Dragon Gate (San Francisco)
The gate in 2010 | |
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37°47′27″N 122°24′20″W / 37.7907°N 122.4056°W | |
Location | Straddling Grant just north of Bush, San Francisco |
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Designer | Clayton Lee, Melvin Lee, and Joseph Yee |
Beginning date | August 1968 |
Completion date | May 1970 |
Opening date | October 18, 1970 |
The Dragon Gate ("Chinatown Gate" on some maps) is a south-facing gate at the intersection of Bush Street and
it became one of the most photographed locations in Chinatown, along with the older Sing Fat and Sing Chong buildings (at Grant and California).History
Temporary gates in San Francisco
The Chinese pavilion at the Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco featured a temporary paifang in 1915.[2] A temporary "Imperial Dragon Gate" was erected across Grant at Clay for the 1941 Rice Bowl Party, a celebration and parade to raise funds for war relief in China.[3][4] Rice Bowl fundraisers had previously been held in 1938[5][6][7] and 1940.[8] Several temporary "victory arches" were erected in March 1943 to welcome Soong Mei-ling to Chinatown.[9][10]
Tourism
In 1953, the Chinese Chamber of Commerce sponsored a bilingual essay contest on how to improve Chinatown business, in the wake of an U.S. embargo on mainland China imports after the
In 1956, the Chinatown Improvement Committee, appointed by Mayor George Christopher, made the archway its top priority;[11]: 148–151 the proposal initially included two gates: one at Grant and Bush for Chinatown, and another at Pacific and Kearny for the Barbary Coast red-light district.[13] Two design drawings were shown in December 1956.[14] An early effort to build a gate which started in 1958[15] was suspended in 1961 after funds and materials ran short,[16] then abandoned in 1962.[17] The budget for both gateways (Chinatown and Barbary Coast) was initially $50,000 each, but the San Francisco Arts Commission killed the Barbary Coast proposal and reduced the budget to $35,000 in 1961.[13][18] The gate was redesigned in 1963 by Lun Chan, Worley Wong, Morton Rader, and Piero Patri as part of a more ambitious plan to link Chinatown and North Beach via a pedestrian mall and bridge.[15]
Design contest
"This Gateway appears to favor the pedestrian ... it has an intriguing quality of openness so that one sees the colorful flow of pedestrians and the shops beyond."
— Jury's comments, quoted in October 1967 Architecture/West article[19]
In 1967 Mayor John F. Shelley, who had succeeded Christopher, decided to spur interest by sponsoring a design competition with a budget of $70,000,[13] open to architects of Chinese descent.[20] The contest was won[21] by a team of three Chinese-Americans, architect Clayton Lee of San Mateo, with landscape architects Melvin H. Lee and Joseph Yee,[13][22] who were inspired by Chinese village architecture of ceremonial gates.[23][24]
There were more than twenty entrants in the contest, judged by a jury of five architects:[21] Thomas D. Church, Worley Wong, Charles Griffith, and Morton Rader, with Merrill Jew serving as a professional advisor. Second place went to a team of Roger Lee, Daryl Roberson, and Eugene Lew; third to George Meu.[19]
Construction and dedication
The official groundbreaking ceremony was held in October 1967, but construction did not begin until August 1968.
Construction was delayed by bad weather and the relocation of underground utilities. Although the gateway was largely completed by April 1969,
Restoration and current status
The gateway was restored in 1995; work included replacement of roof tiles, upgrading lights, repairing broken steps, installing hand rails, and cleaning and painting.[28]
In 2005, a private effort was proposed to construct a second gate for the northern entrance to Chinatown, at Broadway and Grant. Wilma Pang is credited for the idea of a second gate, inspired by temporary gateways across Commercial for the annual Mid-Autumn Festival starting in 2001.[29]
Design
The Dragon Gate, with its inscription by
Like most Chinese ceremonial gates, the Dragon Gate has three portals facing south. The two smaller west and east (pedestrian) portals flank the larger central (automotive) portal, and the structure is supported on stone columns rising from the sidewalks on either side of Grant. The stone columns adhere to standards for Chinese gateways;[23][24] in contrast, most 'Chinese' gateways constructed in the United States use wooden support columns.[30] Each portal is covered with green tiles, leading north along Grant Avenue into Chinatown.
Three shallow steps lead up to each pedestrian portal. Each pedestrian portal features a stone
There are four Chinese characters above each portal. Each sign is read from right to left. The central portal sign reads Chinese: 天下為公; pinyin: tiānxià wèi gōng; lit. 'All under heaven is for the good of the people' (a motto attributed to Dr. Sun Yat-sen);[23] the two gates bear signs with the eight virtues: the east portal sign reads 忠孝仁愛; zhōngxiào rén'ài; 'respect (filial piety)', 'love'; and the west reads 信義和平; xìnyì hépíng; 'integrity (confidence)', 'peace'.[32]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-137-06163-8.
- ^ a b Allen-Kim, Erica (Spring 2013). "The Political Economy of Chinatown Gates". Pidgin. No. 15. Princeton University School of Architecture. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2020.
- ^ "Crowd of people gathered for the Rice Bowl Party in Chinatown". San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. May 3, 1941. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Lion, Dragon To Aid China". Sausalito News. April 27, 1941. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "'Rice For Bowls Of China' Theme Of Carnival In Local Chinatown Friday For Benefit Of Civilian Refugees". The New World-Sun Daily. June 17, 1938. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ Abe, Victor (June 19, 1938). "Chinese 'Rice Bowl' fete packs streets; Japanese tradespeople close early". The New World-Sun Daily. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Rice Bowl Party Draws Throng". San Pedro News-Pilot. June 20, 1938. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Helps Fill China's Rice Bowl". The Healdsburg Tribune and Enterprise. February 19, 1940. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Greet Mme Kai-Shek". Madera Tribune. March 25, 1943. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ "Madame Chiang Kai-Shek touring Chinatown". San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. March 25, 1943. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8135-7172-0. Archivedfrom the original on 2019-04-17. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- Ciampi, Mario (September 1963). Downtown San Francisco: General plan proposals(Report). San Francisco Department of City Planning. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Van Niekerken, Bill (October 13, 2020). "Chronicle Vault: How S.F.'s Dragon Gate came to stand at Grant Avenue and Bush Street". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ "Rev. T. T. Taam holding up preliminary drawings of Chinese archways". San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. December 7, 1956. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
- ^ a b "A New Gateway to Chinatown". San Francisco Examiner. May 22, 1963. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Chinatown Waits: Gateway Arch Delayed Again". San Francisco Examiner, Sunday. May 21, 1961. p. 35. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Chinatown Gate 'Closed'". San Francisco Examiner. April 20, 1962. p. 5. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Chinatown Wins an Arch, Barbary Coast Rejected". San Francisco Chronicle. 1961.
- ^ a b "Gateway to Chinatown—an award-winning design". Architecture/West. October 1967. p. 8. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Gateway to Chinatown". Annual Report (Report). Department of Public Works, City and County of San Francisco. June 30, 1969. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ a b "Chinatown Gateway Selected: Designed by Architect Lee". San Francisco Examiner, Sunday. March 26, 1967. p. 26.
- ^ a b c d "A Literal Gateway to Chinatown: Chinatown Gate Due in June". San Francisco Examiner. April 2, 1969. p. 20. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Casey, Cindy (11 May 2012). "Chinatown – Gateway Arch". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ a b Bevk, Alex (24 July 2017). "Chinatown's Grant Avenue: A look back at one of San Francisco's oldest streets". Curbed San Francisco. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ Brinklow, Adam (28 July 2017). "Mapping 16 Chinatown landmarks and their history: #16 Dragon Gate". Curbed San Francisco. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ "Chinatown, San Francisco, California". hiddenSF. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ^ a b c McKillips, Drew (October 19, 1970). "Opening a Gate To Chinatown". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Annual Report (Report). Department of Public Works, City and County of San Francisco. June 30, 1995. pp. 55, 66. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ Goodyear, Charlie (May 27, 2005). "Mate sought for ornamental gate on Grant". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ "Shopping, dining and culture in San Francisco's Chinatown". San Francisco Travel. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- ISBN 9780835124362. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "San Francisco sights: Chinatown Gate". Fodor's. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Davis, Chelsea (January 2016). "Episode 192: Pagodas and Dragon Gates". 99% Invisible. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
- Quan, Jing (1994). San Francisco's Chinatown--A history of architecture and urban planning (Master of Architecture thesis). University of Arizona. pp. 115–116. hdl:10150/555369.