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Chinese Cultural and Community Center

125 North 10th St. Philadelphia, PA 19107

 

The address, 125 North 10th Street, has long been the site of cultural significance, as first the Chinatown YMCA and later the Chinese Cultural and Community Center [CCCC]. These organizations were established to empower and preserve Philadelphia’s Chinatown community, and the building quickly became recognized as a city-wide icon. From the YMCA’s opening in 1955 until the CCCC’s closing in 2006, the site developed programs to celebrate and continue Chinese traditions, assist the local Chinese community, and encourage a cultural exchange within Philadelphia. The building was closed in 2006, and has lost over a decade’s worth of community engagement—a generation of Chinatown youth.

  

125 N 10th St. Historic American Buildings Survey – Library of Congress.125 N 10th St. Historic American Buildings Survey – Library of Congress.

 

"In the 1950s, the Chinese Cultural Center was a place of cultural exchange and celebration, a regional and local gem recognized by residents, community leaders, and politicians alike. Its distinctive, ornamental Chinese facade has stood blighted and vacant for over a decade on the heart of Chinatown’s 10th Street commercial corridor."

Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation 

 

House Museum proposes a series of interactive experiences within the restricted landmark. A 4k drone takes us on a soaring interior site survey. Imperial-style architectural elements, original masonry work, and historic uses are explained by a local audio guide. No longer are we restricted to human eye-level, but we adopt the perspective of the drone, providing access to cornice and baseboard details. The narration oscillates between English and Cantonese, to connect the explanation of the site's history to both Chinatown residents and non-locals.

 

 

 

 

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House Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

 

Interested in contributing a vacant site or partnering with House? Please contact [email protected]

   

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"In my Father's house there are many dwelling places." John 14:2