Chinatown, Washington, D.C.

About

Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown is a small, historic area of Downtown Washington, D.C. along H and I Streets between 5th and 8th Streets, Northwest. The area was once home to thousands of Chinese immigrants, but fewer than 300 remained in 2017. The current neighborhood, established around 1931, was the second in Washington to be called “Chinatown.” The first Chinatown began on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue in the 1880's, but was moved to the H Street area with the development of the Federal Triangle in the early 1930's. In 1986, a Chinese gate designed by Chinese-American architect Alfred H. Liu was built over H Street at 7th Street. By 1997, prominent landmarks such as the Capital One Arena, a sports and entertainment arena, occupied the area. The neighborhood is served by the Gallery Place station of the Washington Metro.