Down by the Station: Los Angeles Chinatown

In 1933, the thriving Los Angeles Chinatown was demolished to make way for the new Union Passenger Terminal, sealing the historic remains 14 feet beneath the railroad tracks. In anticipation of Los Angeles’ new subway system, city government called upon Roberta Greenwood and her team to conduct salvage archaeology in the path of the tunnel-construction crews from 1989 to 1991. What Greenwood found is astonishing. Buried beneath the railroad’s old tracks were intact remnants of the Chinese American community- a time capsule forgotten for more than 50 years. The new book on the subject describes the excavations and artifacts that illuminate the daily lives of this long-lost community, from children’s toys to medicine bottles. Chinese Americans, like many minorities, were poorly documented by historical sources at the time. Greenwood’s book combines the limited historical record, including many archival photos. The result is a fascinating glimpse of a vital part of America’s heritage.