The Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) is hoping to secure funding to preserve ghost signs in the Chinatown-International District (CID). These are old, hand-painted advertisements on buildings, many of which are still visible in the neighborhood. According to the CIDBIA: “The ghost signs in Chinatown-International District reflect the neighborhood’s unique history, and tell a story about the culture, population, and industry during the early 1900s. With funding, CIDBIA hopes to restore and preserve as many ghost signs in the neighborhood as it can.”
The CIDBIA is one of 25 historic Main Street districts around the country vying for preservation funding, and the public has until October 31 to vote here on which site they want to receive the $2 million in funding.
The funding comes from Partners in Preservation, a community-based partnership created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, to raise awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their role in sustaining local communities.
The CIDBIA is also hosting an open house on October 8 about the importance of Main Street preservation in Seattle. The open house will include speakers and presentations about the ghost signs in the neighborhood.
