70 Mulberry Street | philippoon

Proposals for 70 Mulberry Street

Since the 5-alarm fire at 70 Mulberry Street, there has been much discussion about about the future of 70 Mulberry and what should become of the building and site. While opinions vary from full restoration to total demolition, it's clear that the building and site hold an important place in Chinatown's history.

There is an opportunity at this site to construct (or reconstruct) something special for Chinatown, a building that not only honors the special place that 70 Mulberry holds in our memory but also provides the spaces necessary for a thriving Chinatown in 2020 and beyond.

Chinatown was suffering before the Coronavirus pandemic and the anti-Asian racism that it revealed. 70 Mulberry is an opportunity to build a better future for Chinatown and everyone who shares it.

The images in the slideshow below are meant purely for discussion, to visually illustrate several possibilities for the future of 70 Mulberry.

Before the Fire

This is what 70 Mulberry looked like before the fire. It was 5 stories, 1 story more than was originally constructed. Fire escapes were added in 1913 to the sides of the building.

After the Fire

Since the fire, the City has demolished the top three floors citing structural instability. The site is currently barricaded.

Since the building was originally constructed in 1893, it has gone through several changes. For example, the original tower and cornice were removed, and fire escapes were added to the sides of the building as per laws written in 1913.

Even aesthetically the building has changed throughout time. In 1983, the stone base and window frames were noticeably different than they are today.

Should we "turn back the clock" to 2017, before the fire? Would this be honoring the past, or an attempt to grasp something that has already gone?

Or should we rebuild according to what C.B.J Snyder built in 1893? With 4 stories instead of 5?

Should we "restore" the building to its previous condition, with decorative fire escapes too? Or are there other possibilities that honor the history of the building while looking towards the future?

Pell Street, 1899

70 Mulberry was built at a time were a predominantly Italian population occupied the area that is Chinatown today. The building and its architecture reflect the neighborhood as pictured here, and the school was originally known as the "Columbus School" because so many of its students were Italian-American

East Broadway, 2015

Times have changed since 1899, and there are a new set of issues facing Chinatown including gentrification, displacement, Coronavirus-inspired racism, and Chinatown's long term survival. What kind of building would best serve a community that faces these contemporary hurdles?

Let's build not just for the past and the present, but also for the future!

Chinatown is becoming increasingly segregated and gentrified. Spaces that people of all ages and backgrounds can share will help unify the community, and fight the forces of racism and displacement. Even 70 Mulberry's real history was one of diversity and integration!

5-Story Building with Large Windows

It seems reasonable to maintain the current stone base and stair tower. But rather than mimic the demolished facade of the old building, large windows allow light inside, whether for dance studios, classrooms, or other community spaces.

5-Story Building with Large Windows and Shades

Simple shades could be a contemporary reference to Poy Gum Lee's Chinese-American style architecture in Chinatown

7-Story Building

2 more stories are added to the building and built in a similar brick material. A new cornice at the top of the building replaces the one that was previously demolished, thereby restoring the cornice originally designed by C.B.J. Snyder in 1893

10-Story Building

This image shows 5 additional stories added to the top of the building. The balconied terraces are a contemporary reference to Chinese architecture, and allow the spaces inside to make use of the site location adjacent to Columbus Park

20-Story Tower

In a letter to Speaker Corey Johnson, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce proposes a new 20-story tower for a senior center and affordable housing. This is what a tower would look like at the site.

This is what a H.T. Chen & Dancers and Open Door Senior Center movement workshop looked like in a repurposed classroom in 70 Mulberry. The classroom in 70 Mulberry was not originally meant for such activities.

This is what the same class could look like in a newly constructed studio with large windows overlooking Columbus Park! Chinatown deserves better!