Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa, Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij today broke ground on a $184 million project to reconstruct the historic 70 Mulberry Street, restoring a cherished Chinatown institution as a permanent home for cultural organizations and a community hub for generations of New Yorkers.
Six years after a devastating fire damaged the building, the City is rebuilding the site as an eight-story cultural hub that will expand public space by 30%, preserve elements of the original architecture and provide modern facilities for the organizations displaced by the fire. The project will also include Wings of Everchange 易之翼, a three-part public art installation by visual artist Jennifer Wen Ma, commissioned through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs' (DCLA) Percent for Art Program .
"70 Mulberry Street captures the history and hopes of the Chinatown community," said Mayor Mamdani. "For generations, this building has been a place where neighbors gathered, where seniors found community and where cultural organizations kept this neighborhood's traditions alive. After the terrible fire in 2020, those organizations and the people who depend on them were forced to carry on elsewhere. Now, we're bringing them home."
"Today is a momentous day for Chinatown as we begin the reconstruction of 70 Mulberry Street, a place that for generations embodied the memories, culture and spirit of this community," said DDC Commissioner Paul A. Ochoa. "The devastating fire years ago was a profound loss, but the community's resilience never wavered. Today marks the beginning of a new chapter as the City transforms that loss into renewal, building a larger, more beautiful permanent home for the vital cultural organizations that were displaced. This project will restore a cherished cultural hub at the heart of this historic neighborhood, preserving and celebrating Chinatown's rich heritage while creating a vibrant space for future generations to learn, gather and thrive."
"70 Mulberry Street has been part of the heart of Chinatown for over 100 years. After losing the building to a devastating fire, we're building it back for the community," said DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei. "Working with DDC, we will preserve the historic character of this landmark building while creating a modern, accessible and sustainable facility that will serve this community for generations to come."
"This project will restore a home to local arts organizations along with so many other community services, while paying tribute to the site's history with a remarkable public art installation," said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij. "Wings of Everchange by artist Jennifer Wen Ma, commissioned by our Percent for Art program, transforms a moment of destruction into one of community rebirth. Using salvaged objects from the fire that devastated the building, Ma shows us that new possibilities can be built from what feel like moments of loss."
The original five-story building at 70 Mulberry Street was designed by C.B.J Snyder and constructed in 1892. It first served as Public School 23 before becoming a vital community gathering space. After the school closed down in the mid-1970s, the building became home to five community-based organizations: CPC Chinatown Senior Citizen Center, United East Athletic Association, Chen Dance Center, Museum of Chinese in America and Chinatown Manpower Project.
Together, these organizations have provided invaluable cultural, recreational and social services to Chinatown residents and New Yorkers across the city. On January 23, 2020, a fire significantly damaged the building, forcing the organizations to relocate temporarily. While many have continued offering programs and services at interim locations, they have operated at reduced capacity.
The reconstructed building will give all five organizations a permanent home while providing approximately 30% more public space than the original facility. The City preserved two stories of the original façade and the historic stairwell, retaining key architectural elements of the 1892 building.
The new facility will include six community rooms, including two rooms on the top floor that can be combined into a larger space. A new kitchen will serve the senior center, while a multipurpose room on the sixth floor overlooking Columbus Park will accommodate performances, sports, cultural events, receptions, banquets and lectures. The room will connect directly to landscaped outdoor terraces along Mulberry and Bayard Streets, allowing events to extend outside. Together, the spaces will accommodate up to 475 people.
