New renderings have been revealed for the redesign of Kimlau Square and the restoration of the landmarked Kimlau Memorial Arch, a granite ceremonial gateway at the center of Chatham Square in Chinatown, Manhattan. Designed by architect Poy Gum Lee and dedicated in 1962, the 18-foot-9-inch granite structure is being restored by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, while a broader street and plaza realignment is advanced by the Department of Transportation under the Chinatown Connections project.
The plan, designed by MARVEL, would enlarge the plaza, simplify the five-point intersection where Oliver Street, East Broadway, the Bowery, and Park Row converge, and potentially relocate the arch to a more open position within the expanded square. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is set to review the proposal on Tuesday, July 14.
Rendering of Kimlau square. Credit: MARVEL.
The restoration is the more immediate effort, with procurement complete and construction set to begin imminently. Slated to run about a year, it now targets completion in summer 2027, a slip from an earlier 2026 estimate. Photographs from June 2023 track cracking at the bases of the memorial’s benches. The arch honors Second Lieutenant Benjamin Ralph Kimlau, a Chinese American bomber pilot who died in the South Pacific in 1944, and has stood largely unaltered since.
Rendering of Kimlau square. Credit: MARVEL.
Rendering of Kimlau square. Credit: MARVEL.
The case for moving the arch rests on the roadway: its current position conflicts with the geometry preferred for safe traffic circulation and with the bollards required to protect surrounding gathering spaces, the documents state. Any relocation would weigh three considerations: setting, preserving the arch’s southwest-to-northeast alignment with the Bowery while allowing use on all sides; viewsheds, maintaining pedestrian and vehicular sightlines; and community, creating a safer space for larger gatherings. The exact new location has yet to be determined.
Kimlau square sightlines. Credit: MARVEL.
The enlarged square would be organized into zones for movement, active programming, and gathering, framed by a green buffer and shaded seating that screen it from traffic and noise. A relocated Lin Ze Xu statue and a flag pole appear in the design, which also carves out space for a future Chinatown welcome arch distinct from the memorial. The work is part of a broader Kimlau Square overhaul the city has pegged at roughly $55.8 million across three phases, with the DOT realignment slated to begin construction in 2027.
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Notorious Five Points
The 19th century Five Points was near Worth and Baxter streets, and included parts of Columbus Park. The streets have changed over the years.
Looks like something that doesn’t need to be done if you ask me.
Massive improvement. That section of the Bowery is much wider than it needs to be and the streetscape is very unattractive and unnecessarily dangerous to navigate, both for residents and for the significant number of tourists who pass through the area. Nice to see that common sense can prevail in urban design.
Why are the roadbeds shown on Worth and Bowery much wider in the graphic rendering (first one, shown in color) than in the massing rendering (second one, shown in gray)? Wonder which version we’ll get. This would also be a perfect place to implement a pedestrian scramble so people can cross to/from Kimlau Square diagonally, but unfortunately not being done.
This will be an improvement, but could be much better.
No, no, no and no.
The intersection is already jammed and just barely works but it works.