CHINESE Immigration
Around the mid 19th-Century, many Chinese individuals and families immigrated to St. Louis in hopes of finding a job. Facing racial discrimination as evident by the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, the Chinese Americans who moved to St. Louis developed their own community commonly known as “Hop Alley,” located along the Seventh, Eighth, Market, and Walnut Streets. This was also commonly referred to as the Chinatown of St. Louis. As the 19th-Century comes to an end, the Chinese American population grew to about three hundred. [2]
Although anti-Chinese sentiment was high, the Chinese Americans who lived in the city of St. Louis during its heyday—between the mid 19th and early 20th-Century, saw economic prosperity as a highly probable dream. At the time, St. Louis was the fourth largest city in the United States, so the economy was booming. Most of the Chinese American immigrants lived in the apartments of Hop Alley—enjoying the close proximity to teashops, restaurants, groceries, and work. A popular business that the Chinese Americans oversaw was hand laundries—despite being only 0.1% of the entire population of St. Louis, they owned about 60%. [2] Everything changes, however, between the 1920s and 1960s. The Chinese Exclusion Act became revoked post-World War II in part because of the Chinese American support throughout the warring period. With the numerous restrictions held against Chinese Americans removed, many second-generation Chinese Americans in St. Louis took on professional-class jobs rather than working at restaurants, grocery stores, and/or teashops. Another positive byproduct of the post-World War II era was economic prosperity within the United States. This prosperity added to the ongoing sentiment—a plan for a more beautiful, prosperous, and livable city in St. Louis—that started as a result of the success from the 1904 World’s Fair. By 1947, a comprehensive plan was adopted. Unfortunately, a more beautiful city for St. Louis meant the leveling of Hop Alley. [2] The landmark that generated enough revenue for the St. Louis government to begin urban renewal in the downtown area was the internationally famous Gateway Arch, located in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park. The commercial district was leveled for the construction of “thirty-four office buildings, twenty-six factories, and extensive parking and loading facilities.” [1] Under this plan, Hop Alley would be reinvented as a parking structure. The many Chinese Americans living in the area reluctantly moved, and because of the ongoing urban renewal policies, a second Chinatown was never truly formed. Instead, the Chinese Americans transitioned to suburban communities, moving from laundry businesses that were in close proximity to their homes to restaurants that were far apart. [2] |
References:
1. "A Day at a Chinese Hand Laundry." A Day at a Chinese Hand Laundry. Mercantile Library Collection, n.d. Web. 29 Aug. 2014.<http://www.umsl.edu/virtualstl/phase2/1950/events/dayatlaundry.html>.
2. Ling, Huping. Chinese St. Louis: From Enclave to Cultural Community. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004. Print.
3. "Hop Alley & White Lightning." Distilled History. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Sept. 2014. <http://www.distilledhistory.com/hopalley/>.
4. http://d16wm5mxkuw2qn.cloudfront.net/images/5113.jpeg