“Detroit’s Chinatown has a vibrant history that must not be forgotten and is embedded in a neighborhood eager for more community-driven investment and improved quality of life,” said Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit). “This new state funding is a crucial step in preserving Chinatown’s rich history for our local Chinese American and Asian American community as well as Detroiters. I’m proud to have championed this project and so grateful to Senators Anthony and Cavanagh for their leadership in moving it across the finish line. I want to thank the many community partners and local AAPI leaders who have long been tireless advocates for revitalizing Detroit’s Chinatown, fighting to ensure its legacy will live on for future generations to come.”
Today’s press conference marks one year to the day that the city demolished a 140-year-old building of historical significance in Chinatown, despite the attempts of local leaders and advocates to save it. The Chinese Merchant Association building, formerly located at 3143 Cass Ave., first served as a residential space for Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century and later became a social and recreational hub for the Asian American community beginning in the 1960s. The building was the place where American Citizens for Justice held many of its meetings in the aftermath of Vincent Chin’s murder in the 1980s. The demolition of this landmark space was a devastating loss for the local Asian American community, igniting efforts to preserve what is left of this historic district and prompting the creation of a Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee.
“My dad, the late Henry Yee, was the unofficial Mayor of Detroit’s Chinatown for many years and I grew up working at our family restaurant, The Forbidden City (which stood at 3148 Second Avenue in Detroit’s second Chinatown which had been relocated there in the 1960s when the Lodge Freeway was built through the original Chinatown),” said Lisa Yee-Litzenberg who recently joined the Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee. “I joined the Vision Committee after learning about the demolition of the historic On Leong Chinese Merchants Association Building. I am honored to be a part of the Vision Committee which seeks to work collaboratively with the existing community to co-create a larger Pan-Asian neighborhood in Detroit’s Midtown where the historic Chinatown once stood,” added Yee-Litzenberg. “We are excited to move forward and this new state funding is a tremendous first step in creating that vision. We appreciate continued support from City of Detroit leadership and welcome friends and family of Detroit’s Chinatown to get involved.”
“The Association of Chinese Americans is thrilled to see the state recognize the cultural and historical significance of our community through this vital funding for Chinatown streetscape improvements,” said Richard Mui, President of the Association of Chinese Americans. “This support not only preserves our rich heritage in Detroit but also ensures a vibrant and thriving future for generations to come. We are grateful for this investment in the community and look forward to the positive impact it will have on the lives of our residents and visitors.”
This new $1 million investment will be administered by Midtown Detroit, Inc., one of the many community groups that have been working to envision the ways this new funding will revitalize the Peterboro streetscape. Initial plans involve removing and replacing the streetscape and creating an ornate gateway plaza to welcome visitors to the historic district. Other potential additions for the streetscape include new and special pavement, outdoor dining elements, specialty lighting, and creative landscaping — all elements that will proudly reflect the history, art and culture of the Chinese American community.
“We have begun a transformation process in an area of our city which possesses rich Chinese history and culture,” said Maureen Stapleton, Interim Executive Director of Midtown Detroit, Inc. “Through the hard work of state Senator Stephanie Chang and other local community leaders, Midtown Detroit, Inc. has been allocated a generous $1 million investment. This will allow us to revitalize and beautify the streetscape on Peterboro Street and Cass Avenue, preserving the Chinese American historical significance of the neighborhood.”
“The Chinatown Vision Committee and the whole AAPI community are so grateful to Senator Chang, the Appropriations Committee, and to the Legislature and Governor for the $1 million appropriation for this Peterboro streetscape improvement,” said Roland Hwang, President and Co-founder of American Citizens for Justice. “It will be the catalyst for our vision of redevelopment of the neighborhood with a unique cultural flavor. “