Manhattan · Neighborhood guide
Chinatown
Manhattan Chinatown combines commercial streets with landmarks that reveal different layers of Lower East Side history. The Manhattan Bridge approach, a former bank and the Museum at Eldridge Street offer distinct stops within this guide's small mapped area.
Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized.
About Chinatown
NYC Small Business Services traces Chinatown's beginnings to immigrants, many from Toisan in Guangdong, in the 1870s. Its historic core centered on Mott, Pell and Doyers streets, and the community grew beyond those blocks. Federal exclusion laws shaped Chinese immigration and community life for decades.
Places to explore
Manhattan Bridge Arch and Colonnade
Canal Street at the BoweryCarrere & Hastings designed this Beaux-Arts approach, built in 1912-15. The arch and curving colonnade frame the bridge entrance and the elliptical plaza. View the approach from the surrounding sidewalks and use marked crossings.
Read the NYFE place guideS. Jarmulowsky Bank Building
54 Canal Street at Orchard StreetRouse & Goldstone designed the 1911-12 neo-Renaissance bank and office building. Its tall facade offers a contrast to the lower streets around it. Treat this as an exterior stop.
Read the NYFE place guideSara D. Roosevelt Park
Chrystie and Forsyth streets, near Hester StreetThe southern section of this long park offers outdoor space near Canal Street. The city acquired the land in 1929 and dedicated the park in 1934. Other sections extend beyond this guide's map; garden access may differ from park access.
Planning a visit
The Museum at Eldridge Street lists the F train to East Broadway. Check MTA service notices and the museum's current booking and access information; it asks visitors to request accommodations in advance.
Choose a section of Sara D. Roosevelt Park for an outdoor stop. The museum and park have separate access arrangements, while the bank and bridge approach are viewed from public streets.
Photos
Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized.
Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized.
Jim.henderson · Public domain · Resized.
Sources and visitor information
- Manhattan Bridge Approach Arch and Colonnade designationNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
- S. Jarmulowsky Bank Building designationNYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
- About the museumMuseum at Eldridge Street
- Plan your visitMuseum at Eldridge Street
- Planned service changesMetropolitan Transportation Authority
- Two Bridges neighborhood boundary descriptionWikipedia
- Sara D. Roosevelt Park historyNYC Parks
- Chinatown commercial district needs assessmentNYC Small Business Services