A major celebration is happening this weekend in Midtown, and it’s all to help build up Detroit’s Chinatown corridor.
The Detroit Chinatown Block Party celebrates the neighborhood’s Chinese heritage while envisioning an inclusive future.
The Detroit Chinatown Vision Committee is working to restore the heart of the Chinatown neighborhood along Peterboro and Cass.
Detroit’s original Chinatown grew around Third and Porter in the 1890s. By the 1950s and ’60s, families were pushed out due to urban growth, similar to what happened in Black Bottom and Paradise Valley.
The community moved and rebuilt the Cass Corridor, complete with a strip of restaurants, a grocery store, churches, and spots for families to gather.
Eventually, families moved to the suburbs, and businesses started to slow and close down.
Calls for revitalization began to grow in 2023, when the city tore down a popular Chinese restaurant due to safety concerns. The Chinese American Merchants Association owned the building on Cass for decades before city inspectors deemed it dangerous and unsafe.
But for many Chinese Americans, it was much more than just a crumbling structure. The demolition didn’t just take down a building—it woke the community up. It was a place where people ate together, organized, and found support.
Now, the neighborhood is being revitalized and celebrated with the second annual block party.
It runs from noon until 8 near Cass Avenue and Peterboro. There, you can learn more about Chinatown, enjoy delicious food, and check out family games and amazing performances.
Carolyn Watson and Leslie Tom joined Local 4 Live to talk more about the event.
You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.