Chinatown, Honolulu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Chinatown Historic District
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Historic Wo Fat restaurant building (built 1938), at the corner of Hotel and Maunakea
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 Location in Hawaii
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| Location | Beretania Street, Nuuanu Stream, Nuuanu Avenue, and Honolulu Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii |
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| Area | 36 acres (15 ha) |
| Built | 1900 |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000658 |
| Added to NRHP | January 17, 1973 |
The Chinatown Historic District is a neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii, known for its Chinese American community. It is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States.
Contents
Geography
There is conflicting information about the boundaries that make up Chinatown. One source identifies the natural boundary to the west as Honolulu Harbor, and to the north, Nuʻuanu stream. Beretania Street is usually considered the eastern boundary, and the southern boundary is Nuʻuanu Avenue, although the Chinatown Special District is considered to extend approximately a block and a half south of Nuʻuanu along Merchant Street. In total, the land area is 522 acres (211 ha). A few blocks to the east is the Hawaii Capital Historic District, and adjacent to the south is the Merchant Street Historic District.
Alternatively, the Hawaiian language newspaper Nupepa Kuokoa described Taona Pake (Chinatown) in 1900 as "that whole area from West side of Kukui Street until the river mouth called Makaaho, then travel straight until reaching Hotel street; and travel on [Hotel] this street on the West side until reaching Konia Street, and travel until you reach King St.
Locations
Since 2002, there are two small paifang on the sidewalks flanking North King Street, just north of where King crosses Nuʻuanu Stream, and just south of where Hotel splits from King. There is also a small brick entrance arch to Maunakea Marketplace off Maunakea Street, decorated with an awning featuring a green-tile roof. Two guardian lions mark the southern entrance to Chinatown on Hotel, between Bethel and Nuʻuanu near the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park (formerly Chinatown Gateway Park); they were gifted to Honolulu by a sister city, Kaohsiung, in 1989. Dr. Sun was born in another of Honolulu's sister cities, Zhongshan.
The Wo Fat Restaurant was Honolulu's oldest. The business first opened in 1882, but the building was destroyed in the 1886 fire. A new building was built at 115 North Hotel Street (21°18′44.4″N 157°51′47″W / 21.312333°N 157.86306°W) after the 1900 fire, and the current three-story building at the same location opened in 1938, designed by Y.T. Char. The Wo Fat Restaurant closed in 2005, and the building housed a nightclub in the early 2000s.
In 1904, the Oahu Market was opened by Tuck Young at the corner of King and Kekaulike streets, coordinates 21°18′45″N 157°51′51″W / 21.31250°N 157.86417°W. The simply designed functional construction, consisting of a large, open-air, covered space divided into stalls, remains in use today for selling fresh fish and produce.
History
The area was probably used by fishermen in ancient Hawaii but little evidence of this remains. Kealiʻimaikaʻi, the brother of Kamehameha I lived in the area at the end of the 18th century. One of the first early settlers from outside was Isaac Davis and lived there until 1810. Spaniard Don Francisco de Paula Marín lived in the southern end of the area in the early 19th century, and planted a vineyard in the northern end, for which Vineyard Boulevard is named.
During the 19th century laborers were imported from China to work on sugar plantations in Hawaii. Many became merchants after their contracts expired and moved to this area. The ethnic makeup has alway been diverse, peaking at about 56% Chinese people in the 1900 census, and then declining. Honolulu is traditionally known in Chinese as 檀香山 (Tánxiāngshān), meaning Sandalwood Mountain.
Two major fires destroyed many buildings in 1886 and 1900. The 1900 fire was started in an attempt to destroy a building infected with bubonic Plague, which had been confirmed December 12, 1899. Schools were closed and 7000 residents of the area were put under quarantine. After 13 people died, the Board of Health ordered structures suspected of being infected to be burned. Residents were evacuated, and a few buildings were successfully destroyed while the Honolulu Fire Department stood by. However, on January 20, 1900 the fire got out of control after winds shifted, and destroyed most of the neighborhood instead.
Many of the buildings date from 1901. Very few were over four stories tall. The natural boundary to the south is Honolulu Harbor, and to the northwest Nuʻuanu stream. Beretania Street is usually considered the northeastern boundary, named after the first British Consul Richard Charlton's ship, and southeastern boundary is Nuʻuanu avenue. A few blocks to the east is the Hawaii Capital Historic District, and adjacent to the south is the Merchant Street Historic District.
In 1904 the Oahu Market was opened by Tuck Young at the corner of King and Kekaulike streets, coordinates 21°18′45″N 157°51′51″W / 21.31250°N 157.86417°W. The simply designed functional construction (a large open-air but covered space divided into stalls) remains in use today for selling fresh fish and produce.
Popular culture
The character Charlie Chan was based on detective Chang Apana (1871–1933). Earl Derr Biggers read about Apana and based the character in Honolulu after a vacation in 1919. The character Wo Fat in the TV series Hawaii Five-O was named after a restaurant in Honolulu's Chinatown. The business first opened in 1882, but the building was destroyed in the 1886 fire. A new building was built after the 1900 fire, and then another in 1932. It was located at 115 North Hotel Street, 21°18′44.4″N 157°51′47″W / 21.312333°N 157.86306°W. The Wo Fat Restaurant closed in 2005, and the building now houses a nightclub.
