Chinatown, Honolulu
Encyclopedia
The Chinatown Historic District is a neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii
known for its Chinese people
and is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States.
but little evidence remains. Kealiimaikai, 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
, but he died in 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.
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 northeast Nuuanu stream. Beretania Street is usually considered the northeastern boundary, named for the first British Consul
Richard Charlton
, and southeastern boundary is Nuuanu 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. The simply designed functional construction (a large open-air but convered space divided into stalls) remains in use today for selling fresh fish and produce.
was introduced to Honolulu on October 20, 1899 by an off loaded shipment of rice which had been carrying rats from the America Maru. At that time, Chinese immigration to Hawaii
resulted in a crowded residential area called Chinatown with poor living conditions and sewage disposal. Plague infected 11 people. The response by the Board of Health included incinerating garbage, renovating the sewer system, putting Chinatown under quarantine, and most of all burning infected buildings. 41 fires were set, but on January 20, 1900 winds picked up and the fire spread to other buildings which was undesired. The runaway fire burned for seventeen days and scorched 38 acres (15 Ha) of Honolulu. The fire campaign continued for another 31 controlled burns after the incident. The 7,000 homeless residents were housed in detention camps to maintain the quarantine until April 30. A total of 40 people died of the plague.
Critics accused the government of being driven by Sinophobia
; regardless of the fire most likely being an accident, an exodus occurred. While the people rebuilt, they began to live in suburbs while continuing to work in Chinatown, to avoid going homeless if another disaster occurred. In addition the post-fire architecture began using masonry rather than wood, since the stone and brick buildings proved much more fire resistant during the fire.
Many of the people who filed damage claims were represented by lawyer Paul Neumann, but he died before the cases went to court.
the area fell into disrepair and became a red-light district
.
About 36 acres (14.6 ha) of the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu
on January 17, 1973 as site 73000658.
During the administrations of mayors Frank Fasi
and Jeremy Harris
the area was targeted for revitalizaion. Restrictions on lighting and signs were relaxed to promote nightlife.
Special zoning rules were adopted for the area.
The Hawaii National Bank
was founded in the district in 1960, and has its headquarters there.
On the eastern edge of the district, the Hawaii Theatre
was restored and re-opened in 1996. The area around the theatre is called the Arts District
. In 2005 a small park near the theatre at the corner of Hotel and Bethel streets was opened and called Chinatown Gateway Park.
In November 2007 the park was named in honor of Sun Yat-Sen
who came to Chinatown in 1879 where he was educated and planned the Chinese Revolution of 1911.
Honolulu Chinatown was included in the Preserve America
program.
is located in Chinatown. Officials broke ground for the substation on Friday September 18, 1998. Mayor Jeremy Harris said that he wanted a police station built at that location because of crime had been occurring in that area, and the presence of a police station would deter crime.
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"N 157°51′46"W. The building now houses a nightclub
.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
known for its Chinese people
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and is one of the oldest Chinatowns in the United States.
History
The area was probably used by fishermen during ancient HawaiiAncient Hawaii
Ancient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD 300–800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
but little evidence remains. Kealiimaikai, the brother of Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I
Kamehameha I , also known as Kamehameha the Great, conquered the Hawaiian Islands and formally established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810. By developing alliances with the major Pacific colonial powers, Kamehameha preserved Hawaii's independence under his rule...
lived in the area at the end of the 18th century.
One of the first early settlers from outside was Isaac Davis
Isaac Davis (Hawaii)
Isaac Davis was a Welsh advisor to Kamehameha I and helped form the Kingdom of Hawaii. He arrived in Hawaii in 1790 as the sole survivor of the massacre of the crew of The Fair American. He along with John Young became friends and advisors to Kamehameha...
, but he died in 1810. Spaniard Don Francisco de Paula Marín
Don Francisco de Paula Marin
Don Francisco de Paula Marín was a Spaniard who became influential in the early Kingdom of Hawaii. Often called Manini, Marini or other variations, he became a confidant of Hawaiian King Kamehameha I...
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
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to work on sugar plantations in Hawaii
Sugar plantations in Hawaii
Sugarcane was introduced to Hawaii by its first inhabitants in approximately 600 AD and was observed by Captain Cook upon arrival in the islands in 1778. Sugar quickly turned into a big business and generated rapid population growth in the islands with 337,000 people immigrating over the span of a...
. 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.
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
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
, which had been confirmed December 12, 1899. Schools were closed and 7000 residents of the area were put under quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
. 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
Honolulu Fire Department
The Honolulu Fire Department, popularly known as the HFD, is the principal firefighting agency of the City & County of Honolulu under the jurisdiction of the Mayor of Honolulu...
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
Honolulu Harbor
Honolulu Harbor, also called Kulolia and Ke Awa O Kou, is the principal seaport of Honolulu and the State of Hawaii in the United States. It is from Honolulu Harbor, located on Mamala Bay, that the City & County of Honolulu was developed and urbanized, in an outward fashion, over the course of the...
, and to the northeast Nuuanu stream. Beretania Street is usually considered the northeastern boundary, named for the first British Consul
Consul (representative)
The political title Consul is used for the official representatives of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, and to facilitate trade and friendship between the peoples of the two countries...
Richard Charlton
Richard Charlton (Hawaii)
Richard Charlton was the first diplomatic Consul from Great Britain to the Kingdom of Hawaii 1825–1843. He was surrounded by controversies that caused a military occupation known as the Paulet Affair, and real estate claims that motivated the formalization of Hawaiian land titles.-Life:Richard...
, and southeastern boundary is Nuuanu avenue. A few blocks to the east is the Hawaii Capital Historic District
Hawaii Capital Historic District
The Hawaii Capital Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, has been the center of government ever since the earliest days of the unified Hawaiian Kingdom.-Location:...
, and adjacent to the south is the Merchant Street Historic District
Merchant Street Historic District
The Merchant Street Historic District in Honolulu, Hawaii, was the city's earliest commercial center.-Location:Bounded roughly by Fort Street at the southeast end and Nuuanu Avenue at the northwest, its older, low-rise, brick and stone buildings, surrounded by contemporary, concrete high rises,...
.
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. The simply designed functional construction (a large open-air but convered space divided into stalls) remains in use today for selling fresh fish and produce.
Great Honolulu Chinatown Fire of 1900
From witnesses a wave of bubonic plagueBubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
was introduced to Honolulu on October 20, 1899 by an off loaded shipment of rice which had been carrying rats from the America Maru. At that time, Chinese immigration to Hawaii
Chinese immigration to Hawaii
The Chinese in Hawaii frequently referred to by their Hawaiian name Pākē, constitute about 4.7% of the state's population, most of whom have ancestors from Zhongshan in Guangdong. This number does not include people of mixed Chinese and Hawaiian descent...
resulted in a crowded residential area called Chinatown with poor living conditions and sewage disposal. Plague infected 11 people. The response by the Board of Health included incinerating garbage, renovating the sewer system, putting Chinatown under quarantine, and most of all burning infected buildings. 41 fires were set, but on January 20, 1900 winds picked up and the fire spread to other buildings which was undesired. The runaway fire burned for seventeen days and scorched 38 acres (15 Ha) of Honolulu. The fire campaign continued for another 31 controlled burns after the incident. The 7,000 homeless residents were housed in detention camps to maintain the quarantine until April 30. A total of 40 people died of the plague.
Critics accused the government of being driven by Sinophobia
Sinophobia
Sinophobia or anti-Chinese sentiment is the fear of or dislike of China, its people, overseas Chinese, or Chinese Culture...
; regardless of the fire most likely being an accident, an exodus occurred. While the people rebuilt, they began to live in suburbs while continuing to work in Chinatown, to avoid going homeless if another disaster occurred. In addition the post-fire architecture began using masonry rather than wood, since the stone and brick buildings proved much more fire resistant during the fire.
Many of the people who filed damage claims were represented by lawyer Paul Neumann, but he died before the cases went to court.
Preservation
After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the area fell into disrepair and became a red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
.
About 36 acres (14.6 ha) of the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu
National Register of Historic Places listings in Oahu
This is a list of properties and districts on the Hawaiian island of Oahu that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Oahu is the only major island in Honolulu County. The location of the city of Honolulu, Oahu is the most populous island in the state. There are 149 properties and...
on January 17, 1973 as site 73000658.
During the administrations of mayors Frank Fasi
Frank Fasi
Frank Francis Fasi was a United States politician having the distinction as the longest serving Mayor of Honolulu in Honolulu, Hawaii. He also served as a territorial senator and member of the Honolulu City Council...
and Jeremy Harris
Jeremy Harris
Jeremy Harris, born December 7, 1950 in Wilmington, Delaware, served as Mayor of Honolulu from 1994 to 2004. A biologist by training, Harris started his political career as a delegate to the 1978 Hawai'i State Constitutional Convention...
the area was targeted for revitalizaion. Restrictions on lighting and signs were relaxed to promote nightlife.
Special zoning rules were adopted for the area.
The Hawaii National Bank
Hawaii National Bank
Hawaii National Bank is a privately-held community bank, with branch offices in Hilo, Hawai'i, Oahu, and Maui. The bank was first established on September 19, 1960 in the Chinatown neighborhood of downtown Honolulu....
was founded in the district in 1960, and has its headquarters there.
On the eastern edge of the district, the Hawaii Theatre
Hawaii Theatre
The Hawaii Theatre is a historic Vaudeville theatre and cinema in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii. It is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places....
was restored and re-opened in 1996. The area around the theatre is called the Arts District
Arts District (Honolulu)
The Arts District is a neighborhood in Honolulu located west of downtown Honolulu's Hawaii Capital Historic District and on the eastern edge of Chinatown...
. In 2005 a small park near the theatre at the corner of Hotel and Bethel streets was opened and called Chinatown Gateway Park.
In November 2007 the park was named in honor of Sun Yat-Sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
who came to Chinatown in 1879 where he was educated and planned the Chinese Revolution of 1911.
Honolulu Chinatown was included in the Preserve America
Preserve America
Preserve America is a United States government program, established under President George W. Bush, intended to encourage and support community efforts to preserve and enjoy the country's cultural and natural heritage....
program.
Government and infrastructure
The Downtown Police Substation of the Honolulu Police DepartmentHonolulu Police Department
The Honolulu Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawai'i, headquartered in the Alapa'i Police Headquarters in Honolulu CDP....
is located in Chinatown. Officials broke ground for the substation on Friday September 18, 1998. Mayor Jeremy Harris said that he wanted a police station built at that location because of crime had been occurring in that area, and the presence of a police station would deter crime.
Popular culture
The character Charlie ChanCharlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
was based on detective Chang Apana
Chang Apana
Chang Apana was a Chinese-Hawaiian member of the Honolulu Police Department, first as an officer, then as a detective. He is the officially acknowledged inspiration for the fictional Asian detective character, Charlie Chan.-Early life:Ah Ping Chang was born December 26, 1871 in Waipio, Oahu,...
(1871–1933). Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers
Earl Derr Biggers was an American novelist and playwright. He is remembered primarily for adaptations of his novels, especially those featuring the Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:...
read about Apana and based the character in Honolulu after a vacation in 1919.
The character Wo Fat
Wo Fat
Wo Fat is the name of a fictional villain in the long-running CBS series Hawaii Five-O. On the show, Wo Fat is the arch-nemesis of Steve McGarrett , the head of Hawaii's state police force. The character appeared in eleven episodes of Hawaii Five-O including the TV-movie pilot and the final...
in the TV series Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
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"N 157°51′46"W. The building now houses a nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
.