Chinatown history 1910 - 2010

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Updated March 2010. See posts below...
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Group's fight saved Chinatown
Task force marks 30 years since freeway plan killed

Kerry Williamson, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, November 09, 2006

They met in a crowded church basement 33 years ago to fight a plan that would steal their neighbourhood away from them.

Three years later, they won a battle few thought they would achieve, a small minority taking on the might of City Hall to stop a freeway.

And now, 30 years after their success, members of the Chinatown Development Task Force -- a group credited with saving the now-vibrant downtown community -- will finally celebrate their victory.

Full story: http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/new ... 6889aecaf1

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Chinatown a cultural gem for Calgary
David Parker, Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, January 31, 2009

http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/ne ... eaf402d2cd

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March 19 2009 - Herald

Search on for Chinatown history..
The colourful history of Calgary's Chinatown district will be captured in a major photo exhibition now in the planning stages. The Sien Lok Society of Calgary, a Chinese cultural and philanthropic organization formed in 1968, is looking for those who can contribute photos, recollections and personal stories about Chinatown's development. They will come together in an exhibit titled Builders and Patriots Part II --A History of Calgary's Chinatown, tentatively set for a public opening in May, 2010...

Full story:
http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/ne ... b9148a183a

http://www.sienlok.org

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Chinatown celebrates it's 100th anniversary in it's present location in 2010. Below is a link to some heritage information.
Above are previous posts on this subject ^.

http://www.chinatowncalgary.com/history.html

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CHINATOWN: Calgary's venerable downtown community celebrates its centennial while pondering the factors that are threatening its future
By Richard Cuthbertson, Calgary Herald February 14, 2010

http://www.calgaryherald.com/story.html?id=2563144

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City of Calgary will be providing up to $500K for Chinatown centennial heritage events, projects, and legacy items. It's been in the news lately - I'll post a few links to news stories...

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A good column on Chinatown by Ricky Leong in the Calgary Sun on March 9, 2010. He says that the focus of public spending (500K was approved by Council) should be on preserving the remaining built history. Link and excerpt below.

http://www.calgarysun.com/news/columnis ... 61916.html

...Instead of pledging money for a series of entertaining events, we should look at long-term funding for preservation and restoration efforts — surely a more appropriate and permanent way to celebrate one of this city’s most interesting neighbourhoods.

As you’re no doubt aware, time is something of a slow-motion wrecking ball for historical treasures in any Calgary neighbourhood.

If you’ve been to Chinatown lately, you might have noticed the dwindling number of original structures in the district.

The latest casualty of the ravages of time was a building housing restaurants and other businesses at 221 Centre St. S.W., which burned to the ground on Jan. 25.

And elsewhere, plans were afoot as late as last year to eventually tear down the United Church on 2 Ave. S., just west of Centre St., to make way for a seniors’ residence. (see http://www.calgaryheritage.org/CHIForum/vi ... =1457#1457)

When all is said and done, all that will be left of that historic building will be its facade and bell tower.

Looking at old photographs of the neighbourhood, printed in a city planning document from the 1980s, you’ll see the neighbourhood has changed significantly since those photos were captured.

In the last three decades, many old charming low-rise buildings have given way to modern multi-storey behemoths.

Good planning? Maybe.

Good preservation of historical artifacts? Absolutely not...

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Herald editorial on the Chinatown Centennial, March 22, 2010

http://www.calgaryherald.com/opinion/Ch ... story.html

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Chinatown centennial grows to $1.7M celebration
Major funding announced for legacy projects
By Kim Guttormson, Calgary Herald May 1, 2010

The Chinese community and the private sector will contribute more than $1.2 million to the Chinatown centennial celebrations and legacy projects, says a report going to a civic committee next week. With the $500,000 committed by the city, there will be about $1.7 million to spend on projects, including improvements to Sien Lok Park and Daqing Square, an August street festival with fireworks, a presence at the Stampede and multicultural heritage education programs.
Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/China ... z0n7Q094kG

Also see the Builders2Patriots exhibit in May:
http://www.calgaryheritage.org/CHIForum/vi ... =2078#2078

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Chinatown rolls out welcome mat for centennial
Kathleen Renne, For Neighbours (Calgary Herald)
Published: Thursday, June 10, 2010

Article about Chinatown that also lists the summer-long roster of activities. At the link: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/ne ... bb41f56fa4

Peter Chan of the Calgary Chinatown Centennial Celebration Committee says Chinatown's present location is actually the third spot to which the Chinese people moved after first settling around 8th Avenue and 3rd Street S.E. in the waning years of the 19th century. Chan, who made a documentary on Chinatown's development when he first moved to Calgary from Hong Kong twenty years ago, explains that, in those early years, Chinatown was a "self-contained community," a place where a few hundred Chinese immigrants could support each other, have access to the foods they were used to, and speak their native tongue with their neighbours. Skip ahead one-hundred years to the small, but vibrant, community that is Chinatown today...

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Sien Lok display spotlights proud history
By Mario Toneguzzi, Neighbours June 24, 2010

You don't have to travel very far in Calgary to see the impact the Chinese community has had on the city. It is evident everywhere. However, a trip you might want to take in the near future is downtown to the Chinese Cultural Centre where a unique display is being showcased by the Sien Lok Society of Calgary. The organization's latest legacy project is called Builders and Patriots II: A History of Calgary's Chinatown, which runs until October 31...

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/S ... z0sTrX8Ftw

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Link to a comprehensive page of information about the Chinatown Centennial - including upcoming events and the history of Chinatown:

http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/ ... wn+100.htm

Evolution of Calgary's Chinatown:
http://www.chinesealbertanhistory.com/h ... natown.htm
- lots more on that website too

Also, the cover story of the July 10, 2010 Swerve magazine ia about Chinatown.

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In the wake of the Chinatown centennial, news of the future:

Chinatown ramps up revitalization plans
Year Of The Rabbit
By Sean Myers, Calgary Herald

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/China ... z1HeAKrwiw