongtheChinesecommunitybutalsobecomethego‐toplaceforpeopleor

organizationswhoareinterestedinthehistoryofChineseimmigrantsandChinese

46



Americans.Currently,MOCA’sCollectionsandResearchCenterhousesmorethan

65,000artifacts,photos,memorabilia,documents,oralhistories,andartwork,alotof

whichtellthehistoryofNewYorkCity’sChinatown.76ItsCollectionsDepartment,a

combinationofcollection,library,andarchive,couldbeavaluableresourcefor

preservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesinNewYorkCity.77Infact,MOCAhas

beenprovidingresearchservicestostudents,professors,andscholars,andlendingits

collectionstoothermuseumsandculturalinstitutionsfordisplay.78

AnexcellentrecentexampleofMOCA’scontributiontothepreservationworkof

ChineseAmericanheritageisitshelpwiththeTenementMuseum’snewexhibitUnder

OneRoof,inwhichagarmentshopwasrecreated.Forthisexhibit,theTenement

MuseumreferredtoMOCA’sarchivetounderstandwhatahistoricalgarmentshop

lookedlike.Inthisway,althoughMOCAdoesn’tdirectlyworkoninterpretationof

historicspacerelatedtotheChinesecommunity,itsresourceshelpmakethe

connection.Ifmoresuchconnectionsaremade,itwouldhelpmakeChinese

community’shistorymorevisibletothepublicandthussetafoundationforthe

preservationofphysicalstructures.



76“About|MuseumofChineseinAmerica(MOCA),”accessedMarch22,2018,

http://www.mocanyc.org/about/.

77MuseumofChineseinAmerica,WavesofIdentity:35YearsofArchiving(NewYork:MuseumofChinese

inAmerica,2015).

78MuseumofChineseinAmerica.

47



4.4TheTenementMuseum

Foundedin1988byhistoriansRuthAbramandAnitaJacobson,theLowerEastSide

TenementMuseumhasbeentellingstoriesofimmigrantswhostartedtheirnewlivesin

Manhattan’sLowerEastSidebetweenthe19thand21stcenturies.79TheMuseum

interpretsthesenewcomers’experiencesintwotenementbuildingsthroughtours,

exhibits,andworkshops,andplacestheminthecontextofboththecity’sandthe

country’shistoryofimmigration.Indoingso,itbuildsconnectionsbetweenvisitorsand

formerimmigrants,andhonorsthepastandongoingrolethatimmigrantsplayin

shapingNewYorkCityandtheUnitedStates.Here,Chineseimmigrants,asnewsettlers

intheneighborhoodinthesecondhalfof20thcentury,areamongthosegroupswhose

storiesarebeingnarrated.InitsnewexhibitUnderOneRoof,whichwaslaunchedin

September2017,theMuseumdiscussesthelivesofaChineseimmigrantfamilyforthe

firsttime.

Basedontwohistoricbuildingslocatedat97and103OrchardStreetacquiredby

theMuseumin1988and2007respectively,theTenementMuseumprovidesthree

kindsofexperiencestoitsvisitors.80Visitorscantouraroundrestoredapartments

guidedbyeducatorsandlistentostoriesofpastresidentswhosettledhereindifferent

timeperiods.AsthemostcommonwaytoexperiencetheMuseum,thesetoursareheld

almosteveryday.TheMuseumalsoorganizesmoreimmersiveandinteractivetours



79“AboutTheTenementMuseum,”accessedMarch24,2018,http://www.tenement.org/about.html.

80MaggieRussell‐Ciardi,“TheMuseumasaDemocracy‐BuildingInstitution:ReflectionsontheShared

JourneysProgramattheLowerEastSideTenementMuseum,”ThePublicHistorian30,no.1(2008):39–

52.

48



monthly,whichallowvisitorstotalktopastresidentsat97OrchardStreetplayedby

costumedinterpretersandlearnabouttheirlivesmore“directly”.Thethirdwayto

experiencetheMuseumistowalkaroundtheneighborhoodwithaguidetofindout

howtheLowerEastSidehasbeenshapedbyimmigrantsandtheirculture.Currently,

theMuseumholds9dailybuildingtours,3monthlycostumedtours,and3weeklyor

monthlywalkingtours.Inaddition,theMuseumalsohostsTenementTalksaboutthe

city’shistory,people,andculture,aswellasESOLworkshopsforimmigrantstudents

andteacherworkshopsforteachers.81

BeforetheMuseumpurchasedthetenementbuildingat103OrchardStreetin

2007,Chineseimmigrantswereonlyslightlymentioned,initstwowalkingtoursFoods

ofTheLowerEastSideandThen&Now.InFoodsofTheLowerEastSide,visitorsexplore

howimmigrantscontributetoAmericans’tablesbytastingvariousfoodsfromGerman,

Jewish,Italian,Chinese,andDominicancommunities.Chinesefoodservedinthistour

includesporkandchivedumplingsfromVanessa’sDumplings,whosemenuanddécor

havebeenconstantlychangedovertheyearstoaccommodatenon‐Chinesecustomers,

FuZhoucuisinefromaFuzhouneserestaurantoperatedbynewerimmigrantswhere

serversbarelyspeakEnglish,andgreenteacreampuffsfromPanade,afusionbakery

ownedbythedaughterofChineseimmigrants.82Bycomparingfoodfromdifferent



81“AboutTheTenementMuseum.”

82AdamSteinberg,“WhatWeTalkAboutWhenWeTalkAboutFood:UsingFoodtoTeachHistoryatthe

TenementMuseum,”ThePublicHistorian34,no.2(May1,2012):79–89.

49



places,visitorsareabletounderstandhowimmigrantfoodshavebeenadjustedas

immigrantshavebeenadaptingthemselvestothenewenvironment.

Theotherwalkingtour,Then&Now,focusesonphysicalchangesofthe

neighborhoodresultingfromslumclearance,urbanrenewalandneighborhood

revitalization.83AccordingtoAnniePolland,theformerExecutiveVicePresidentof

Programs&InterpretationattheTenementMuseum,thistourtouchesonbasic

neighborhoodchangesinChinatownbutdoesn’tgointodeepdiscussion.TheMuseum

hasbeentryingtoconnectmoredeeplytoChinatownsinceitremainsadynamic

immigrantcommunityintheneighborhood.AsPollandputit,“wehavebeenreally

talkingabouttryingtocreateanotherwalkingtourthatwillallowustogoalotfurther

awayto[places]likeMelbParkandColumbusParkandtheareaaroundtherethatis

stillaveryvibrantChinatown.”Themainchallenge,however,asPollandaddressedit,is

thattheheartofChinatownisnotclosetotheMuseum.GiventhattheMuseumis

locatedattheedgeofChinatown,it’shardtoorganizeawalkingtourinChinatown

sinceallthewalkingtoursaresupposedtoloopbacktothebuilding.84

BeforethenewexhibitUnderOneRoofin103OrchardStreet,storiesofChinese

immigrantsdidnotgainenoughattentionwithintheTenementMuseumcomparedto

earlyimmigrantgroupsintheLowerEastSidesuchasItalian,Irish,andGerman

immigrants.AlthoughtheChinesecommunityisbroughttothetableinthetwowalking



83Steinberg.

84InterviewwithAnniePolland,interviewbyYuexianHuang,February25,2018.

50



toursmentionedabove,tellingstoriesofChineseimmigrantswasnotthemaingoalin

theirnarrative,and,despitethenewexhibit,isstillsomewhatsecondarywithintheir

overallinterpretiveprogram.

TheprimaryreasonwhytheMuseumlackedanarrativeabouttheChinese

communitywasthatitstoursandprogramsweremainlybasedon97OrchardStreet.

However,thetenementwasconvertedintoacommercialbuildingin1935.85Asaresult,

theMuseumwasonlyabletotellhistoriesaboutearlyEuropeanimmigrantsbetween

1864and1935.86Although97OrchardStreetwashometoapproximately7,000people

fromtwentycountriesoverthecourseofthese70years,Chineseimmigrantsdidnot

playacriticalroleintheneighborhoodwhenthebuildingwasinresidentialuse.Itwas

notuntilthe1960sthatalargenumberofChineseimmigrantsarrivedinthecountry,

benefitingfromthe1965abolitionofnationalityquotas.87

Acquiringthe1888tenementbuildingat103OrchardStreethasincreasedthe

Museum’scapacitytomorebroadlyaddressthehistoryofAmericanimmigration.Since

thebuildinghousedresidentsintothe2010s,itenablestheMuseumto“fullyengage

AmericanswhoseoriginsdatetomorerecentimmigrationsfromAsiaandLatin

America”.88Thenewexhibitisthefirstonein103OrchardStreet,andtheMuseum

takesamoreintegratedapproachherethanitwaspreviouslyabletodo.In97Orchard



85GemmaSolomons,“AnUpdatedHistoryoftheUndocumentedImmigrant,”September6,2017,

http://tenement.org/blog/an‐updated‐history‐of‐the‐undocumented‐immigrant/.

86Russell‐Ciardi,“TheMuseumasaDemocracy‐BuildingInstitution.”

87Russell‐Ciardi.

88Kazal,“MigrationHistoryinFiveStories(andaBasement):TheLowerEastSideTenementMuseum.”

51



Street,apartmentsofsevenimmigrantfamilieswererestoredtoservesevendifferent

tours.In103OrchardStreet,however,theMuseumhasrestoredonesingleapartment

tointerpretstoriesofthreefamilies:theEpsteins,aJewishfamilywhosurvivedthe

Holocaust,theSaez‐Velezs,immigrantsfromPuertoRicowhomovedintothebuildingin

1964andstayedtill2011,andtheWongs,aChineseimmigrantfamilylivingherefrom

1968to2014.89Duringthetour,visitorsfirsttouraroundEpsteins’stwodaughters’

bedroomandtheirdiningroom,thenwalkintotherestoredkitchenandlivingroomof

theSaez‐Velezs,andentertheWong’sthreedaughters’bedroom.Thetourendswitha

recreatedworkingspacemodeledaftergarmentfactorieswhereMrs.Saez,Mrs.Wong,

andmanyimmigrantwomenusedtoworkwhentheystartedoverintheLowerEast

Side.Inadditiontotheguidedtouronsite,visitorscanalsolearnfromanonlinevisual

tourontheMuseum’swebsite.

Ittook10yearsfortheexhibittotakeshape.90Startingfromanideaoftelling

storiesoffamilieswholivedinthebuilding,AnniePollandandhercolleaguesdidhours

ofinterviewswithformerresidentsaswellashistoriansandsociologiststolearn

immigrants’storiesandthehistoricalandsocialbackgrounds.91Theyfinallytargeted

thesethreefamilies,andin‐depthinterviewswereconductedsince2011.92Torecreate

theapartmentinwhichthosefamiliesoncelived,theycollectedoralhistory,



89Zax,“TenementMuseum,Nostalgicforthe‘MeltingPot,’HighlightsContemporaryInequality.”

90LisaDavis,“TheTenementMuseumExplorestheLivesofThreePost‐WorldWarIIFamilies,”accessed

March11,2018,https://savingplaces.org/stories/the‐tenement‐museum‐explores‐the‐lives‐of‐three‐

post‐world‐war‐ii‐families?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social.

91Kazal,“MigrationHistoryinFiveStories(andaBasement):TheLowerEastSideTenementMuseum.”

92InterviewwithAnniePolland.

52



photographs,anddécorfromthesefamilies.93IntheWongs’section,theroomis

furnishedwithbluewalls,adesk,asinglebedandstackedtwinbedsbothcoveredby

floweredsheets(Figure3).Inthisroom,educatorstellstoriesofhowMrs.Wong

immigratedtotheU.S.withherfirstdaughter,YatPing,fromHongKongtoreunitewith

herhusband.VisitorscanalsolearnaboutlivesofAllisonandKevin,theothertwo

childrenofMrs.Wong,asthesecondgenerationofChineseimmigrants.Themost

powerfulnarrativeisanaudiorecordingfromKevinwherehetalksabouthowhe

“chose”hisEnglishnamewhenhewastoldbyhisteachertodoso.

Figure3.TheRecreatedBedroomofWongsinUnderOneRoof.(PhotocredittoTravisRoozée)94





93Davis,“TheTenementMuseumExplorestheLivesofThreePost‐WorldWarIIFamilies.”

94Davis.

53



ThistournotonlytellsstoriesofoneChinesefamily,butalsoreflectsonthe

ChineseimmigrantcommunityatlargeandtheimmigrationhistoryoftheU.S.Ittalks

abouttheChineseExclusionActof1882,whichbannedentryofthewholeethnicgroup

forthefirsttimeinthecountry’shistory.TheJohnson‐ReedActof1924isalsobrought

tothetablesinceitincreasedrestrictionsonimmigrantsfromSouthernandEastern

EuropeandotherAsiancountries.95Mostimportantly,theImmigrationand

NaturalizationActof1965,alsoknownastheHartCellerImmigrationReformActof

1965,abolishedtherace‐basedquotasystemof1924.Thisallowedfamilieslikethe

Wongstoenterthenewcountryseekingnewlives.Toaccommodatethefollowing

immigrationwavewheremanyimmigrantswerefemales,garmentfactoriesbecamethe

newindustryintheLowerEastSide.Theremodeledgarmentfactoryspaceattheendof

thetouristheplaceforvisitorstolearnaboutthishistorythroughvariousinteractive

experiences.Bytappingoneofthesixsewingmachineshere,visitorscanwatchvideos

whereMrs.WongandotherChineseGarmentworkerstalkabouttheirworkinglives.

TherearealsoChineseAmericanswhosharetheirexperiencesofgrowingupin

immigrantfamilieswheremothersworkedinthegarmentfactories.Althoughthe

exhibitonlydiscussesoneChineseimmigrantfamilyatlength,asatypicalandeffective

approachattheMuseum,storiesofthisfamilyhelpvisitorsreflectonotherChinese

immigrants.Itisalsomeaningfulinthewaythatitfunctionsasalensthroughwhichthe

historyofChineseimmigrantsisextensivelydiscussedintheMuseumforthefirsttime.



95Solomons,“AnUpdatedHistoryoftheUndocumentedImmigrant.”

54



ThistourechoestheMuseum’songoingdiscussionaboutwhatitmeanstobe

American.Byincorporatingthreefamilystories,thetourconnectsmembersofdifferent

immigrantgroupsthatcametotheLowerEastSideinthesametimeperiod.Educators

talkabouthowtheWongsandtheSaez‐Velezsinteractedwitheachotherwhenboth

familieslivedinthebuilding.Theyalsodiscusscommonchallengesthesethreefamilies

faced,suchasthelanguagebarrier,andsimilarstrategiestheytooktoadapt–for

example,theirchildrentooktheroleoftranslatorsfortheirparents.GiventhatNew

YorkCityandeventheU.S.arebuiltbyimmigrantsfromdiverseperiodsand

backgrounds,thesesharedexperienceandmemoriescaneasilybuildconnections

betweenvisitorsandthosewhosestoriesaretoldhere.Inthisway,thestoryofeach

immigrantfamilyisunderstoodinalargersocialcontext.“It’ssuchagreatwindowinto

abroaderAmericanexperience,”saysAnniePolland.96

TheTenementMuseumhasbeenpioneeringintellingwhathasbeenthelargely

invisiblehistoryofimmigrantsthroughspace‐basedinterpretationofindividual

experiences.Traditionalmuseumsandhistoricsitesusuallyhonorgreatpeopleand

greatarchitecture.Incontrast,theTenementMuseumapproacheshistoryinadifferent

way,byhighlightingeverydaylivesofordinarypeople.

TheMuseumwaslistedintheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlacesin1992and

wasdesignatedasaNationalHistoricLandmarkin1994andaNationalHistoricSitein

1998.However,thesignificanceoftheMuseumisnotbasedonthoselistings,butthe



96InterviewwithAnniePolland.

55



factthatitkeepsexploringthehistoryofthebuildingsthemselvestofindoutmore

storiesaboutpeople.Duetothisongoingeffort,storiesofminoritygroupssuchas

Chineseimmigrantsaremadevisibletothepublic.Thenewexhibit,UnderOneRoof,

notonlytellstheunknownhistoryofChineseimmigrants,butalsorecognizestheirrole

inAmericanhistory.Thisisexactlyhowhistoricpreservation’splace‐basedinterpretive

strategiescouldcontributetothelargersociety.

TotellmorestoriesaboutChineseimmigrantsandChineseAmericans,the

MuseumhasbeenworkingwithotherorganizationssuchasMOCAandChinese‐

AmericanPlanningCouncil(CPC).AccordingtoPolland,theTenementMuseumand

MOCAhavebuiltcloserelationshipsandtheyvisiteachother’sexhibitfromtimeto

time.97ForUnderOneRoof,theTenementMuseumreferredtoMOCA’sphoto

collectioninordertorecreateamoreauthenticgarmentshop.Somephotosfrom

MOCA’scollectionarealsousedintheTenementMuseum’sonlinevisualtourforthe

newexhibit.Inaddition,theTenementMuseumiscurrentlyworkingwithCPCtocollect

oralhistoriesofChineseimmigrantsandChineseAmericansforaprojectcalledYour

Story,OurStory.Thisproject,althoughnottiedtospecificbuildingsorspaces,shows

theMuseum’sefforttoincorporatemorestoriesofvariousimmigrants.However,since

storiesaremorepowerfulwhentheyarenarratedinthephysicalcontext,UnderOne

RoofisstillabetterapproachtotellunknownhistoriesofChineseimmigrants.



97InterviewwithAnniePolland.

56



4.5Non‐ProfitOrganizationsWorkingonDesignationofChineseAmericanHeritageSites

InadditiontointerpretationofhistoricbuildingstellingstoresofChineseimmigrants

andChineseAmericansthatusedtobeinvisibletothepublic,non‐profitorganizations

inNewYorkCityhavealsobeenworkingondesignationofChineseAmericanheritage

sites.Comparedwithinterpretation,designationisamoredirectapproachtogetthe

historicvalueofthosesitesrecognizedand,tovaryingdegrees,protectedatthe

national,state,andlocallevel.TwoorganizationsinvolvedinthisapproacharetheTwo

BridgesNeighborhoodCouncil(TBNC),whichdesignatedtheChinatownandLittleItaly

HistoricDistrictintheNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces,andtheLowerEastSide

PreservationInitiative(LESPI),whichisworkingonlandmarkingaChinatownhistoric

districtlocally.

Asanon‐preservation‐focusednon‐profitorganization,theTBNCdidnotstart

outworkingonpreservationrelatedissueswhenitwasfoundedin1955.98Instead,it

wasestablishedasacivicorganizationtoaddressracialconflictsintheareaboundedby

theBrooklynandManhattanBridgesandtheEastRiver.Theturningpointofitsfocus

wasitsinvolvementinpreventingAT&Tfromdemolishingalargeblockofresidential

buildingsonMadisonStreetforatelephoneswitchingstationinthe1960s.99Afterits

successinsavingthoseresidentialbuildings,theorganizationreviseditsmissiontofocus

onneighborhoodpreservationandaffordablehousingintheearly1970s.Sincethen,it



98“History,”TwoBridgesNeighborhoodCouncil,accessedMarch26,2018,https://twobridges.org/about‐

us/history/.

99“History.”

57



hasbeenusingpreservationasatooltobetterservetheneighborhoodsintheLower

EastSideandfocusingontheStateandNationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.

ThefirstsuccessfuldesignationfromtheTBNCwastheTwoBridgesNational

EastSideNationalRegisterHistoricDistrictextendedin2004andsuccessfullydesigned

theChinatownandLittleItalyNationalRegisterHistoricDistrictandtheBoweryNational

tothepreservationofChineseAmericanheritageisundoubtedlyitssponsorshiptothe

designationofChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict.Thissuccessfullisting

recognizesthesignificanceofChineseandItalianimmigrants’heritageandsocial

history,andhelpspreservehistoricbuildingswithinthehistoricdistrict.

AccordingtoVictorPapa,thepresidentoftheTBNCwhoinitiatedtheideaof

nomination,thepurposeofthedesignationistonotonlypreservethearchitectureof

thearea,butalsotoappreciatetheexperienceofChineseandItalianimmigrants.100In

addition,thedesignationisregardedasawaytodrawnationalattentionandpromote

tourisminthearea.101Italsoaimedatpreservingthehousingstocktoprovidemore

affordablehousingtothecommunity.

Thedesignationwassupportedbymanyothernon‐profitorganizationsand

communitygroups,includingtheChineseConsolidatedBenevolentAssociation,the



100MaSuzanne,“Chinatown,LittleItalyOfficiallyaNationalHistoricDistrict,”DNAinfoNewYork,accessed

March25,2018,https://www.dnainfo.com/new‐york/20100222/manhattan/chinatown‐lower‐east‐side‐

officially‐national‐historic‐district.

101Suzanne.

58



ChineseChamberofCommerce,theMuseumoftheChineseinAmerica,Historic

DistrictsCouncil,aswellasthemajorityofpropertyowners.102Asthenomination

sponsor,theTBNCwasresponsibleforresearchinganddocumentingtheneighborhood

anddemonstratingitssignificance.ArchitecturalhistorianKerriCulhanewashiredto

workonthenomination.

WhiletheNationalandStateRegisterofferspotentialincentivesandtaxcredits

forcontributingbuildingsinthehistoricdistricttomotivatepropertyownersand

developerstorenovatehistoricbuildings,localregisterdesignationismuchmore

powerfulinpreservingactualhistoricfabric.Oncelocallydesignated,abuildingis

protectedbythelocalpreservationagency.InNewYorkCity,theLPCissuesbuilding

permitstodesignatedlandmarksinordertomakesureproposedchangesare

compatiblewiththeoriginalarchitecturalfeatures.Mostimportantly,demolitionisnot

allowedunlessnecessary.Duetotheeffectivenessoflocaldesignationinpreserving

historicsites,theLESPIhasbeenattemptingtogetaNewYorkCityhistoricdistrict

designatedinChinatown.

DifferentfromtheTBNC,theLESPIwasformedasanot‐for‐profitpreservation

organizationbyagroupofpreservationistsandlocalresidentsin2007.103Itfocuseson

thepreservationofhistoricbuildingsandstreetscapesoftheLowerEastSide.According



102MargaretZamos‐Monteith,“StateDesignatesChinatown,LittleItalyOneHistoricDistrict,”TheLo‐

Down:NewsfromtheLowerEastSide,September24,2009,

http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2009/09/state‐designates‐chinatown‐little‐italy‐one‐historic‐

district.html.

103“What’sLESPI?,”LowerEastSidePreservationInitiative,accessedMarch27,2018,http://www.lespi‐

nyc.org/presentation.html.

59



toRichardMoses,thepresidentandfounderofLESPI,theorganizationregardsNew

YorkCitylandmarkingas“theonlyeffectivemeansofactuallyprotectingtheareain

termsofpreservingitsarchitectureandculture”.104Asaresult,sinceitsfounding,the

organizationhasbeenadvocatingforNewYorkCityhistoricdistrictdesignationinthe

LowerEastSideandatthesametimesupportingdesignationofindividuallandmarks.So

far,ithassuccessfullygottentheEast10thStreetHistoricDistrictdesignated,andithas

alsosupportedmanyindividuallandmarkdesignationssuchastheManhattanSavings

Bank.Currently,LESPIisaimingatdesignatingadistrictaroundtheTenementMuseum,

whileworkingonthedesignationofthehistoriccoreofChinatown,whichwillbetheir

nextpriority.105

LESPI’sworkonChinatownstartedin2016withasurveyofthehistoriccoreof

Chinatownforpotentialdesignation.Asshownonthemap,theareaisboundedby

Canal,Bowery,Worth,andBasterStreets(Figure4),whichcorrespondswiththe

boundariesofChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrictontheNationalRegister.Moses

workedintheLPCyearsagoandlearnedthesurveymethodthere.Theyappliedthe

surveymethodandratedbuildingsonabasisof1to5.Buildingswiththehighestquality

areassignednumber1,meaningthattheyhavethepotentialtobeindividually

landmarked.Number2buildingsareexamplesofpredominantbuildingtypeinthearea

withhighintegrity,regardedasprimarycontributingbuildings.InthecaseofChinatown,



104InterviewwithRichardMoses,interviewbyYuexianHuang,March25,2018.

105InterviewwithRichardMoses.

60



theseareintacttenementbuildings.Tenementbuildingsthathavebeenstrippedof

mostoftheirornamentsareassignednumber3,beingsecondarycontributingones.

Othercategoriesincludebackgroundbuildingandnon‐contributingbuildingorsite,such

asparkinglotsandplaygrounds.Aswecanseefromthemap,manybuildingsare

coloredredororange,indicatingthehighintegrityofthishistoricarea.Thus,itisworthy

tobelandmarkedandpreserved.



61



Figure4.ChinatownHistoricDistrictStudyAreabyLESPI.(MapprovidedbyRichardMoses,

PresidentofLESPI)



62



Rightnow,LESPIisintheprocessofgettingpoliticalsupportfromthe

community.AphotoessaybookonhistoricChinatownthattheyhavebeenworkingon

isscheduledforpublicationin2018.Thisbook,regardedbyMosesasatooltobring

people’sappreciationfortheneighborhood,isacollectionofworkbyChineseAmerican

photographersandChinesewritersinbothEnglishandCantonese.Toapproachmore

communitymembers,theyaretryingtogetsupportfrominfluentialChineseAmerican

CouncilmemberMargaretChin.TheyarealsoreachingouttotheChinatownWorking

Group,acommunity‐basedplanninginitiativewhoseworkfocuseson“affordability,

preservation,revitalizationandthesocialandeconomicwellbeingoffamilies,seniors

andyouths”.106LESPIhopestoworkwiththeChinatownWorkingGroupandother

communitygroupstogetpeoplefromthecommunityinterestedinthedesignation.In

additiontocollaboratingwithChineseAmericanleadersandcommunitygroups,LESPIis

planningtomakedirecteffortsbysettingatableintheneighborhoodtotalktopeople

andcollectpetitionsignatures.TheirnextstepalsoincludesreachingouttotheTwo

BridgesNeighborhoodCouncilandKerriCulhane,thearchitecturalhistorianwho

workedontheNationalRegisternomination.

Whentalkingaboutthechallengesofdesignatingalocalhistoricdistrict,Moses

highlightedthedifficultyofgettingsupportfromtheChinesecommunity.Accordingto

him,someChinese‐Americanpropertyownersdonotwanttheirbuildingstobe



106“Mission,”ChinatownWorkingGroup,accessedMarch26,2018,

http://www.chinatownworkinggroup.org/.

63



landmarkedduetopotentialrestrictionsontheirproperties.Amorecommonsituation

isthatmanycommunitymembersarenotawareofhistoricvalueoftheirneighborhood

ortheimportanceofhistoricpreservation.Luckily,alotofpeoplearereallyreceptive

whentheystarttothinkaboutpreservation.AccordingtoMoses,theyfindthat“alotof

peoplewhoseemtobenewtothinkingaboutpreservationbecomereceptiveto

preservingtheLowerEastSidewhen[they]starttospeaktothemaboutitandpointout

localhistoricbuildingsandstreetscapestothem.”107Butstill,thecommunityitselfisnot

veryactiveingettingtheirneighborhooddesignated.Theyhopetohavemembersof

theChinatowncommunityontheirboardtobridgethecommunication.

ItisveryexcitingthatLESPI,anon‐Chinese‐Americangroup,isputtingeffortson

designatingthehistoriccoreofChinatown.AsMosesputsit,membersfromthe

organizationareallultimatelyfromimmigrantfamiliesandtheyappreciatethehistory

ofChinatownasanimportantpartoftheAmericanstory,whichisgoingtodisappearif

theydonotdoanything.108Asitmovesforward,hopefullyitwillgainmoresupport

frombothinsideandoutsidethecommunity.

Asitisdetailedabove,theTBNCandtheLESPIbothusehistoricpreservation,

especiallydesignation,asatooltopreservethehistoricneighborhood.Althoughthey

approachdesignationofhistoricChinatownatdifferentpolicylevels,theirgoalsare

similar,whichistopreservehistoricbuildingsinthearea,valuethehistoryandculture



107InterviewwithRichardMoses.

108InterviewwithRichardMoses.

64



oftheChinesecommunity,andrecognizetheimportanceoftheirinfluenceinthe

historyofthecityandthecountry.Theworkofthesetwoorganizationshasbeen

benefittingtheChinesecommunityandislikelytobeagreatcontributionto

preservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesinNewYorkCity.



4.6OtherOrganizationsandCommunityGroups

Inadditiontothemainactorsdiscussedabove,someotherorganizationsand

communitygroupshaveincreasinglybecomeinvolved,ifindirectly,inpreservationwork

associatedwithChineseAmericanheritagesitesinNewYorkCity.Theirworkisnot

relatedtophysicalstructuresinChinatown,butinstead,theintangibleheritageofthe

Chinesecommunity,includingculturaltraditionsandoralhistory.Someofthemare

city‐wideculturalinstitutions,whichhavetemporaryexhibitionsandprogramsonthe

cultureorhistoryofChineseimmigrants.Somearenot‐for‐profitorganizationsrunby

ChineseAmericanswhohopetopreserveChinesecultureandtraditions.Therearealso

Chinatown‐basedcommunitygroupswhosemissionistoadvancethedevelopmentof

Chinatownbyofferingvariousplatformsforresidentstodiscussissues,concerns,and

potentialsolutions.BykeepinghistoricspacesinChinatownoccupiedandfunctioning,

theyhelppreservethephysicalfabric,eveniftheydosoindirectlyifnotunconsciously.

Theseorganizationsandcommunitygroups,althoughtheymightnotevenbeawareof

theideaofhistoricpreservation,neverthelessplaycriticalrolesinvariousways.

65



TheNew‐YorkHistoricalSociety(N‐YHS)andtheNewYorkPublicLibrary(NYPL)

aretwoculturalinstitutionsthathavepaidattentiontothehistoryofChinese

immigrants.AstheoldestmuseuminNewYorkCity,theN‐YHSwasfoundedin1804

andnowhasanimportantandextensivecollectionofart,objects,artifacts,and

documents.109Asoneofitseffortstoachieveitsgoalofexploringbroaderhistoryandits

meanings,itorganizedanexhibitionnamedChineseAmerican:Exclusion/Inclusionfrom

September26th,2014toApril19th,2015.ThisexhibitionunfoldedthehistoryofChinese

intheU.S.fromthelate18thcenturytothepresentday,coveringearlytradesbetween

thetwocountries,challengesofChineseimmigrations,andthelifeofAmerican‐born

Chinese.110Thisexhibition,availableonlineaswell,wasorganizedinpartnershipwith

theMOCA,whichwassimultaneouslyholdingitsexhibitionWavesofIdentityexploring

similartopics.WhiletheexhibitionatN‐YHSexaminedtheexperienceofChinese

immigrantsandChineseAmericansacrossthecountry,theoneinMOCAtookacloser

lookattheChineseAmericancommunityinNewYorkChinatown.Theconjunctionof

bothexhibitionscalledforcity‐wideattentiontotheChinesecommunityandtheir

history.TheexhibitionattheN‐YHSwasperhapsevenmoremeaningfulsinceitreached

abroadergroupofaudiencetowhomthosestorieswerenew.

Anothermajorculturalinstitution,theNYPL,hasalsobeenagreatresourcefor

cityresidentstolearnabouthistory.Establishedin1895,itisthelargestpubliclibrary



109“New‐YorkHistoricalSociety|About,”New‐YorkHistoricalSociety,accessedMarch28,2018,

http://www.nyhistory.org/about.

110“ChineseAmerican:Exclusion/Inclusion,”New‐YorkHistoricalSociety,accessedMarch29,2018,

http://chineseamerican.nyhistory.org/explore/introduction/.

66



systemintheU.S.111AspartofitsCommunityOralHistoryProject,thelibraryis

currentlycollectingoralhistoryabouttheChinatownneighborhood.Thisprojectwas

initiatedin2013byoneofitsbranches,theJeffersonMarketLibraryinGreenwich

Village,andithassofarcollectedoverathousandstoriesfromnearly20

communities.112FortheChinatownLegacyProject,previousandcurrentresidentsand

peoplewhoworkedorarestillworkingintheneighborhoodhavebeeninvitedtoshare

theirstoriestodocumentthepastandpresentofthiscommunity.Differentfromthe

exhibitionattheN‐YHS,theChinatownLegacyProjectoftheNYPLapproachesthe

historyofChineseimmigrantsandChineseAmericansinamuchsmallerscalebylooking

atgrass‐rootstoriesinaspecificneighborhood.Butsimilarly,theybothdelivera

messagethattheChinesecommunityisessential,andthatitsrichandcomplexhistory

shouldnotbeoverlooked.Thishelpstosetacity‐widecontexttounderstandthe

importanceofChineseAmericanheritagesites.

WithintheChinesecommunity,althoughthereisanapparentlackofinterestin

landmarkdesignations,peopledocareabouttheirhistoryandculture.Variouscultural

institutionsandcommunitygroupsrunbyChinesepeoplenotonlyconcentrateonthe

Chinatownneighborhood,butalsoonotherpartsofthecitywithChinesehistoryand

influence.ThesegroupsnotonlyexisttocarryontraditionsamongpeopleofChinese

descendants,butalsotopromoteChineseculturetoothercommunities.TaketheNew



111“AboutTheNewYorkPublicLibrary,”TheNewYorkPublicLibrary,accessedApril2,2018,

https://www.nypl.org/help/about‐nypl.

112“NYPLCommunityOralHistoryProject,”TheNewYorkPublicLibrary,accessedApril4,2018,

http://oralhistory.nypl.org/about.

67



YorkChineseCulturalCenter(NYCCC)asanexample.Foundedin1974ontheLower

EastSide,NYCCCaimsto“deepentheunderstandingandappreciationofChinese

cultureintheglobalandlocalcommunities”.113Ithasnowexpandedtobecomethe

leadingChineseculturalinstitutioninNewYorkCity.Byofferingmorethan3,000classes

andworkshopsinfiveboroughsandorganizingChineseperformance,NYCCChelpskeep

theculturalheritageoftheChinesecommunityaliveinthecity.Althoughitseemsthat

NYCCC’sworkhasnothingdirectlytodowithphysicalstructures,ifwelookatChinese

Americanheritagebroadly,culturalheritageisanindispensablepartofit.Most

importantly,thecommunityidentitythatisdefinedandstrengthenedbythesame

culturerootscanbetheunderlyingmotivatorthatencouragespeopletosavethe

tangiblepartoftheirheritage.

OtherplayersinpreservingthehistoricfabricofChinatownthatmightbeeasily

overlookedarethelocalcommunitygroupsthatarebasedinhistoricbuildingsin

Chinatown.Thesegroups,startedbyresidentswhocareabouttheirneighborhood,

usuallyuseexistingspacesinChinatowntoboostconversationsamongcommunity

members.TheW.O.WProjectisagreatexampleofthosegrass‐rootefforts.Basedina

historicporcelainstore,WingOnWo&Co.,inChinatown,thisprojectwasinitiatedin

2016byitscurrentowner,MeiLum,tofacethechallengingfutureofChinatown

througharts,cultureandactivism.114Themainissuethattheprojectisdealingwithis



113“NewYorkChineseCulturalCenterNYCCC|Mission,”NewYorkChineseCulturalCenterNYCCC,

accessedApril2,2018,http://www.nychineseculturalcenter.org/mission.

114“About,”WingonWo&Co.,accessedApril3,2018,

https://www.wingonwoand.co/aboutwowproject/.

68



Chinatown’sfasttransformationbroughtbygentrification.Asignisthatnewbusinesses

areopeningupinChinatown.“Whiletheyareverytrendy,theydon’thelpsustainthe

Chinatowncommunity,”saysEvanLouis,amemberofW.O.Wfamilyteam.115Totackle

neighborhoodchanges,theW.O.WProjecthasbeenhostingpanelsinthestoretobring

inChineseAmericanbusinessowners,artists,andotherpeoplefromthecommunity.

Thehistoricalspaceoffersasupportiveenvironmentforpeopletoshareissues,

concerns,andpotentialsolutionsinorderto“reclaimownershipoverChinatown’s

future”.116Here,thehistoricbuildingnotonlyfunctionsasastore,butalsoprovidesa

spacewherepeoplefeelconnectedtoeachotherandtoalargercontext.Althoughthe

teammembersdonotexplicitlyconnecttheirworktopreservation,thebuildinghas

generatednewsocialvalueinthisprocess,andthisisanotherwaybywhichahistoric

buildingispreservedandused.

InthecaseofW.O.WProject,thegrassrooteffortsareevenmoremeaningful

sincetheWingOnWo&Co.isnowtheoldeststoreinChinatown,whichaddsalot

historicvaluetothisbuilding(Figure5).Openedin1890byWalterEngat13Mott

Street,theshoplatermovedintothecurrentbuildingin1925,whichMr.Engbought

fromIrishowners.117Thenewlocationat26MottStreetistwobuildingsawayfrom32

MottStreet,whichoncehousedtheoldestChinatownstore,QuongYuenShing&Co.As

discussedabove,therewasanattempttodesignatetheQuongYuenShing&Co.



115TheW.O.WProject,W.O.WShortDocumentary,accessedApril4,2018,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtJ2UPBMeZE.

116“About.”

117“History,”WingonWo&Co.,accessedApril3,2018,https://www.wingonwoand.co/history/.

69



buildingasIndividualandInteriorLandmarks,butitfailed.TheQuongYuenShing&Co.

closedin2003duetotheaftermathof9/11.DifferentfromQuongYuenShing&Co.,

WingOnWo&Co.survives,andithasbeeninthefamilyforfivegenerations.However,

asothersmallbusinessesinChinatown,italsoencounteredcrisisbroughtby

gentrification.In2015,thefamilywasconsideringsellingthebuildingandgivingupthe

business.Luckily,MeiLumtookoverthefamilybusinessandsavedthehistoricspace.

Morethanthat,theW.O.WProjectsheinitiatedconnectsthehistoricstoretothelarger

Chinatowncommunity.Bybondingcommunitymemberstogetherinahistoricspace,

theW.O.WProject,alongwithothercommunitygroups,notonlypreservesthehistoric

buildingitoccupies,butalsoraisestheawarenessofneighborhoodpreservationamong

communitymembers.Thissetsafoundationforconservationoftheneighborhood.

Whathasbeendiscussedinthissectionareactorswhoplayminorbut

indispensablerolesinpreservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesinNewYorkCity.

WhileotherorganizationsworkeitheronidentificationanddesignationofChinese

Americanhistoricsitesorinterpretationofhistoricobjectsandhistoricbuildingsrelated

toChinesepeople,thesegroupsdonothaveanexplicitconnectionwithpreservationof

physicalstructuresinChinatown.Instead,theyfocusonintangibleaspectsofChinese

Americanheritage.City‐wideculturalinstitutionssuchastheN‐YHSandtheNYPLare

involvedintheconversationaboutChineseAmericanheritagebytellingthehistoryand

storiesofChineseimmigrants,whichsetsacontexttoappreciatethecontribution

Chinesecommunitymakestothecityandeventhecountry.Culturalinstitutions

70



organizedbytheChinesecommunity,liketheNYCCC,aimatpreservingandpromoting

theintangibleculturalheritageofChinesepeople,whichispartofhistoricpreservation

bylargerdefinition.Inaddition,byincreasingtheunderstandingofChineseculture

aroundthecity,suchactivityalsobringsattentiontothisethnicgroupanditsheritage.

Finally,allkindsofcommunitygroupsinChinatown,whethertheyfocusonculture,

economicdevelopmentorcivilengagement,allcontributetopreservationofhistoric

buildingsbyrevitalizingthosehistoricspacesandaddingnewvaluestothem.Most

importantly,thesegroupsarecriticalinshapingcommunityidentityandincreasing

communitypride.Collectively,theseorganizationsandgroups,althoughtheymaypay

littleexplicitattentiontothetangibleheritageofChineseimmigrants,actually

participateinphysicalpreservationunintentionally.Theirworkcouldleadtostronger

appreciationandrecognition,andthusbetterpreservationofChineseAmerican

heritagesitesinNewYorkCity.



71



Figure5.WingOnWo&Co.(PhotocredittoWingOnWo&Co.)





72



V.AnalysisandRecommendations

Asdescriedinlastchapter,variousorganizationsandcommunitygroupshavebeen

involvedinthepreservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesinbothexplicitand

implicitways.Althoughtodatethereisnoapparentrelationshipbetweenalocally

designatedlandmarkorhistoricdistrictandtheChinesecommunityinNewYorkCity,

thereareactuallymanygrassrootpreservationeffortsgoingoninthecity.However,

consideringthatNewYorkCityisaleadingpowerinthepreservationfield,andthatit

hasoneoftheoldestChinatownsandoneofthelargestChinesepopulationsinthe

country,currentpreservationworkseemsinsufficient.Toexplorewaystoimprovethe

preservationworkthere,itismorethannecessarytospeculateaboutthereasonswhy

thecityhasnotbeenactiveinpreservingChineseAmericanheritagesites.



5.1HistoryofChineseAmericansHasBeenOverlookedinTheNational,State,AndLocal

Context

ThelackofrecognitionandprotectionofChineseAmericanheritagesitesisnotspecific

toNewYorkCity.Itisanationalphenomenon,whichhasbeendeeplyrootedinthe

discriminationagainstChinesepeopleinthehistory.SincethefirstwaveofChinese

immigrationinthewestcoast,Chinesepeopleusedtobeexcludedfromthemain

society.ThehostilitytoChineseimmigrantsevenresultedinthenotoriousChinese

ExclusionActof1882,whichbannedtheentryofalmostallethnicChinesetothe

country.Althoughthesituationwasmitigatedbysomesubsequentlaws,suchasthe

73



Johnson‐ReedActof1924andtheChineseExclusionRepealActof1943,theracialbias

towardsChineseimmigrants,andotherimmigrantsaswell,wasmaintainedbyaseries

ofrestrictionswritteninlaws.BeforetheImmigrationandNaturalizationActof1965,

whichabolishedtheimmigrationquotasystembasedonnationalorigin,thelifeof

Chineseimmigrantswaslimitedindiverseways.Inadditiontolimitedentryandlittle

chancetogetnaturalized,theywereevennotallowedtoownbusinessesand

properties.Althoughithasbeenmorethan50yearssincediscriminationlawsagainst

Chineseimmigrantswereabolished,thenation‐wideprejudicestillexiststovarying

degreesinthesociety,andisnotlikelytovanishinthenearfuture.

SincetheChineseethnicgrouphasbeenhistoricallylookeddownuponinthe

country,theirheritageshavethusbeenoverlookedforalongtime.Itwasnotuntil

recentyearsthatthemainstreamsocietystartedtopayattentiontothisgroupandtheir

stories.ThisisthesamesituationasitisaboutAfricanAmericanheritage.However,

althoughAfricanAmericanheritagehasbeengainingincreasingattention,thereisstill

moreworkneededtomakeChineseAmerican’shistoryvisibleandrecognizedbythe

public.TopreserveChineseAmericanheritage,acriticalpremiseisthatpeople

appreciatethehistoryofChineseimmigrants.Thelackofappreciationnotonlyexistsin

NewYorkCity,butalsoinotherurbanandruralareas.Thus,thefirststeptoimprove

thepreservationworkwouldbetoeducatethepublic,infederal,state,andlocallevels,

abouttheimportantcontributionthatChineseimmigrantsmadetothehistoryofthe

U.S.Thisneedsinputsfromnotonlypreservationorganizationsandagencies,butalso

74



otheragencies,organizations,andinstitutionswhoseworkisnotpreservation‐related.

ExamplesatthenationallevelincludeAsian/PacificAmericanHeritageMonthandAsian

AmericanandPacificIslanderHeritageThemeStudies.Theseprogramshelpseta

nationalcontexttobetterunderstandChineseAmericanheritageandwhyitmatters.At

thelocallevel,sucheducationalprojectsastheexhibitionChineseAmerican:

Exclusion/InclusionintheN‐YHSandtheChinatownLegacyProjectinitiatedbytheNYPL

couldsetanexampleforotherorganizations.

However,effortsatthestatelevelaremissingrightnow,especiallyfromthe

SHPO.Currently,itparticipatesinthepreservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesin

apassiveway.ThisisexemplifiedbythedesignationofChinatownandLittleItaly

NationalRegisterHistoricDistrict.Here,theSHPOdiditsjobasareviewerand

supervisorofthenominationreport,butisonlyinvolvedincertainsituationsafterthe

designation,suchaswhenSection106istriggered.Whatitcandomoreistoactively

identifysitesrelatedtoChineseAmericans,correspondingwiththeideaofthe

StatewideHistoricResourcesSurveyithasbeenworkingon.Althoughithasstarted

focusingonthediversityofculturalresourcesinNewYorkState,ChineseAmerican

heritage,evenAsianAmericanheritageinalargerscale,hasnotgainedenough

attention.

75



Asamodeltolearnfrom,inCalifornia,culturaldiversityhasbeenidentifiedasa

significantsubjectinculturalresourcessurveyssince1979.118In2017,theCalifornia

OfficeofHistoricPreservationwasawardedanUnderrepresentedCommunityGrant

fromtheNationalParkServicetodevelopahistoriccontextstatementidentifying

resourcesrelatedtoAAPIcommunities.119TheAAPIhistoriccontextisintendedtowork

asaframeworkforfuturenominationsofAAPIheritagetotheNationalRegister.The

reasonwhytheCaliforniaOfficeofHistoricPreservationhasbeensoproactivein

preservingAAPIheritageisthatithasmoreculturaldiversityandalargerAAPI

populationthere.Also,theAAPIcommunitythereismoreinterestedandactivein

preservingtheirheritage,asexemplifiedbythefoundingofAsianandPacificIslander

AmericansinHistoricPreservation(APIAHiP)in2007,anationalpreservation

organizationfocusingonAAPIheritagefoundedinLosAngeles.TolearnfromCalifornia,

theNewYorkStateHistoricPreservationOfficecouldinitiateanAAPIcontextsurvey,

similartotheAsianAmericanandPacificIslanderHeritageThemeStudies.Asa

systematicefforttodocumentthehistoryofthecommunity,itwouldmakeiteasierto

nominatesitesassociatedwithAsianAmericans,includingChineseAmericans,tothe

StateandNationalRegisters.



118CaliforniaOfficeofHistoricPreservation,“SustainablePreservation:California’sStatewideHistoric

PreservationPlan,2013‐2017,”2013,

http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1069/files/SustainablePreservation_CaliforniaStatePlan_2013to2017.pdf.

119JayCorreia,“GrantAwardedtoDocumentCalifornia’sAsianAmericanandPacificIslanderHistory,”

CaliforniaDepartmentofParksandRecreation,June1,2017,https://www.parks.ca.gov/.

76



 Therefore,thefirststeptoimprovethepreservationworkinNewYorkCity

aboutChineseAmericanheritagesitesistosetahistoriccontextwithinwhichtobetter

understandandappreciatethehistoryofChineseAmericans,andthroughthatto

identifyappropriatedesignationopportunities.Itneedscontinuousworkfromvarious

organizationsatthefederal,state,andlocallevels.Amongthem,preservationagencies

areessentialinawaythattheyhavethepowerandresourcestoinfluencepeople’s

attitudestowardsbothChinesepeopleandtheirtangibleheritage.



5.2CurrentPoliciesofThePreservationAgencyAreNotEfficientEnough

Atthelocallevel,asthemunicipalpreservationagencyresponsibleforidentification,

preservationandregulationofNewYorkCitylandmarksandhistoricdistricts,theLPC

hasmoreworktodotosupportpreservationofChineseAmericanheritagesites.

ComparedwiththeNationalandNewYorkStateRegistersofHistoricPlaces,local

designationhasfarmorepowerfuljurisdictionoverhistoricbuildingsandhistoric

districts.Ithelpspreventthemfromdemolitionandregulatesalterationsofhistoric

buildingstopreservetheirintegrity.Thus,itisthemostpowerfulwaytopreservethe

physicalstructuresofChineseAmericanheritage.However,thereissofarnohistoric

siteordistrictrelatedtotheChinesecommunityunderLPC’sprotection.Ifthiscan

change,itwouldbeaneffectivetooltopreserveChineseAmericanheritage.

ThemainreasonwhyLPChasbeeninefficientindesignatingChineseAmerican

heritagesitesisthatitsdesignationcriteriaarevaguetosomedegreeandits

77



interpretationsonthosecriteriahavetendedtofavorarchitecturalsignificance.Asa

result,mostdesignatedlandmarkseitheraredistinguishableexamplesofsome

architecturalstyleorhavedistinctivearchitecturalcharacteristics.Historicbuildings

associatedwithChineseimmigrants,however,usuallyhavefeaturelessexteriorsand

interiors.ThiscouldbeexplainedbythehistoricalexperienceofChineseimmigrants.

WhentheyfirstcametotheU.S.,theyworkedaslaborersanddidnothavethefinancial

abilitytobuyhouses.Lateritwasevenprohibitedbylawtoowntheirpropertiesand

businesses.Whentheywerefinallyabletopurchaseorbuildtheirhomes,asMichelle

Magalong,theExecutiveDirectorofAPIAHiP,putsit,theydidnothave“theresourcesin

termsofpeopleorthematerialstobuildthatsamekindofarchitecturalstyleinthe

homelandhereintheU.S”.120Eveniftheydid,peoplemorethanlikelychosenottodo

soforfearofbeingeasily“targetedfordiscriminationorviolent”andbeing“forcedto

destroy[their]buildings”.121Moreover,inNewYorkCity,mostChineseimmigrants

arrivedattheLowerEastSidelaterthanearlyEuropeanimmigrants,soinmanycases

theyboughtbuildingsfromearlierimmigrants.

SuchhistoricreasonscontributetothefactthathistoricsitesrelatedtoChinese

immigrantsareusuallynotarchitecturallydistinctive.Instead,theirvalueslieincultural

andsocialaspects.Togettheirvaluesrecognized,itrequiresabroaderuseofthe

existingdesignationcriteria.Infact,ifweexaminethesecondcriterionofIndividual



120InterviewwithMichelleMagalong,interviewbyYuexianHuang,February2,2018.

121InterviewwithMichelleMagalong.

78



Landmarkcarefully,whichsays“aspecialcharacterorspecialhistoricaloraesthetic

interestorvalueaspartofthedevelopment,heritage,orculturalcharacteristicsofthe

City,state,ornation”,wewouldfindthatitdoesmention“culturalcharacteristics”.122

Comparedwithhistoricalandaestheticvalues,however,culturalvalueismoreoften

overlookedinlocaldesignations.Ifthiscriterioncanbegivenmoreattentionandbe

interpretedmorebroadly,therewillbemuchmorechanceforChineseAmerican

heritagesitestoberepresentedinlocalregisterandthusbeprotected.

Inaddition,theLPCcouldalsobemoreproactiveintermsofidentificationof

significantChineseAmericanheritagesites,includingconductingsurveystodetermine

potentiallandmarksandtofindoutunknownstoriesofexistinglandmarks.LiketheNew

YorkSHPO,theLPCisnotactivelyinvolvedindesignationofChineseAmericanheritages

sites.Asolutiontothisistoinitiateacity‐widesurveytoidentifyanddocumentChinese

American’shistoricresources.Asanexample,LosAngeleshasbeenworkingona

projectcalledSurveyLAsince2010.FollowingtheleadoftheNationalParkService’s

themestudies,theCityofLAispracticingitonacitylevel.AspartoftheSurveyLA,an

AsianAmericanContextStatementisunderdevelopmentcurrently,whichwill“identify

themesandrelatedhistoricresourcesassociatedwiththecity’sJapanese,Filipino,Thai,

Korean,andChineseAmericancommunities”.123Thissurveyissignificantinthat,instead



122NYCLandmarksPreservationCommission,“LandmarkTypesandCriteria‐LPC,”accessedApril17,

2018,http://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/designations/landmark‐types‐criteria.page.

123“WorkontheSurveyLAAsianAmericanContextsContinues,”OfficeofHistoricResources,CityofLos

Angeles,June1,2017,https://preservation.lacity.org/news/work‐surveyla‐asian‐american‐contexts‐

continues.

79



ofaskingasmallstackofpreservationiststodothefieldwork,itreachesouttothefive

communitiesandaskthemtocontribute.Thisapproachisapplicableinothercitiesand

NewYorkcandefinitelylearnfromit.

What’smore,theLPCcanalsoworkonnewinterpretationsofdesignated

landmarks.Infact,thisisnotanewapproachinLPCsinceithasworkedforprojectslike

NYCLandmarksandTheVoteat100:AnInteractiveStory.Theideaofthatprojectwas

tolookforassociationsbetweensuffragistsandalready‐designatedhistoricbuildings

andrelatesocialhistorytoactualplaces.Sinceearlydesignationreportstypicallyonly

tellthearchitecturalhistoryofthosebuildings,suchprojectshelpcompletetheirfull

stories.IftheLPCcouldinitiateasimilarprojecttargetingChineseimmigrants,itwould

certainlyfindsomeunknownstoriesofexistinglandmarksaboutChineseimmigrants.To

workmoreefficiently,itcancollaboratewithpeoplefromthecommunity.Inthisway,

storiesthatwereoverlookedinthepastwillbecomevisible.Sincethosebuildingsare

alreadyconsideredsignificant,itiseasierforthepublictorecognizetheirothervalues.

Iftheagencycouldpracticeandprioritizethesetwosuggestions,itwouldincreasenot

onlythevisibilityofChinesecommunitybutalsotherecognitionoftheirheritages.

AnotherreasonwhyLPChasbeenlessthanproactiveinsuchworkisthatits

worklargelyreliesonitslimitedstaff.Theyareresponsibleforconductingsurveys,

answeringRFEs,writingnominations,andreviewingbuildingpermits.Giventhatthecity

hasalreadyhad36,000historicproperties,itishardtobalanceitsenergybetween

managingcurrenthistoricalresourcesandidentifyingnewones.Engaginglocal

80



communities,asmentionedabove,wouldincreasetheagency’sefficiencyinpotential

newdesignations.Besides,intermsofnominationreportsandrelatedresearch,theLPC

couldconsiderchangingthepolicythatonlystaffmemberscanwritenomination.An

exampleisthatinPhiladelphia,anyonecannominateahistoricbuildingandcompile

nominationreports.Thiscouldpotentiallyreducepressuresonstaffmembers.



5.3StoriesAreNotFullyExploredinCurrentlyRecognizedHeritageSites

TheideaofChineseAmericanheritagesiteshasabroadermeaningthansitesbuiltbyor

completelyownedbyChinesepeople.Sincetheconnectionbetweenasiteandthe

Chinesecommunityishardtotellbytheappearanceofthebuilding,itiseasytoignore

storiesofChineseinthebuildingifnocarefulresearchisconducted.Toexplorethefull

storiesofhistoricbuildings,inputsfromallkindsofstakeholdersareneeded.

Firstofall,assuggestedabove,theLPCcouldinitiateaprojecttofindoutthe

unknownstoriesofChineseimmigrantsandChineseAmericansassociatedwithalready‐

designatedlandmarks.Sinceearlynominationsfordesignationstendtovaluebuildings

withdistinctivearchitecturalfeaturesandassociationwithheroesandothergreat

people,theyusuallytellonlypartofthestory.InthecaseofChineseimmigrants,we

shouldalsonoticethatLPCwasfoundedin1965,thesameyearastheenactmentofthe

ImmigrationandNaturalizationActof1965.Thismeansthatearlylandmarkswere

designatedwhenthehistoryofChineseimmigrantsstartedtogetrecognition,oreven

beforemanystorieshappenedbecausealargewaveofChineseimmigrantsarrivedat

81



NewYorkCityafter1965.Therefore,therearesomerichandcomplexstoriesthat

remainunwrittenindesignationreports.Forinstance,theFirstChinesePresbyterian

Churchat61HenryStreetwasdesignatedasanIndividualLandmarkin1966.However,

thebuildingwasthennamedSeaandLandChurch,andthedesignationwasbasedonits

attractiveGeorgian‐GothicstyleanditsassociationwithColonelHenryRutgers,the

RevolutionaryWarpatriot.124Itwasnotuntil1972thatthechurchbuildingwas

presentedtotheChinesecommunity,whorenovateditastheFirstChinesePresbyterian

Church.125Undoubtedly,thisbuildingishistoricallyandculturallysignificanttoChinese

people,butthedesignationreportwaswrittenlongbeforethesignificanttransition

happened.Thus,itwasnotabletorecordthishistoryevenifthenominatorswantedto.

Eventoday,thebuildingisshownonLPC’sNYCLandmarksInteractiveMapunderthe

nameofNorthernReformedChurch,whichcantotallyhavebeenavoided.Inorderto

representtheChinesecommunitymoreinthelocalregister,inadditiontodesignating

newbuildings,theLPCcanmakesomeeffortstolookatdesignatedlandmarksin

Chinatown,especiallythosefromearlydays,tofillsuchgapsofmissinghistory.

 Secondly,non‐profitorganizationsthataremanaginghistoricsitesneedto

explorethefullstoryoftheirbuildings.Thisadviceissuitableforallheritages,especially

thoserelatedtominoritygroups.InthecaseofChineseAmericanheritagesites,these

mostlyconcentratearoundtheChinatownneighborhood.Geographically,managersand



124LandmarksPreservationCommission,SeaandLandChurchDesignationreport(LP‐0094)(NewYork:

CityofNewYork,1966).

125Li,“CommercialismandIdentityPoliticsinNewYork’sChinatown.”

82



ownersofhistoricsiteslocatedaroundthisareacouldtakemoreresponsibilitytofind

outwhethertherearestoriesofChineseimmigrantsintheirbuildings.TheTenement

MuseumlocatedattheedgeofChinatownistakingaleadonthis.Asahighlyregarded

historicsitelistedintheNationalRegister,itkeepsresearchingthehistoryofitstwo

tenementbuildingstotellmorestoriesofimmigrants.Whatshouldbenoticedisthat

evenfortheTenementMuseum,on‐siteinterpretationsonhistoryofChinese

immigrantsisnew.However,itcouldstillactasanexampleforotherhistoricsitesto

learnfrom.

 ExploringstoriesofChineseimmigrantsinrecognizedheritagesiteswouldbean

efficienttooltomakethehistoryofChineseimmigrantsvisible.Sinceexistingsiteshave

hadagroupofaudienceswhoalreadyrecognizetheirheritagevalueandhaveinterests

ontheirhistory,itmaybeeasierforthosepeopletoreceivenewinformationabout

unknownstorieshappenedinthebuildings.Inthisway,thenotionofChineseAmerican

heritagesitesisbroadenedinawaythatitincorporatessiteswhereChinesepeople

oncelivedorworked,althoughtheymightnotbethedominantgroupinthebuilding.



5.4TheLocalCommunityIsLackofRecognitiononHistoricPlacesandHistoricPreservation

IfwelookatthemainplayersinpreservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesinNew

YorkCity,itissurprisingthatmostpreservationeffortstodatehavebeenfrompeople

outsidetheChinesecommunity.AsforChineseAmericans,theypaymuchmore

attentiontointangibleheritage,suchashistory,cultural,andtradition.Andwhenthey

83



talkaboutthese,theydonotusuallymakeconnectionstoactualplaces.Although

intangibleheritageiscriticaltoChineseAmericanheritage,physicalplacesarealso

crucialsincetheyhelpusrememberthehistory,embodyouridentity,andcreatea

senseofcontinuitythatistangibleandstable.BetterpreservationofChineseAmerican

heritagesitesrequiresdirectandsustainedcontributionsfromtheChineseAmerican

community.Thus,moreeducationintheChineseAmericancommunityisdesiredto

helpthemunderstandandadvocatefortheimportanceofphysicalplacesand

preservationwork.

 ThedisconnectionbetweenChineseAmerican’sintangibleheritageandhistoric

spaceshasvariousreasons.Firstly,itisrootedinthehistoryofChineseimmigration.For

alongtime,earlyChineseimmigrantsweremovingaroundandwerenotattachedto

specificbuildings.Also,theprohibitiononpropertyownership,fearofdiscrimination

andlackofresourcesallhavemadeitnearlyimpossibleforChineseimmigrantstomark

theiridentityonbuildings.Consequently,thehistoryofChineseimmigrantsisnot

necessarilytoldbybuildings,atleasttheearlyhistory,whichhelpstoexplainwhy

Chineseimmigrantsfeellessconnectedtophysicalstructures.Intermsofcultureand

tradition,asdescribedabove,thereareseveralculturalinstitutionsorganizedby

ChineseAmericansaroundthecitywithagoaltopreserveandpromotethe

understandingofChineseculture.Thus,peoplefromtheChinesecommunitydocare

abouttheirculture.However,maintainingthesecultureandtraditionsdoesnot

necessarilyrelyonaparticularspace.Instead,theypassthroughpeopletopeople,

84



generationstogenerations.Infact,theywerenotevengeneratedintheAmerican

context,butwerecarriedtothecountrybyimmigrantsfromdifferentperiods.

Therefore,intermsofculturalactivities,Chinesepeoplearenottiedtoplaceseither.

 However,placesdomatter,becausetheyarewherehistoryhappenedand

wherestoriesaretold.SinceChineseimmigrantsstartedtocongregateinChinatown,its

buildingshavebeenmeaningfultolocalresidentssincetheycarrycommunitymemories

andstabilizetheirsenseofbelonging.Communitymembers,whethertheyrealizeitor

not,havebeendoingworkdirectlyorindirectlyrelatedtopreservationofthehistoric

fabricintheneighborhood.SomesentRFEstotheLPChopingtopreservehistoric

buildingsthroughlocaldesignation.Otherskeephistoricspacesfunctioningandattach

newvaluestothembycreativeandactiveutilization,suchasWingOnWo&Co.

buildingandtheW.O.WProject.Alltheseeffortsarehelpingtokeepphysicalstructures

ofChinatownintact.

 Therehavebeencommonlysharedmisunderstandingstowardshistoric

preservationandpreservationagencieswithintheChinesecommunity.Business

owners,propertyowners,anddevelopersespecially,duetothefearoftheregulations

broughtbylandmarkstatus,areusuallyagainstlandmarkdesignation,andthis

perspectiveisnotuniquetotheChinesecommunity.Itisidentifiedasoneofthe

challengesbyLESPIindesignationofalocalhistoricdistrictinChinatown.Todealwith

this,itisnecessarytoletcommunitymembersknowofthebenefitsofdesignation.

Particularly,educationaboutfinancialbenefits,suchastaxcreditsandotherincentives,

85



wouldbeagoodwaytoapproachthis.AsstatedbyMichelleMagalong,“wehaveto

alsodemystifythemythofhistoricpreservationinourcommunity,particularlywith

propertyowners…thebeststepistojusthavebetterawarenessofwhatitisandwhat

thebenefitsareforeverybody”.126

 Inall,asthosewhoactuallyliveinChinatownandusethehistoricbuildings

there,theChinesecommunitymustbethekeyplayerinpreservationofChinese

Americanheritagesites.Currently,communitymembersarenotactiveenoughin

preservationwork.Toimprovethesituation,educationisneededabouttheimportance

ofbothhistoricplacesandhistoricpreservation.IftheChinesecommunitycanoffer

moresupport,itwouldbeeasiertoidentify,designate,andpreservesitesrelatedto

ChineseimmigrantsandChineseAmericans.



5.5CollaborationsAmongDifferentPlayersAreInsufficient

Lastly,preservationofChineseAmericanheritagesitesshouldbeacollectiveeffort.

Differentpreservationagencies,organizations,culturalinstitutes,andcommunity

groupsarenowparticipatinginthispreservationworkinvariousways.Someofthem

aredoingsimilarprojects;forexample,theNYPL,theTenementMuseum,andChinese‐

AmericanPlanningCouncilareallcollectingoralstoriesfromChineseAmericans.Some

havehadcooperationforcertainprogramsovertheyears;forinstance,MOMAshared

itsarchivalmaterialswiththeTenementMuseumtorecreateagarmentshopspacefor



126InterviewwithMichelleMagalong.

86



itsnewexhibitUnderOneRoof,anditalsolentsomeofitscollectiontotheN‐YHSforits

exhibitiononChineseAmerican:Exclusion/Inclusion.However,inmostcases,these

playersdonotcommunicatewitheachotherandcollaborateasmuchastheymight.

Sinceeachorganizationhaslimitedenergy,people,andresources,thelackof

communicationhasmadethepreservationworkinefficient.

Collaborationsareneededinthreeaspectstoimprovepreservationwork.First,

preservationagenciesandotherculturalinstitutionsshouldworktogetherinsettinga

national,state,andlocalcontexttounderstandthehistoryofChineseimmigrationand

increasethevisibilityandappreciationofrelatedheritagesites.Thisisthefrontstageof

thepreservationwork.Secondly,intermsofidentificationofsignificantsites,although

preservationagenciesshouldtakethelead,discussionsamongstaffmembers,

preservationists,communitymembers,andotherprofessionalsaremoreimportantfor

effectivedeterminationofhistoricresourcesofChineseimmigrants.Thiswouldleadto

potentialdesignationofhistoricsitesinalllevels.Here,everyoneplaysitsdistinctive

role.TheengagementoftheChinesecommunityisthekeysincetheyaretheonly

peoplewhoknowthebestaboutsocialhistoriesbehindthoseordinaryfaçadesof

historicbuildings.Grassrootpreservationorganizationsarealsoessentialsincetheyhelp

boostcommunicationbetweenthepreservationagencyandcommunitymembers.The

preservationagency,whichactuallydesignateslandmarks,wouldhelpguidetheprocess

andconductdocumentationworklatertomakeiteasierforfuturedesignation.Finally,

87



intermsofinterpretationofhistoricsites,culturalinstitutionsshouldsharetheir

informationandresourcestohelpeachotherworkmoreefficiently.



88



VI.Conclusion

WehavebeenheresincetheCivilWarandwehavebeencontributingtotheAmerican

societyforareallylongtime.127

AlthoughtheChinesecommunityinNewYorkCityisunderrepresentedinthe

city’sdesignatedhistoriclandmarksandhistoricdistricts,basedontheexaminationof

currenteffortsrelatedtopreservationofChineseAmericanheritagesites,thereare

actuallyvariousgroupswhohaveplayedtheirrolesinthepreservationworkthatlaythe

seedsfordesignationsinthefuturewhilegoingbeyondit.Someofthemparticipate

directlyinthepreservationofphysicalstructuresinChinatown,includingStateand

municipalpreservationagencies,MOCA,theTenementMuseum,theTBNC,andthe

LESPI,andeachcontinuestomakeitsdistinctivecontribution.TheSHPOwasinvolvedin

thedesignationprocessofChinatownandLittleItalyNationalRegisterHistoricDistrict,

butitdoesnotmonitoranyphysicalchangesafterthedesignationexceptforcertain

situations.TheLPC,althoughithasthemostpowerinregulatinghistoricbuildingsand

historicdistricts,isinefficientindesignatingChineseAmericanheritagesites,or

informingstoriesoftheChinesecommunityinexistinglandmarks.MOCA,asamuseum

specializingonhistoryofChineseimmigrants,focusesmoreoninterpretationof

historicalobjectsthanhistoricspaces.TheTenementMuseumexemplifieshowtotell

thefullhistoryofahistoricsiteandisexploringmoreinterpretationabouttheChinese

communityinNewYorkCity.RegardingtheChineseimmigrantsasanessentialpartof



127InterviewwithMichelleMagalong.

89



thecity’shistory,theTBNChassuccessfullysupportedthedesignationofChinatown

andLittleItalyNationalRegisterHistoricDistrict.Similarly,theLESPIisworkingona

localhistoricdistrictdesignationonChinatown.Alltheseagenciesandorganizationsare

essentialanddistinctiveactorsinidentifying,designating,andinterpretingChinese

Americanheritagesites.Inaddition,otherorganizations,suchastheN‐YHSandNYPL,

andlocalcommunitygroups,althoughtheyfocusontheintangiblepartofChinese

Americanheritage,alsoindirectlycontributetothepreservationoftangibleheritage.

Theirworkeithercontributestosettingacity‐widecontexttounderstandthe

significanceofChineseAmericanheritageoradaptivelyreuseshistoricspacesin

Chinatowntokeepthosebuildingsalive.

Eventhoughvariousagencies,organizationsandgroupshavebeenengagedin

allkindsofpreservationworktoprotectthehistoricChinatown,giventhelow

awarenessofChineseAmericanheritageinNewYorkCity,moreneedstobedoneto

makeimprovements.Collaborationamongallthosegroupsisthemostessential,since

eachofthemhaslimitedresourcesintermsofpeople,money,andknowledge.By

gettingthemtogetherandboostingtheircommunications,theywouldbeabletowork

moreefficientlytowardsthesamegoal.Beyondthat,eachgrouphastoimproveitsown

work.Forexample,preservationagencieshavetobemoreactiveinidentificationof

historicresourcesrelatedtoChineseimmigrantsandChineseAmericans.Also,

recognizedhistoricsitesthatincludethehistoryofChineseimmigrantscoulddomore

interpretationtotellthosestoriesthatusedtobeinvisibletothepublic.Moreover,the

90



ChinesecommunityhastorealizetheimportanceofhistoricbuildingsinChinatownand

themeaningofhistoricpreservation.Inall,theessentialfirststep,accordingtoFranklin

Odo,iseducation.128Thisnotonlyincludeseducationtopeoplefromoutsidethe

ChinesecommunitytoincreaseappreciationofChineseimmigrants,theircontribution

tothesociety,andtheirvaluablephysicalimprints,butalsoeducationtopeoplewithin

thecommunityaboutbenefitsofpreservingtheirheritageinsocial,historical,and

financialaspects.Thus,beyondallgroupsdiscussedinthispaper,preservationof

ChineseAmericanheritageinNewYorkCity,andinotherplacesaswell,needsnation‐

wideeffortsfrompreservationanditsrelatedfields.

AlthoughChineseimmigrantsandtheirdescendantshavebeenhereintheU.S.

foralongtime,theirhistoryandheritagestartedtogetrecognizednotlongago.

Preservingtheirheritageisnotmerelyaboutpreservingtheirstoriesandpassingthem

tothefuturegenerationforthisspecificethnicgroup,butalsoisforthewholesociety

tounderstandhowdiversethesocietyisandhowChinesepeoplehavebeen

contributingtothebuiltenvironment.Moreover,itisaboutincreasingthevisibilityof

thisminoritygroupandbringingthemmoresocialjustice.Inthisway,historic

preservationisnotanenditself,butameanstoalargersocialend.







128InterviewwithFranklinOdo.

91



Bibliography

“About.”WingonWo&Co.AccessedApril3,2018.

https://www.wingonwoand.co/aboutwowproject/.

“About|MuseumofChineseinAmerica(MOCA).”AccessedMarch22,2018.

http://www.mocanyc.org/about/.

“AboutTheNewYorkPublicLibrary.”TheNewYorkPublicLibrary.AccessedApril2,2018.

https://www.nypl.org/help/about‐nypl.

“AboutTheTenementMuseum.”AccessedMarch24,2018.

http://www.tenement.org/about.html.

Acolin,Arthur,andDomenicVitiello.“WhoOwnsChinatown:NeighborhoodPreservationand

ChangeinBostonandPhiladelphia.”UrbanStudies,April19,2017,1–21.

Alanen,ArnoldR.,andRobertMelnick.“PreservingCulturalLandscapesinAmerica.”Baltimore:

JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress,2000.

AustraliaICOMOSInc.“TheBurraCharter,1999.”Scribd.AccessedMarch29,2018.

https://www.scribd.com/document/342771580/The‐Burra‐Charter‐1999.

Barthel,Diane.“HistoricPreservation:AComparativeAnalysis.”SociologicalForum4,no.1

(1989):87–105.

Birmingham,Rebecca.“SmashorSave:TheNewYorkCityLandmarksPreservationActandNew

ChallengestoHistoricPreservationNotesandComments.”JournalofLawandPolicy19

(2010):271–306.

Brown,David.“Preservationinthe21stCentury:PreservationIsAboutPeople,”July8,2014.

http://forum.savingplaces.org/blogs/forum‐online/2014/07/08/preservation‐in‐the‐

21st‐century‐preservation‐is‐about‐people.

Burke,Kenneth.AttitudesTowardHistory,ThirdEdition:WithaNewAfterword.Universityof

CaliforniaPress,1984.

CaliforniaOfficeofHistoricPreservation.“SustainablePreservation:California’sStatewide

HistoricPreservationPlan,2013‐2017,”2013.

http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/pages/1069/files/SustainablePreservation_CaliforniaStatePlan_

2013to2017.pdf.

Chen,Michelle.“ACulturalCrossroadsatthe‘BloodyAngle’:TheChinatownTongsandthe

DevelopmentofNewYorkCity’sChineseAmericanCommunity.”JournalofUrban

History40,no.2(March1,2014):357–79.

“ChineseAmerican:Exclusion/Inclusion.”New‐YorkHistoricalSociety.AccessedMarch29,2018.

http://chineseamerican.nyhistory.org/explore/introduction/.

Correia,Jay.“GrantAwardedtoDocumentCalifornia’sAsianAmericanandPacificIslander

History.”CaliforniaDepartmentofParksandRecreation,June1,2017.

https://www.parks.ca.gov/.

Davis,Lisa.“TheTenementMuseumExplorestheLivesofThreePost‐WorldWarIIFamilies.”

AccessedMarch11,2018.https://savingplaces.org/stories/the‐tenement‐museum‐

explores‐the‐lives‐of‐three‐post‐world‐war‐ii‐

families?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social.

Dubrow,GailLee.“AsianAmericanImprintsontheWesternLandscape.”PreservingCultural

LandscapesinAmerica,2000,143–68.

92



EnglishHeritage.SustainingtheHistoricEnvironment:NewPerspectivesontheFuture.London:

EnglishHeritage,1997.

Fernando,NishaA.“CultureandIdentityinUrbanStreets:ACaseStudyofChinatown,NewYork

City.”UniversityofWisconsin‐Milwaukee,2007.

Frey,BrunoS.“TheEvaluationofCulturalHeritage:SomeCriticalIssues.”InEconomic

PerspectivesonCulturalHeritage,31–49.NewYork:St.Martin’sPress,1997.

FurmanCenterforRealEstateandUrbanPolicy.“TheChangingRacialandEthnicMakeupof

NYCNeighborhoods,”May2012.http://furmancenter.org/research/publication/the‐

changing‐racial‐and‐ethnic‐makeup‐of‐nyc‐neighborhoods.

Guest,KennethJ.“FromMottStreettoEastBroadway:FuzhouneseImmigrantsandthe

RevitalizationofNewYork’sChinatown.”JournalofChineseOverseas7,no.1(January1,

2011):24–44.

“History.”TwoBridgesNeighborhoodCouncil.AccessedMarch26,2018.

https://twobridges.org/about‐us/history/.

“History.”WingonWo&Co.AccessedApril3,2018.https://www.wingonwoand.co/history/.

Hosmer,CharlesB.“PreservationComesofAge:FromWilliamsburgtotheNationalTrust,1926‐

1949.”BulletinoftheAssociationforPreservationTechnology12,no.3(1980):20–27.

Howe,Kathy.“ChinatownandLittleItalyHistoricDistrict,”February12,2010.

InterviewwithAnniePolland.InterviewbyYuexianHuang,February25,2018.

InterviewwithFranklinOdo.InterviewbyYuexianHuang,January23,2018.

InterviewwithMichelleMagalong.InterviewbyYuexianHuang,February2,2018.

InterviewwithRichardMoses.InterviewbyYuexianHuang,March25,2018.

Joeckel,Jeff,ShannonDavis,RustinQuaide,andTheresaCampbell‐Page.“ChinatownandLittle

ItalyHistoricDistrict,”May1,2010.

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/asia/2010/chinatown_little_italy_hd.htm.

Kaufman,Ned.Place,Race,andStory:EssaysonthePastandFutureofHistoricPreservation.

NewYork:Routledge,2009.

Kazal,RussellA.“MigrationHistoryinFiveStories(andaBasement):TheLowerEastSide

TenementMuseum.”JournalofAmericanEthnicHistory34,no.4(2015):77–93.

Kiang,Peter.“AsianAmericanStudiesPraxisandtheEducationalPowerofBoston’sPublic

ChineseBurialGrounds.”ChineseAmerica:HistoryandPerspectives,2016,59–70,83.

Lea,Diane.“America’sPreservationEthos:ATributetoEnduringIdeals.”InARicherHeritage:

HistoricPreservationintheTwenty‐FirstCentury,editedbyRobertE.Stipe,1–20.

RichardHamptonJenretteSeriesinArchitectureandtheDecorativeArts.ChapelHill:

UniversityofNorthCarolinaPress,2003.

Lee,AntoinetteJ.“CulturalDiversityinHistoricPreservation.”InHistoricPreservationForum,

6:28–41,1992.

———.“FromHistoricArchitecturetoCulturalHeritage:AJourneyThroughDiversity,Identity,

andCommunity.”FutureAnterior:JournalofHistoricPreservation,History,Theory,and

Criticism1,no.2(2004):14–23.

Lee,JosephineTsuiYueh.NewYorkCity’sChineseCommunity.ArcadiaPublishing,2007.

Li,Chuo.“CommercialismandIdentityPoliticsinNewYork’sChinatown.”JournalofUrban

History41,no.6(November1,2015):1118–34.

Lin,Jan.“PolarizedDevelopmentandUrbanChangeinNewYork’sChinatown.”UrbanAffairs

Quarterly30,no.3(January1,1995):332–54.

93



Lipe,WilliamD.“ValueandMeaninginCulturalResources.”InApproachestotheArchaeological

Heritage:AComparativeStudyofWorldCulturalResourceManagementSystems,1–11.

NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,1983.

Loomis,Ormond.CulturalConservation:TheProtectionofCulturalHeritageintheUnitedStates:

AStudy.Washington,D.C.:LibraryofCongress,1983.

Luo,Michael.“ChinatownJournal;StoreFoundedin1891SuccumbstoEffectsof9/11.”The

NewYorkTimes,October26,2003,sec.N.Y./Region.

https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/26/nyregion/chinatown‐journal‐store‐founded‐in‐

1891‐succumbs‐to‐effects‐of‐9‐11.html.

Magalong,MichelleG.,andDawnBohulanoMabalon.“CulturalPreservationPolicyandAsian

AmericansandPacificIslanders:ReimaginingHistoricPreservationinAsianAmerican

andPacificIslanderCommunities.”AAPINexus:Policy,PracticeandCommunity14,no.2

(January1,2016):105–16.

Mason,R.“TheoreticalandPracticalArgumentsforValues‐CenteredPreservation.”CRM:The

JournalofHeritageStewardship3(January1,2006):21–48.

Mason,Randall.OnceandFutureNewYork:HistoricPreservationandtheModernCity.

Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress,2009.

“Mission.”ChinatownWorkingGroup.AccessedMarch26,2018.

http://www.chinatownworkinggroup.org/.

MuseumofChineseinAmerica.WavesofIdentity:35YearsofArchiving.NewYork:Museumof

ChineseinAmerica,2015.

NationalParkService.“GreenfieldVillage&HenryFordMuseum.”AccessedApril15,2018.

https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/detroit/d37.htm.

NationalTrustforHistoricPreservation.“PreservationforPeople:AVisionfortheFuture,”May

2017.

“NewYorkChineseCulturalCenterNYCCC|Mission.”NewYorkChineseCulturalCenterNYCCC.

AccessedApril2,2018.http://www.nychineseculturalcenter.org/mission.

NewYorkStateHistoricPreservationOffice.NewYorkStateHistoricPreservationPlan2015‐

2020.NewYorkStateParks,RecreationandHistoricPreservation,DivisionforHistoric

Preservation,2016.

“New‐YorkHistoricalSociety|About.”New‐YorkHistoricalSociety.AccessedMarch28,2018.

http://www.nyhistory.org/about.

Norton,HenryKittredge.TheStoryofCaliforniafromtheEarliestDaystothePresent.Chicago:

A.C.McClurg&Co.,1913.

NYCLandmarksPreservationCommission.“AboutLPC‐LPC.”AccessedFebruary15,2018.

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/about/about‐lpc.page.

———.“LandmarkTypesandCriteria‐LPC.”AccessedApril17,2018.

http://www1.nyc.gov/site/lpc/designations/landmark‐types‐criteria.page.

———.“LPC‐ProposeaLandmark.”AccessedApril16,2018.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/html/propose/propose.shtml.

“NYPLCommunityOralHistoryProject.”TheNewYorkPublicLibrary.AccessedApril4,2018.

http://oralhistory.nypl.org/about.

Page,Max,andRandallMason.GivingPreservationaHistory:HistoriesofHistoricPreservation

intheUnitedStates.NewYork:Routledge,2004.

Riegl,Alois.“TheModernCultofMonuments:ItsCharacterandItsOrigin.”Oppositions,no.25

(1982):20–51.

94



Russell‐Ciardi,Maggie.“TheMuseumasaDemocracy‐BuildingInstitution:Reflectionsonthe

SharedJourneysProgramattheLowerEastSideTenementMuseum.”ThePublic

Historian30,no.1(2008):39–52.

Saito,LelandT.“From‘Blighted’to‘Historic’:Race,EconomicDevelopment,andHistoric

PreservationinSanDiego,California.”UrbanAffairsReview45,no.2(November1,

2009):166–87.

Shapiro,Julie.“BidtoMakeChinatown‐LittleItalyHistoricDistrictClearly‘Registers.’”Accessed

March16,2018.http://thevillager.com/villger_293/bidtomakechinatown.html.

Solomons,Gemma.“AnUpdatedHistoryoftheUndocumentedImmigrant,”September6,2017.

http://tenement.org/blog/an‐updated‐history‐of‐the‐undocumented‐immigrant/.

Steinberg,Adam.“WhatWeTalkAboutWhenWeTalkAboutFood:UsingFoodtoTeachHistory

attheTenementMuseum.”ThePublicHistorian34,no.2(May1,2012):79–89.

Suzanne,Ma.“Chinatown,LittleItalyOfficiallyaNationalHistoricDistrict.”DNAinfoNewYork.

AccessedMarch25,2018.https://www.dnainfo.com/new‐

york/20100222/manhattan/chinatown‐lower‐east‐side‐officially‐national‐historic‐

district.

Tan,WendyWan‐Yin.ChinatownsofNewYorkCity.ArcadiaPublishing,2008.

TheLibraryofCongress.“AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth.”Webpage.AccessedApril15,

2018.//asianpacificheritage.gov/about/.

TheW.O.WProject.W.O.WShortDocumentary.AccessedApril4,2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtJ2UPBMeZE.

Ties,Cross.“TheMuseumofChineseinAmerica:ContinuityandChange.”Mid‐AtlanticRegional

CenterfortheHumanities,February22,2017.https://march.rutgers.edu/2017/02/the‐

museum‐of‐chinese‐in‐america‐continuity‐and‐change/.

Umbach,Greg(“Fritz"),andDanWishnoff.“StrategicSelf‐Orientalism:UrbanPlanningPolicies

andtheShapingofNewYorkCity’sChinatown,1950‐2005.”JournalofPlanningHistory

7,no.3(August1,2008):214–38.

“What’sLESPI?”LowerEastSidePreservationInitiative.AccessedMarch27,2018.

http://www.lespi‐nyc.org/presentation.html.

“WorkontheSurveyLAAsianAmericanContextsContinues.”OfficeofHistoricResources,City

ofLosAngeles,June1,2017.https://preservation.lacity.org/news/work‐surveyla‐asian‐

american‐contexts‐continues.

Xu,Nannan.“WhyChinatownHasGentrifiedLaterthanOtherCommunitiesinDowntown

Manhattan:APlanningHistory.”ColumbiaUniversity,2013.

Zamos‐Monteith,Margaret.“StateDesignatesChinatown,LittleItalyOneHistoricDistrict.”The

Lo‐Down:NewsfromtheLowerEastSide,September24,2009.

http://www.thelodownny.com/leslog/2009/09/state‐designates‐chinatown‐little‐italy‐

one‐historic‐district.html.

Zax,Talya.“TenementMuseum,Nostalgicforthe‘MeltingPot,’HighlightsContemporary

Inequality.”TheForward.AccessedMarch11,2018.

https://forward.com/culture/385703/tenement‐museum‐under‐one‐roof‐1960s‐

economic‐inequality/.





95



Index

#

97OrchardStreet47,48,50

103OrchardStreet47,48,49,50,51

A

AAPI.SeeAsianAmericanandPacific

Islander

AnniePolland49,51,54,55

APIAHiP.SeeAsianandPacificIslander

AmericansinHistoric

Preservation

AsianAmericanandPacificIslander3,5,

9,10,11,74,75

AsianAmericanandPacificIslander

HeritageThemeStudies3,75

AsianandPacificIslanderAmericansin

HistoricPreservation75,77

Asian/PacificAmericanHeritageMonth

3,74

C

ChinatownandLittleItalyHistoric

District31,32,34,56,57,59

ChinatownHistoryProject14,39,42

ChinatownLegacyProject66,74,

ChineseExclusionActof188226,53,72

ChineseExclusionRepealActof1943

26,73

E

ethnicheritage8,10,23,33



I

ImmigrationandNaturalizationActof

196528,29,53,73,80

L

LPC.SeeLandmarksPreservation

Commission

LandmarksPreservationCommission1,

22,36,58,59,76,78,79,80,81,

84,88

LandmarksPreservationLaw1

LESPI.SeeLowerEastSidePreservation

Initiative

LowerEastSidePreservationInitiative

56,58,59,61,62,63,84,88,89

M

MichelleMagalong77,85

MOCA.SeeMuseumofChinesein

America

MountVernon15,16,20

MuseumofChineseinAmerica39,41,

42,43,44,45,46,55,65,88

N

NationalHistoricLandmark3,54

NationalHistoricPreservationActof

19661,8,10,17,20

NationalParkService3,6,17,21,75,78

NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces8,9,

10,11,18,31,54,56,57

96

NationalTrustforHistoricPreservation

17,21

NewYorkChineseCulturalCenter67,71

NewYorkStateHistoricPreservation

Office31,33,34,35,74,75,78,

88

NewYorkPublicLibrary65,66,70,74,

85,89

New‐YorkHistoricalSociety65,66,74,

86,98

N‐YHS.SeeNew‐YorkHistoricalSociety

NYCCC.SeeNewYorkChineseCultural

Center

NYPL.SeeNewYorkPublicLibrary

P

PennsylvaniaStation1,22,36

Q

QuongYuenShing&Co.39,68,69

R

RequestforEvaluation37,39,40,41,

79,84

RFE.SeeRequestforEvaluation

S

Section10635,74

SHPO.SeeNewYorkStateHistoric

PreservationOffice

SocietyforthePreservationofNew

EnglandAntiquities17

SPNEA.SeeSocietyforthePreservation

ofNewEnglandAntiquities

T

TBNC.SeeTwoBridgesNeighborhood

Council

TheTenementMuseum46,47,49,54,

55,82,85,86,88

TwoBridgesNeighborhoodCouncil34,

56,57,58,59,62,63,88,89

U

UnderOneRoof46,47,49,55,86

W

WingOnWo&Co67,68,69,84

W.O.WProject67,68,69

1 views·100 pages

PRESERVATION APPROACHES TO PRESERVING SITES OF CHINESE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN NEW YORK CITY PDF Free Download

PRESERVATION APPROACHES TO PRESERVING SITES OF CHINESE AMERICAN HERITAGE IN NEW YORK CITY PDF free Download. Think more deeply and widely.

Uploaded by mark612419 on 5/3/2026

/100

100%