Preserving New York: Nom Wah Tea Parlor

This essay is part of a student series for the Centre of Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts (PALA) at NYU SPS. We will be showcasing four student papers written in Spring 2022, for Kelly Carroll’s course Behind The Scenes In New York: Preserving A City Of Historic Neighborhoods. Students were asked to pick a historic site in New York City and make the case for why it should be granted Landmark status.

Kate Ringo chose Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Read an excerpt from their fascinating essay below:

“Nom Wah Tea Parlor, 11-13 Doyers Street, has survived over 100 years due to the entrepreneurial ingenuity of multiple owners, but scrappiness and resolve cannot guarantee it will remain as a marker of the Chinese American community’s achievements for another 100 years. While there is not a current known threat to the building, the recent rezoning of SoHo/NoHo is a prime example of impending change in the surrounding area. Chinatown was not included in the 2021 rezoning, yet advocates such as Village Preservation continue to question whether the city’s claims can be trusted.26 11-13 Doyers Street deserves designation as an individual landmark — on the basis of the building’s contributions to the history of Chinatown, as a longstanding gathering place for the community it serves, and as an emblem of Chinese American culture so beloved that patrons line the curving street on a daily basis for dim sum, even in the midst of a pandemic that prompted a new wave of racism and threatened to devastate Chinatown’s businesses.”

Kate Ringo’s full paper and presentation can be read here:
Nom Wah Tea Parlor by Kate Ringo
Nom Wah Tea Parlor Presentation by Kate Ringo

Behind The Scenes In New York: Preserving A City Of Historic Neighborhoods is a continuing education course that any member of the public can register for and is also one of the required courses in the Certificate in Historic Preservation. The course will be running again in the fall, click here to register.