Day 267: Wah Luck House, Washington, D.C.
📌APIA Every Day (267) - The Wah Luck House was established in response to decades of displacement of Washington D.C.'s Chinese community. After being forced to relocate from Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1930s due to Federal Triangle construction, the community settled in what became Chinatown between 5th and 7th streets NW. When faced with further displacement threats in the 1970s from Metro construction and Convention Center development, the community successfully protested, leading the city to offer the construction of Wah Luck House as a concession.
Built in 1982 and designed by Taiwanese immigrant Alfred H. Liu, the 10-story, 153-unit affordable housing complex operates under a unique arrangement where the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association owns the land through a ground lease extending until 2056. The building was sold in 2017 for $55 million to Wah Luck House Preservation LLC, with funding from multiple sources including $39 million from the D.C. Housing Finance Agency and $24 million in low-income housing tax credits through Wells Fargo. The sale maintained affordable housing status through Section 8 vouchers and included plans for $9 million in renovations.
Today, approximately 75% of residents are seniors relying on social security and housing vouchers. The building added an adult day care center in 2021, serving about 94 residents with medical services, meals, and social activities. After past management issues under previous owner Aimco, the 2017 sale brought new oversight, though the ground lease arrangement with CCBA remains key to maintaining the building's affordable status through 2056.
LEARN MORE:
DC Historic Sites: Finding Asian American History: Wah Luck House
1882 Foundation: D.C. Chinatown Walking Tour
The Wash: At Wah Luck House, Chinatown community takes care of its own
Curbed Washington DC: Chinatown’s Wah Luck apartment building receives $39M investment
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