Chatham Square
Chatham Square is a major intersection in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. The square lies at the confluence of eight streets: the Bowery, Doyers Street, East Broadway, St. James Place, Mott Street, Oliver Street, Worth Street and Park Row. The small park in the center of the square is known as Kimlau Square[1] and Lin Ze Xu Square.[2]
For the square in Savannah, Georgia, see Chatham Square (Savannah, Georgia). For the housing complex in Orlando, Florida, see Disney College Program.
Chatham Square
Kimlau War Memorial[edit]
The Kimlau Memorial Arch was erected by the American Legion, Lt. B.R. Kimlau Post 1291 in 1961 to honor United States service members of Chinese ancestry who have fought and died serving their country. The arch is named after 26-year-old 2nd Lt. Benjamin Ralph Kimlau, an aircraft commander in the 380th Bombardment Group who was shot down on a mission over Los Negros Island on March 5, 1944 during World War II.[7] The memorial was designed by Poy Gum Lee[8][9] and bears calligraphy by calligrapher and poet Yu Youren (于右任).[10] The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the memorial as a landmark in June 2021.[9][10]
There also is a larger-than-lifesize bronze statue of Lin Zexu in the square, sculpted by Li Wei-Si.[2]
Transportation[edit]
Chatham Square was a major station on both the Second Avenue Elevated Line and the Third Avenue Elevated Line of the New York City Subway. These lines respectively closed in 1942[11] and 1955,[12] in anticipation of being replaced by the Second Avenue Subway, which was postponed repeatedly.[13] Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway on the Upper East Side opened in 2017.[13][14] A new station is proposed for Chatham Square as part of Phase 4, though as of 2016, no timeline or funding has been allocated.[15] The M9, M15, M15 SBS, M22 and M103 routes stop on nearby streets.[16]
The Kimlau Memorial Arch honors those of Chinese ancestry who fought and died for the United States
