Providence Chinatown | |
|---|---|
Neighborhood of Providence | |
 Location of Chinatown was once near Westminster Street | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 41°49′25″N 71°25′20″W / 41.82361°N 71.42222°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State | Rhode Island |
| County | Providence County |
| City | Providence, Rhode Island |
| ZIP Code | 02903 |
| Area code | Area code 401 |
The U.S. city of Providence, Rhode Island, was once home to at least two Chinatowns, with the first on Burrill Street in the 1890s until 1901 and then around Empire Street around the late 1890s in the southern section of the city. According to another source, the Burrill Street Chinatown was burned to the ground in 1901 by a "mysterious fire" caused by a kerosene stove.[1]
The Empire Street Chinatown was considered one of the "last of the old Chinatowns" in a grouping that included Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore. The extension of Empire Street, proposed in 1914 (according to the Providence Sunday Journal) and completed around 1951 doomed the Chinatown, and all of the buildings were demolished including the former headquarters of local Chinese societies. The enclave was once located next to the Empire Theatre and the Central Baptist Church.[2]