Roughly bounded by Main, Jackson, I-5, Waller, and Fifth, Seattle, Washington. County/parish: King.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places November 06, 1986. NRIS 86003153.
42 contributing buildings. 1 contributing structure.Also known as:
The Chinatown–International District (abbreviated as CID) is a neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is the center of the city's Asian American community. Within the district are the three neighborhoods known as Chinatown, Japantown and Little Saigon, named for the concentration of businesses owned by people of Chinese, Japanese and Vietnamese descent, respectively. The geographic area also once included Manilatown.
It was the third community for the city's Chinese and Japanese immigrants, who were driven out of other locations around modern-day Pioneer Square during the late 19th century. A new Chinatown was established shortly after the Jackson Regrade in 1907, which leveled terrain near King Street Station, alongside a Japantown in the same vicinity. The city's Japantown declined following the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, while Vietnamese immigration after the Vietnam War led to the establishment of Little Saigon in the 1970s. The construction of Interstate 5 through the neighborhood in the 1960s and the Kingdome nearby in 1976 led to further strain on the area.
The Seattle Chinatown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The area was named the "International District" by the city government since the mid-20th century, but the term's use is controversial among the Chinese American community. Like many other areas of Seattle, the neighborhood is multiethnic, but the majority of its residents are of Chinese ethnicity. It is one of eight historic neighborhoods recognized by the City of Seattle. CID has a mix of residences and businesses and is a tourist attraction for its ethnic Asian culture and landmarks.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75612414