Chatham Square, Manhattan

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Chatham Square, or Kimlau Square as it is now officially known, is a major intersection in Chinatown. The square lies at the confluence of seven streets in Manhattan: Bowery, East Broadway, St. James Place, Mott Street, Oliver Street, Worth Street and Park Row. It is centered on (Lat: N40° 42.833' Long: W73° 59.887'), in ZIP Code 10038. Chatham Square was named for William Pitt The elder, the First Earl of Chatham, and Prime Minister of Great Britain before the American Revolution. Nearby Pitt Street is also named for him, and Park Row was once Chatham Street.^[1]

Up until about 1820, the square was used as a large open air market for goods and livestock, mainly horses. By the mid 1800s, it became a center for tattoo parlors, flophouses and saloons, as a seedy section of the old Five Points neighborhood. In the 20th century, after The Great Depression and Prohibition, the area was reformed.

The Kimlau Memorial Arch was erected, dedicated to the many Chinese Americans who have fought and died in the name of freedom and democracy. The arch is named after 2nd Lt. Benjamin Ralph Kimlau, a World War II aircraft commander of the 530th Squadron. The square was rededicated as Kimlau Square, although it is still generally known as Chatham Square. There is also a statue of Lin Zexu in the square. One of Chinatown's largest housing developments, Confucius Plaza, is adjacent to the square on the north side.

[edit] Rapid transit

Chatham Square was a major station on both the Second Avenue Elevated Line and the Third Avenue Elevated Line, until they closed in 1942 and 1955, respectively. This site is one of the proposed locations for a new New York City Subway station for the 2nd Avenue Subway line. (As of August 23, 2006)