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The Historic Chinatown Gate Foundation funded the gate's construction to honor the centenary of Chinese immigrants settling in Seattle, WA. Two gates were planned at a cost of $600,000; the South King Street Gate was erected first. The Foundation planned to erect the second gateway in the vicinity of South King Street and 12th Avenue South, but its development was stopped in 2007 due to lack of funds. Mulvanny G2 donated its time to the effort; along with private individuals, the South Downtown Fund donated $100,000, King County $100,000, and the City of Seattle, $100,000. Groundbreaking for the structure began in 2006. Architect Paul Wu created the design assisted by Mulvanny G2.

Foundations for the arch had to be set 85 feet down for the arch to withstand seismic forces; this elaborate work was completed in 11/2006. Workers, such as Jing Shang Xie, were brought from Guangdong Province, China, to build the traditionally-styled arch. Most of the materials--particularly deocarative tiles--also came from the China.

PCAD id: 10852