Day 57: Chinatown, St. Louis, Missouri
📌APIA Every Day (57) - Chinatown, formerly situated in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri, thrived from 1869 until its demolition for Busch Memorial Stadium in 1966. The neighborhood was bordered by Seventh, Tenth, Walnut, and Chestnut streets, and was commonly known as "Hop Alley," a derogatory term applied to Chinese-majority neighborhoods across the country and often used to paint Chinese immigrants as opium addicts.
In 1857, Chinese immigrant Alla Lee arrived in St. Louis as the sole Chinese resident in the area until 1869, when approximately 250 Chinese men came seeking factory work. Subsequent waves of Chinese immigrants followed in the coming years, and by 1900 the population had grown to nearly 400. Chinese settlers established hand laundries, groceries, restaurants, tea shops, and barber shops throughout the neighborhood. Between 1958 and the mid-1960s, Chinatown was condemned and demolished for urban renewal, making way for Busch Memorial Stadium.
St. Louis Chinatown was succeeded by the unofficial Olive Boulevard Chinatown in University City. Although not officially designated as such, due in part to objections from community members who felt the name did not reflect the area's broader diversity, Chinese and Asian-owned businesses and grocery stores line Olive Boulevard near Interstate 170. By 1989, there was enough activity to justify the formation of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Greater St. Louis. However, this community now faces renewed displacement pressures, as several AANHPI businesses were bulldozed along Olive Boulevard and Interstate 170 to make way for a new shopping development anchored by a Costco store.
Limited information exists about both the old and new Chinatown. Nevertheless, reflecting on these communities underscores that areas impacted by urban renewal and gentrification were once vibrant enclaves for Chinese immigrants.
LEARN MORE:
KSDK: Chinese Heritage is Alive and Well in St. Louis
St. Louis Magazine: St. Louis’ Chinatown Thrives
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Take a Look at the Last Days of St. Louis' Chinatown
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