Historic Chinatown Gate | |
---|---|
Looking west towards Union Station and King Street Station
|
|
General information | |
Status | Complete |
Type | Archway |
Architectural style | Paifang |
Location | S King Street & 5th Avenue S Seattle, Washington |
Coordinates | 47°35′54″N 122°19′38″W / 47.59836°N 122.32735°WCoordinates: 47°35′54″N 122°19′38″W / 47.59836°N 122.32735°W |
Groundbreaking | April 23, 2006 |
Inaugurated | February 9, 2008 |
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 | Ming Zhang and Paul Wu |
Architecture firm | MulvannyG2 Architecture |
The Historic Chinatown Gate is a modern Paifang archway in the Chinatown-International District neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. 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, 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. 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. 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.
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.