General Information on Chinatown real estate
Located in a small area of Washington, DC is an area that is marked by The Friendship Arc, a traditional Chinese gate. This gate built over H and 7th streets is the landmark for DC's Chinatown. This area of The District is located east of downtown. There is an annual event that occurs in Washington DC's Chinatown, and it has become what the area is known for, the Chinese New Year festival. There are many landmarks that are located in the Chinatown boundaries including the Verizon Center, the Old Patent Office Building, that houses two Smithsonian Museums. You can visit this area by catching a red or yellow line metro and take it to Gallery Place-Chinatown.
History
Chinatown was originally home to many German immigrants. It was not until the 1930s that Chinese immigrants began to populate this area which eventually became known as Chinatown. At its peak this area of the District boundaries extended from G street North to Massachusetts Ave. and than from 9th St east all the way to 5th street. This area of the Dsitrict did feel the effects of the 1968 riots. As a result of the 1968 riots many residents left this area to move into the suburbs.
Eventful dates in the History of This Area
- 1976
- The District extended its metro station to this area but at that time the stop was only called “Gallery Place”.
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1986
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The city dedicated the beautiful friendship archway to this area. This time-honored Chinese gate was designed by Alfred H. Loi a local architect. This gorgeous peace of public art roughly cost $1 million, it includes roughly 7,000 tiles. And there are 272 dragons painted on this beautiful peace of art . The Dragon’s painted on t he arch were designed to resemble the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
o The Metro Station that was serving this area was renamed Gallery Place-Chinatown.
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1997
- A very positive addition to this area was competed, the MCI center which was renamed the Verizon center finished construction. In order to build this they had to demolish much of the core of this neighborhood.
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2006
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According to the Wikipedia online encyclopedia this area of the District went through a $200 million renovation in 2006. This renovation turned the area into what we know it today. In this area there is a high energy night life, shopping and entertainment, high end restaurants, a movie theater, and many new stores.
