{"nrhp_refnum":"10000012","name":"Chinatown and Little Italy Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Baxter St., Centre St., Cleveland Pl. and Lafayette St. to the W; Jersey St. and E. Houston","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.72342909100004,"lon":-73.99561321115576,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-02-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History","Archeology-Historic Non-Aboriginal","Ethnic Heritage-Asian","Ethnic Heritage-European"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 38-block historic district in lower Manhattan, New York City, roughly bounded by East Houston, Elizabeth, Worth, Baxter, Centre and Lafayette streets. It holds 624 contributing resources, mostly mid-19th to early 20th century tenements, plus townhouses, churches, loft buildings and two parks.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is nationally significant for the Chinese-American and Italian-American immigrant experience and the broader history of immigration in America (Criterion A). Its tenements reflect the evolution of housing reform laws (Criterion C). Archaeological potential in rear yards and around Columbus Park supports Criterion D.","narrative":"Chinatown and Little Italy together occupy a 38-block area of lower Manhattan where two immigrant communities have overlapped for nearly a century and a half. The streetscape consists mainly of brick tenements five to six stories tall, many with ground-floor shops, cast-iron storefronts and wrought-iron fire escapes. Older Federal and Greek Revival townhouses survive, often altered, along with factories, clubhouses, churches, schools and two parks, Columbus Park and DeSalvio Playground. The district was listed for its role in the history of American immigration, particularly Chinese and Italian settlement during the great wave of arrivals between 1880 and 1921. Its tenements illustrate how housing reform laws, beginning with the Tenement House Act of 1867, shaped urban living. Rear yards and the former Mulberry Bend slum area near Columbus Park may also hold archaeological evidence of daily life. The period of significance runs from about 1800 to 1965.","period_of_significance":"c. 1800 to 1965","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mixed: Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Renaissance, and Commercial Style","criteria":["A","C","D"],"status_note":"Still in active mixed use, with residential, commercial, religious, educational and park functions continuing today.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:47.915276-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/10000012.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000012/bd0b0180ab-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000012/bd0b0180ab-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"chensiyuan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">chensiyuan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinatown_manhattan_2009.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75319379","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q104127764"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/chinatown-and-little-italy-historic-district-10000012/"}