Cass Corridor's Chinatown

Context Statement

Detroit’s long-standing Chinatown at Third and Michigan Avenue was one casualty of the city’s “urban renewal” projects in the 1950s-1960s, which disproportionately affected low-income minority communities. Like the African American neighborhood of Paradise Valley, which was razed for the Edsel Ford Freeway, the original Chinatown was destroyed in a “slum clearance project” that allowed for the construction of the John C. Lodge Freeway. 

Chinatown’s leadership explored multiple possibilities for relocating their community. Henry Yee, a prominent businessman, became the leader of the Chinese Merchants’ Association (On Leong Tong) in 1962, several years after the announcement of Chinatown’s planned demolition. Yee supported plans for Chinatown’s move into an “international village” representing multiple ethnic groups in Detroit. When these plans failed due to lack of funding, Chinatown instead relocated to Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street starting in 1963.

With the opening of the new Chinese Merchants Association building on Sunday, May 12, 1963, the transition to “New Chinatown” was official. However, most Chinese-owned businesses chose not to relocate to New Chinatown, moving instead to northern suburbs. Despite early optimism, by 1980, the Chinatown area had lost much of its vibrancy. An increase in violent crime and robberies along the Cass Corridor discouraged visitors and new arrivals to Chinatown. The few shops still operating often struggled to attract business. Chung’s, the final landmark of Detroit’s Chinatown, closed in 2000, ending an era. (1)(12) The building at 3143 Cass Avenue, the former location of the Chinese Merchants Association, was demolished in 2023.

Though changing city dynamics and a suburban shift meant the Cass Avenue Chinatown was less successful as a social and cultural center than its predecessor, its businesses, homes, and institutions help tell the story of Detroit’s Chinese community.