As we celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, travel through history and see how the neighborhood has changed
Take a trip through history as we compare how Chinatown has, or has not, changed over the past 50-plus years.
Thom Carroll / Temple University Urban Archives/PhillyVoice
by Thom Carroll PhillyVoice Contributor
Bordered by Vine, Arch, Broad and Seventh streets in downtown Philadelphia, Chinatown has been part of the city’s landscape since 1871 when a gentleman named Lee Fong opened a laundromat at 913 Race Street.
While a historical marker that stands in the location today is the only indication of the laundromat's significance, Fong's business venture sparked a transformation of the area as it grew in popularity with Cantonese immigrants.
Over the years the area has seen an ever-changing boundary as blocks have been demolished to build large-scale projects. The creation and expansion of the Pennsylvania Convention Center and the construction of the Federal Detention Center and Vine Street Expressway have changed the footprint of the neighborhood over the past 148 years.
The Chinese Lunar New Year celebration starts on Tuesday. To mark the occasion, PhillyVoice decided to take a trip through history, comparing historic images of the neighborhood with photos of those exact locations in 2019.
Temple University Urban Archives/for PhillyVoiceThe Chinatown section of Philadelphia around 10th and Race streets with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the background, April 24, 1973.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceRace Street in Chinatown and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Friday, Jan. 11, 2019.
Temple University Urban Archives/for PhillyVoiceThe 900 block of Race Street in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia, Oct. 29, 1967.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe intersection of 10th and Race streets looking east towards the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Jan. 4, 2019.
PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF RECORDS/PHILLYHISTORY.ORGLooking southeast on 10th street between Race and Cherry streets, April 2, 1954.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceNorth 10th Street in Chinatown, Jan. 4, 2019.
PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF RECORDS/PHILLYHISTORY.ORGProposed site of a new fire station near Cherry and Hutchinson streets, April 2, 1954.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe rear view of the Philadelphia Fire Department Engine 20 at North Hutchinson and Cherry streets, Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.
PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF RECORDS/PHILLYHISTORY.ORGThe 1000 block of Race Street, Oct. 21, 1959.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe 1000 block of Race Street in Chinatown Philadelphia, Jan. 2019.
Temple University Urban Archives/for PhillyVoiceA family takes care of a garden at 10th and Vine streets in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia, Sept. 30, 1976.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe intersection of 10th and Vine Street near Interstate 676, Jan. 8, 2019.
PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF RECORDS/PHILLYHISTORY.ORGThe proposed site of a new fire station on 10th and Cherry streets in Chinatown, April 2, 1954.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe Philadelphia Fire Department Engine 20 at the intersection of 10th and Cherry streets, Jan. 4, 2019.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceA view of overhead signs on Race Street in the Chinatown section of Philadelphia, April 26, 1974, left, and Jan. 8, 2019.
Temple University Urban Archives/for PhillyVoiceThe 200 block of North Ninth Street in Chinatown, Nov. 12, 1969.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe 200 block of North 9th Street in Chinatown, Jan. 8, 2019.
Temple University Urban Archives/for PhillyVoiceThe 900 block of Race Street in Philadelphia, Nov. 12, 1969.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceA Pennsylvania historical marker on the 900 block of Race Street stands in the location where the first business in Chinatown was located in 1871.
Temple University Urban Archives/for PhillyVoiceA Chinatown resident walks along Race Street near 10th, Nov. 16, 1969.
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoiceThe 1000 block of Race Street in Philadelphia, Jan. 8, 2019.