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By Raymond Douglas Chong
(This story is done in partnership with the URL Collective)
The City of Fresno, California, in the San Joaquin Valley, is committed to revitalizing its historic Chinatown in Downtown. Investments from both the city and the State of California are focused on infrastructure upgrades, affordable housing initiatives, and community development projects there.
Additionally, the California High-Speed Rail Authority plans to construct a high-speed rail station in Fresno, which will serve both Downtown and Chinatown.
At a recent news conference, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer announced the demolition of Chinatown’s historic Bow On Tong Association building.
“I would love for us to wait for private development to come in and do all of this. But if that were going to happen, it would have already occurred,” he said.
The building, which had been condemned, was severely damaged by an arson fire in March 2022. The City of Fresno acquired the historic building from Chinatown Revitalization Inc. and has plans to develop affordable housing on this site.
Fresno Chinatown is currently undergoing significant revitalization efforts, which include infrastructure upgrades and the development of affordable housing to enhance livability. These efforts involve replacing water and sewer lines, as well as installing decorative streetlights and shade trees.
The City is collaborating with the Chinatown Fresno Foundation and other organizations to add housing and new developments:
– The Monarch Chinatown, a mixed-use development featuring affordable housing, has recently opened.
– The Bow On Tong Association Building is set to be replaced with affordable housing.
– The Peacock Building is scheduled for renovation into affordable housing.
– The Hotel Fresno Building will be renovated into apartments.
– The Radin & Kamp Building is planned to be transformed into a mixed-use space.
In the fall of 2018, the City of Fresno and the California High-Speed Rail Authority issued the Fresno High-Speed Rail (HSR) Station Area Master Plan. Their aim is to advance the revitalization efforts in Fresno’s Chinatown and to prepare for the future high-speed rail station.
The report reads in part:
Historic Chinatown benefits from an abundant supply of existing building stock, rich culture, and history. The existing historic buildings that comprise the core of Chinatown, like the Azteca Theater and Komoto Dept Store, can be preserved and enhanced with infill opportunities to reinforce the local neighborhood serving retail and business uses. In particular, attention should be paid to improving and enhancing ‘F’ Street as Chinatown’s “main street” with direct connections to Chinatown Park and the HSR Station.
Fresno Chinatown
In 1872, the Southern Pacific Railroad Company completed railroad tracks as part of the construction of the Second Transcontinental Railroad, connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles. Some Chinese railroad workers settled in the newly established town of Fresno and purchased properties on the west side of the railroad tracks in 1873.
White landowners pressured the Southern Pacific Railroad Company to agree not to sell or lease property to Chinese people and other individuals of color on the east side. These landowners sought a significant and inexpensive labor force from working-class communities to work on their farms, orchards, and vineyards.
Fresno Chinatown emerged as a historic center of community, cultural activity, and economic development in the Central Valley region. It became a haven for Chinese immigrants and a vital hub for services and businesses, where they could find traditional Chinese food, worship at temples, and maintain their cultural connections. Chinatown thrived as a bustling business district filled with shops, restaurants, and hotels that supported the local economy.
The area was a segregated hub for various ethnic groups, including Chinese, Japanese, Armenians, Volga Germans, Mexicans, and African Americans, along with others such as Greeks, Italians, Filipinos, and Portuguese residents. Its Japantown vanished in 1942 when the War Relocation Authority imprisoned the Japanese in a concentration camp.
The Bow On Tong Building was constructed in 1920 and holds significant historical importance. It served as a joss house (Chinese temple) and provided a space for spiritual worship and housing for Chinese pioneers. This building became a crucial social center for the community, allowing them to practice their traditional customs. The ground floor housed commercial spaces, while the second floor contained lodging and the temple.
Views from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Fresno
Jay Louie, President, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Fresno (CCBA), a Fresno native, practiced law. He owned Louie Foods, a family small business, that was noodle manufacturer, bean sprout grower, and restaurant supplies distributor. He reflects upon the impact of Bow On Tong Building and Fresno Chinatown on the Chinese community.
Chong: What was the historic significance of Bow On Tong Building in Fresno Chinatown?
Jay Louie: The Bow On Tong building was owned by the Bow On Tong Property Corporation of Fresno. It was purchased on or about 6/23/1938 according to corporate minutes. It was the meeting facility for the Bow On Tong Benevolent Association. I was told that it was the only building in Fresno Chinatown that had a Chinese facade. My recollection of the building was primarily from 1970 and before.
Chong: What kind of activities occur inside the Bow On Tong Building?
Louie: It was during Chinese New Year that we attended activities in the building. During Chinese New Year, there were dinner celebrations in the upstairs banquet room. After the banquet, they would rearrange the tables and chairs and show Chinese movies.
As a young kid, I recall playing around the hallways and on the street in front of the building with other young kids until after the movie or until our parents took us home. At that time, I no longer lived in Chinatown. There was a kitchen on the first floor where the food was cooked for the banquet. There was also a temple like an altar on the second floor toward the back.
Chong: Why was the Bow On Tong Building abandoned before the fire?
Louie: I have no recollection when the Bow On Tong Benevolent Association ceased to have functions at the building. I believe as the existing officers aged, no one succeeded in running the association. Evidently, there was no succession plan in place. The Bow On Benevolent Association was no longer active.
Allen Lew, the last officer of the corporation, passed away, and the books were just handed over to Chester Lew. Chester Lew came to me upon receiving a letter from the Fresno City Attorney’s Office. The City Attorney was following up a fire department assessment of the property. I don’t know whether they had accessed the building or not, but they requested that the owners of the building install or upgrade the fire sprinklers in the building. I don’t believe the building had fire sprinklers. I responded to the City Attorney’s Office to obtain more time to reply.
At or about that same time, I became acquainted with Kathy Omachi, who was the president of the Chinatown Revitalization Inc. The Bow On Property Corporation was no longer active, and clearly, there was no treasury or assets to install a fire sprinkler system. I convinced Chester Lew to Quit Claim the title to the property to the Chinatown Revitalization Inc., and the ownership was transferred to them with an oral promise that the building will be used as a museum of Chinatown.
The title transfer took place several years prior to the fire. Prior to the fire, Kathy Omachi and I inspected what was left inside the building. The building was in extreme disrepair. There were holes in the roof and pigeons roosted inside the building leaving a thick layer of droppings. The existing furniture was broken, and the temple was stripped of anything of value.
Although Chinatown Revitalization Inc. had clear title to the property, they had no assets to perform any remedial work.
Chong: Why not restore the Bow On Tong Building after the fire?
Louie: Ownership/title to the property was held by the Chinatown Revitalization Inc., a non-profit corporation with virtually no assets.
Chong: What is the general opinions of the Chinese community when City of Fresno recently demolished the Bow On Tong Building for affordable housing?
Louie: I don’t believe the Chinese community had any opinion about the use of the building site. Only a few descendants of the Bow On Tong Association members even recall the building.
It is my understanding that members of the Chinatown Revitalization Inc. were not pleased with the decision. Please note that there is a rival Chinatown revitalization group composed of business owners. I have no idea what their opinion is of the housing proposal.
Chong: What are the last pieces of the Chinese community (e.g., landmarks, plaques, etc.) in Fresno Chinatown?
Louie: Only because I am the current president of CCBA, I was informed and saw a monument built on behalf of CCBA located on G Street.
Chong: Are the City of Fresno and the Chinese community revitalizing Fresno Chinatown?
Louie: The City of Fresno has always given the impression that they want to revitalize Chinatown. High-speed rail and other infrastructure repairs have taken priority. The Chinese community has essentially taken a backseat to the whole matter. The business owners in Chinatown are primarily concerned with revitalization. I believe that there is only one Chinese restaurant in operation in Chinatown.
Chong: What caused the Chinese community to gradually leave Fresno Chinatown?
Louie: With assimilation and integration in the Fresno/Clovis community, most of the Chinese population migrated to North and Northeast Fresno. For a period, the only Chinese event in Chinatown was the Chinese New Year Parade. Now that event has faced cancellation since the pandemic.
Chinese community migration has also led to the demise of the “Chinese School” located on Tulare and Waterman. This was the headquarters of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association. This CCBA building was located roughly a couple of miles West of Chinatown, and built in the 1960’s with Chinese community effort.
Located across the street from the Chinese School was the “First Chinese Baptist Church.” Migration forced them to relocate the church to a more northerly location.
Chong: How is Chinese culture perpetuated in Fresno while facing assimilation and integration?
Louie: Perpetuation of Chinese culture is primarily left in the hands of the individual family. There are many Chinese organizations that operate independently that assist in preserving Chinese culture.
CCBA exists as a theoretical umbrella organization, but needs to reorganize itself to maintain relevance in the community. The Chinese community itself is composed of many factions based upon origin, language, and religion. The perpetuation of the Chinese culture may be the only common denominator holding the community together.
Chong: Does the Chinese community still face discrimination or see progress in Fresno now?
Louie: Discrimination in the sense that Chinese are marginalized is not as prevalent as with other races in the Fresno community. Chinese coexist with other minorities. It is very difficult to assess progress in the community.
I can only speak for myself. Perhaps my assimilation has allowed me to integrate myself to a point where I no longer experience racial discrimination in my social circle. This is not to say it doesn’t exist. It remains to be seen when you find that your very close friends are primarily other Chinese. You become further integrated when your own children marry non-Chinese, and grandchildren are multiracial. This is the essence of a melting pot.
Views from the Chinatown Revitalization, Inc.
Kathy Omachi, founder (1995) and president, and Raul Pickett, director (communication) with Chinatown Revitalization, Inc., advocate a progressive approach to development in Fresno Chinatown. They oppose the concentration of affordable housing in Fresno Chinatown.
Raymond Douglas Chong: What is the key back story (legacy) of Fresno Chinatown?
Kathy Omachi and Raul Pickett: It’s unique. Although the Chinese community established Chinatown, it eventually became one of the more diverse communities in the U.S. The community attracted 11 ethnic groups encompassing Chinese, Japanese, Mexicans, African Americans, Germans, Russians, Armenians, Italians, Portuguese, and Basques, to name a few. The diversity reflected the people, businesses, churches, festivities, and activities surrounding the area. This consisted of a varied and large conglomeration of ethnic novelty stores, bookstores, bakeries, tortillerias, restaurants, theaters, medical services, retail, and other professional services.
The churches included a large Buddhist temple with the largest campus in the U.S., consisting of an auditorium, gym, and a Sumo wrestling arena. Other churches included a variety of protestant churches, i.e., Taos, Confucius Center, the first Catholic Chinese Church in the state, the first Mexican Baptist church, a Mosque, and various protestant churches. Dr. Buntarco Kogeki developed an elaborate medical service system, which included various physicians and, eventually, a hospital. Dr. Kogeki also developed the Japan Industrial Bank.
The Obon, September 15th, St. Elis, and the Chinese New Year were among the various festivities. Christmas was also widely celebrated. The district also had an elaborate Chinese and, later, a Japanese Opera house. There was a Spanish-speaking theater and two other theaters that had appearances by such celebrities as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and Audie Murphy. The district was known for having the most notorious lottery system in the U.S., with over 700 employees.
Sun Yet-sen, the first president of China, visited Chinatown, and so did Kwang Yu Wei, the political philosopher to the Emperor of China. The Chinese Political Party
maintained an office in Chinatown, and a local battalion that fought in the Chinese Civil War was trained in Chinatown. Kwang wrote 18 books and traveled throughout the world, meeting dignitaries such as President Roosevelt on three different occasions in an attempt to have the Chinese Exclusion Act rescinded. He eventually married Lily Haw from Fresno.
The District became the center of agricultural labor in central California, attracting thousands of workers who were housed, served, and entertained in Chinatown. Several services were provided and weren’t offered in any other location. Due to its growth and Fresno became known as the most diverse small city in the nation in the 1970s. Unfortunately, it eventually earned the title of having the most diverse concentration of poverty in the country in the 2000s.
Although abandoned by the city over the years, it grew and developed, contributing significantly to the City of Fresno and central California’s agricultural economy.
Chong: Has the City of Fresno cared for the community of Fresno Chinatown?
Omachi and Pickett: No. I can personally state in the last 31 years that I have volunteered in Chinatown that the small hand-full of city management or employees that have really cared for or listened to us have either been fired or forced to retire and those remaining have carried out an overall plan to wipe out the area and use the land for the city’s use or “greater good”.
Chinatown developed due to segregation and continued as such from its inception. While other Chinatowns eventually disappeared or became novelty tourist attractions, Fresno Chinatown has developed and prospered since it was an integral part of the local economy. It became central California’s agricultural employment hub and provided an elaborate tax base that helped the city grow. This was by design. Chinatown was allowed to grow and prosper, and the City worked intensively to bring in immigrants who could reside and work in West Fresno and Chinatown.
With the movement of the White immigrants to the East Side, Chinatown began to deteriorate. The City did very little to develop the area and abandoned its development. At present, the district is the worst slum in the city, and is rampant with deteriorating businesses, crime, and homelessness. The City approved only a two-block historical district with at least five extremely low-income apartment units. One of the properties is the Bow On property, which the city has engaged in various efforts to take possession of. The Chinese community has expressed a desire to build a Chinese museum on the
property, but they have little chance of having that approved by the city.
Late last year, we went before the City’s Historical Preservation to introduce the idea of approving all of Chinatown as a historical district. We were scheduled to make a presentation before the committee, which was cancelled prior to the presentation. The planning director also arbitrarily canceled the second session.
Although the state’s housing requirements require that the city allow 40% of its housing complexes to include low-income residents, the city is constructing most of these units in Chinatown, away from public purview. This has traditionally been the practice of the city, and the city is known to manipulate policy to favor developers.
With the construction of the high-speed rail, the city has reconfigured Chinatown. Chinatown abuts the Fresno station. Kern and Tulare streets have been closed, and the district has been encapsulated, away from public purview. The city plans to inundate the area with extremely low-income apartment units. It is significant to note that state requirements require that residents have access to vital services and employment opportunities, and that children have ready access to educational facilities. None of this exists.
The city’s plan to build Affordable housing will only contribute to the area’s eventual deterioration. We propose developing the area as a center of culture, recreation, education, and entertainment, like Old Sacramento.
Chong: Why should Fresno Chinatown become a historic district?
Omachi and Pickett: To preserve a rarity in ethically oriented communities in the US. I believe Fresno’s Historic Chinatown is rare in the sheer number of diverse ethnic communities to call it home since the mid 1800’s – over 11 different groups from African American to Germans from Volga Russia have worked, lived and established their roots in California by way of Fresno’s Chinatown.
Over ten years ago the Planning Department for the city commissioned a housing study plan that researched 50 buildings in Chinatown and documented that half could either qualify for designation on the local, State or Federal historic site register. The entire 17 blocks needs to be accurately saved not just a mere two blocks as the city plans.
Fresno Chinatown is unique. It can readily be classified as the Brooklyn of the West Coast. Immigrants from throughout the world came to Fresno to transition into the state. It grew and prospered, becoming a growth center for various ethnic immigrant groups. California is among the largest of the nation’s states, and is the fourth largest economy in the world. Chinatown was vital to developing the state’s central agricultural economy and instrumental to integrating central California into the rest of the state.
Early on, Chinatown was a stopping point for many travelers traversing the state by wagon or railroad. It also triggered the development of many local businesses.
Chong: What has Chinatown Revitalization accomplished for Fresno Chinatown so far?
Omachi and Pickett: Chinatown Revitalization, Inc got locals to work together – got outside people talking about it and got the city worried about it ruining their plans to wipe out the area for redevelopment. At its formation we held a strategic meeting with Dr. Jackie Ryle to work with business owners, property owners, residents and service providers to identify the community’s strengths and weaknesses and how to work with them. We identified the people, past and present – the varied businesses – and history as strengths / we identified the issues of real and perceived safety – overall all cleanliness and lack of advocacy as weakness.
The Chinatown Revitalization brought Chinatown’s history to a level of recognition. We have made numerous presentations throughout the city and presented our case to have Chinatown recognized as a vital part of the City’s history. We still have to contend with the traditional antagonistic and racist segments of the community that hope to downplay the role of Chinatown’s history and contribution to the area’s development.
Chong: What was the importance of the Bow On Tong Building?
Omachi and Pickett: It not only represents the classic example of the Chinese community making it in the US but actually thriving and claiming their right to be here and to become an integral part of US history.
The Bow On Tong building was a center of business and life for the Chinese community. It was the last Tong Association building in Chinatown. We planned to transfer the title to the Chinese community to build a local Chinese museum. The city made zero effort to speak to the Chinese community regarding the status of the building and pursued the site to build affordable housing. This never would have been done with any of the White ethnic communities.
Chong: How did Chinatown Revitalization take ownership of the Bow On Tong
Building?
Omachi and Pickett: Friendship. The last remaining elder of the association transferred title to Revitalization Committee. This was practically at his deathbed. He desired to ensure that the building continued to benefit the Chinese community.
Chong: What is your position on the City’s proposed affordable housing at the site of the demolished Bow On Tong Building?
Omachi and Pickett: There is no real need for that specific lot to be designated as an affordable housing site since the city has also designated it as the middle of its miniscule “historic district” and the rebuilding of the historic building to serve as replication of the original building would only enhance that project.
Affordable housing should be distributed throughout the Central Business District
instead of concentrated in Chinatown. The City has always maintained a policy of
segregation in Chinatown. With the current plan, they are continuing a policy of
economic and racial segregation under the auspices of building affordable housing. In addition, little is being done to develop the businesses in the area. Most businesses are typical of depressed regions and will not serve the area. The city has just recently begun to consider Chinatown as part of the Central Business District to realize the inundation of increased affordable housing there.
It is also significant to note that the city’s condescending and arbitrary manner of taking possession of the property is a violation of the law.
Chong: Do you concur with the City’s master plan for Fresno Chinatown? Redevelopment or gentrification?
Omachi and Pickett: No. We had survived the original Redevelopment Agency but not their plans to tear down Chinatown as laid out in the faulty Master Plan.
There is no plan for the area, only the building of affordable housing. Businesses
are ignored, and there is no long-term plan for development for the area. The approach is piecemeal, trivial, and inconsistent with the city’s master plan to make the area a mega center for the Bay Area.
As is apparent, I’m totally against the city’s policy for the area. In addition to the
affordable housing, a park and parking lots on the east and west ends will effectively encapsulate the area.
Close
Since 1872, Fresno Chinatown has been a vibrant neighborhood for the Chinese community and other racial groups in this segregated area. However, it experienced a decline due to assimilation and urbanization.
With the introduction of the new high-speed rail station, the City of Fresno, with Chinatown Fresno Association, aims to revitalize Chinatown through a combination of infrastructure upgrades, private developments, and affordable housing.
The Chinese community, represented by the Consolidated Chinese Benevolent Association and the advocates of Chinatown Revitalization Inc., agrees on the need for revitalization. However, they have differing approaches to achieving this goal, including the lost Bow On Tong Building.