Historic Chinatown Gate (Seattle)

The Historic Chinatown Gate (traditional Chinese: 中華門; simplified Chinese: 中华门) is a modern Paifang archway in the Chinatown-International District neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.

Historic Chinatown Gate
Looking west towards Union Station and King Street Station
Location within downtown Seattle
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Archway
Architectural style	Paifang
Location	S King Street & 5th Avenue S Seattle, Washington
Coordinates	47.59836°N 122.32735°W / 47.59836; -122.32735
Groundbreaking	April 23, 2006 (2006-04-23)[1]
Inaugurated	February 9, 2008 (2008-02-09)
Cost	$500,000
Owner	Historic Chinatown Gate Foundation
Height	45 feet (14 m)
Technical details
Structural system	Steel
Material	Ceramic tiles
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Ming Zhang and Paul Wu[2][3]
Architecture firm	MulvannyG2 Architecture

Description and history

The 45-foot-tall (14 m) archway is located over South King Street east of 5th Avenue South and the International District/Chinatown light rail station, marking the west end of the Chinatown neighborhood. The gate, designed by Paul Wu and Ming Zhang of MulvannyG2 Architecture of Bellevue, Washington,^[3] was built over a period of several months in late 2007 and is composed of a steel structure and ceramic ornaments, including 8,000 ceramic tiles made in southern China.^[4][5] The $500,000 construction cost was paid for by the Historic Chinatown Gate Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1999 to build the archway.^[6] The Historic Chinatown Gate was dedicated on February 9, 2008, during a ceremony attended by local officials, including Seattle mayor Greg Nickels and Governor Christine Gregoire.^[7][8][9]

Plans for a second gate at the eastern end of the district, to be located on South King Street at either 8th Avenue South or at 12th Avenue South in Little Saigon and estimated to cost $800,000, have been on hold since 2010.^[6][10]

See also

• 2008 in art
• History of Chinese Americans in Seattle