In May, 2023 the CID was named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2023 list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places. It was the first time a site in Washington state was listed as such by the National Trust.
“These places and the stories they tell illuminate the challenges and complexities that have always been a part of what it means to be American,” said Katherine Malone-France, Chief Preservation Officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “They are treasures for our entire country that we cannot lose. To lose any one of them diminished our shared history.”
The listing of the CID as an endangered historic place resulted from Sound Transit’s plan to construct a new light rail station in the District and its impact on the area. However, that plan appears dim because of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s opposition to it.
Nonetheless, Wing Luke Museum Executive Director Joël Barraquiel Tan described the ongoing threats to the CID as “long repeating patterns, naming gentrification, increasing racially-motivated crimes, unjust community development projects, and systematic neglect as primary culprits.”
For sure, the CID is constantly being challenged by a variety of threats including gentrification, crime, pubic neglect, business closures, public and private disinvestment, and harmful public projects. However, since the 1970s — when the Asian American community in Seattle earnestly began to rally around the preservation of the CID and to help the many low-income elderly residents there — the neighborhood has evolved a network of traditional and contemporary community organizations, and support services to face any issue that might prevent it from being a prolific Asian enclave.
Indeed, a number of community organizations have worked diligently to preserve the Asian American heritage and to strengthen its commercial and residential base. Among the most prominent organizations are the Interim CDA, Seattle Chinatown-International District Public Development Authority (SCIDPDA), Friends of Little Saigon, and Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA). Chinatown has a number of Chinese family associations that function as mutual aid organizations and the Chong Wah Association, the umbrella organization which works to improve conditions for Chinese in the District. In addition, there is the Wing Luke Museum, one of the premier Asian American cultural, art and history museums in the country.
These organizations are politically savvy and well-connected with city hall as well as King County government, which makes the District a well-organized political neighborhood determined to preserve the area’s Asian character and to make conditions better in the District. Furthermore, these community organizations sponsor the annual Seafair parade, a summer festival, Chinese New Year banquets, Lunar New Year celebrations, night markets and other events that promote and enhance the Asian character of the District. Moreover, their advocacy has played a leading role in adding a number of amenities to the area including Hing Hay Park, Kobe Terrace Park, Danny Woo Community Garden, Donnie Chin International Children’s Park, and a public library branch and public community center with a gym.
As a number of community organizations emerged to preserve the CID, so has an impressive array of community support agencies to provide social and health services, food and meal programs, and programs for the elderly. There is, for instance, International Community Health Services’ clinic, Chinese Information and Service Center, Keiro Northwest’s assisted living, Interim CDA’s housing services, Asian Counseling and Referral Service’s Food Bank and SCIDpda’s meal program. Having readily accessible support services is a real benefit for the residents in the area and an added reason to live in the CID. In addition, the District has three notable newspapers that keep the community informed of the events in the area as well as the major issues affecting it. The newspapers are the Northwest Asian Weekly, International Examiner and North American Post.
Meanwhile, the preservation of the CID has been buoyed by the arrival of thousands of Asian immigrants and refugees to the city, which resulted in the doubling of the Asian American population in Seattle every decade and now amounts to 135,00 in the city (18% of the city’s total). The immigrants and refugees not only dramatically increase the demand for Asian goods and services in the CID, but also established businesses in the area. There are now over 600 businesses in the CID, most of them providing Asian goods and services. The many restaurants in the area, as might be expected, are flourishing and remain the main attraction in the area. Overall, the economy of the CID continues to recover from the pandemic, but fairly good, dispute a number of vacant commercial spaces.
As the commercial base of the CID has grown, so has the residential base. Indeed, with the amount of rehabilitated and new housing construction, the population of the area now numbers around 5,000, which is the highest it’s ever been. And, there is much more new housing planned for the area. The sound residential base in the neighborhood, of course, supports businesses in the area, and vice-versa, adding to the vitality of the CID.
An underlying detail that should not be overlooked regarding the preservation of the area as an Asian enclave is property ownership. Historically and currently, most of the property in the CID is owned by Asians individuals, partnerships, corporations, associations or community organizations. The goods and services of the property leased or operated by these entities — whether residential, commercial or community agencies — are mainly Asian and primarily targeted and serve Asians. Thus, the amount of property owned by Asian entities in the area will be vital to sustaining its Asian character.
While government jurisdictions have clearly instituted harmful public projects in the CID, they have also funneled millions of dollars to help improve housing, streets, transportation, and businesses in the area. In addition, it should also be noted that the City of Seattle established the CID as a Special Review District to help preserve its Asian character. The Special Review District provides overlay zoning regulations to help preserve the Asian character of the area and is govern by a citizen’s board comprised of persons engaged with the CID. All major building rehabilitation projects of older buildings as well as new construction projects require approval from the board. Furthermore, the National Register of Historic Places identified a substantial portion of the CID as Seattle’s “Chinatown Historic District”; a place that must retain its historical character. Under the National Historic Places designation, the older buildings in this area are required to preserve its historical significance, and those who do, receive federal tax credits.
The CID is the ethnic home to Asian Americans in the region. Certainly, most Asian Americans in the region identify with the CID and have an affinity with the area because they feel the CID belongs to them, that it is Asian territory due to its legacy. Once a segregated, marginalized, and barely tolerated ethnic enclave, it appears that the preservation of this valued pan-Asian American neighborhood will be preserved for many decades to come.
Doug Chin is local community historian. This article is an excerpt from his recently updated book, Seatttle’s Chinatown-International District: A Pan-Asian American Community.
