Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è pasta... E pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Romans insist you should feel the cracked peppercorns and cheese grains on your tongue.
Flavio al Velavevodetto
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington Seattle Chinese Community Bulletin Board

Chinese Community Bulletin Board

In the absence of a Chinese-language newspaper, for years the community posted daily updates on this simple bulletin board.

Seattle, Washington

Added By
Jake Uitti
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Chinese Community Bulletin Board   Randy Wo-Eng
Chinese Community Bulletin Board   Randy Wo-Eng
Chinese Community Bulletin Board   Randy Wo-Eng
  breaingram / Atlas Obscura User
Bulletin board Nov. 2023   Joe from Bellingham / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Sometimes the most unassuming artifact can have a most prestigious past, and one you can’t immediately determine just by a glance. That is exactly the case when reflecting on Seattle’s historic Chinese Community Bulletin Board, which hides in plain sight to this day on the outer wall of the Louisa Hotel in the International District.

The Emerald City’s modern history cannot be separated from its relationship to myriad Asian countries across the Pacific Ocean. Along with its very significant history with the countries of Japan, Korea and Vietnam, Seattle has a long history with China. Some of the city's oldest eateries—like South King Street’s 85-year-old Tai Tung—are of Chinese origin. But, despite this entwined past, the city for many decades did not have a Chinese-language newspaper. So, in the mid-20th century, people posted the important news and updates of the day on the Chinese Community Bulletin Board.

Secured against an average-looking brick wall, the wooden message board rests underneath a green and red flared overhang. With little bits of paper, staples, and pins still stuck into the paneling, similar to any city telephone pole. Looking at the simple bulletin board, you can picture what it was like reading the updates and checking the business listings, a bastion of help in an era where there perhaps wasn’t enough. 

The Louisa Hotel, itself, is also a historic location. Over 100 years ago, it was the site of a diverse jazz-loving community. And in recent renovations, giant, beautiful murals depicting flappers, jazz musicians, and other happy cavorters were discovered.

And it was the site of tragedy. Seattle's worst mass murder took place here in 1983.  On the southwest corner of the building,  at ground level with an entrance on Maynard Alley stood the Wah Mee Club, a dive bar that was a home for illegal gambling. Glass bricks with a tiny peephole allowed a doorman  to see visitors and buzz in only those where were recognized. On February 18, 1983, the doorman admitted three young men, one of them a regular at the club who had accumulated gambling debts of over $10,000.  Seeking to rob the club and its patrons, the three hogtied and then executed everyone inside - fourteen victims.  One, a dealer who had only been shot through the neck, survived, and managed to escape to the street, flag down a policeman, and identify the perpetrators.

The Wah Mee club was sealed off, intact, for thirty years, a macabre tourist attraction. On Christmas Eve 2013, a fire started in a disused upper room of the Louisa Hotel. The resulting fire and water damage destablized the  western half of the building, which was torn down, leaving only the eastern half plus the intact northwest corner.  At the site of the Wah Mee club there remained only an empty foundation.

The site is an important landmark in Seattle, especially in terms of its pastiche of cultures intermixing within the city. And while the Chinese Community Bulletin Board may not be used as frequently as it once was—what with the internet as well as the publication The Seattle Chinese Post—it continues to hang, so that this chapter of Seattle's history won't be forgotten.

Related Tags

History Culture Preservation Hotels Media Language Immigration

Know Before You Go

Keep your eyes open. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you could easily miss it.

Community Contributors

Added By

Jake Uitti

Edited By

matthucke, Meg, breaingram, Joe from Bellingham

  • matthucke
  • Meg
  • breaingram
  • Joe from Bellingham

Published

May 3, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Chinese Community Bulletin Board
511 Seventh Ave South
Seattle, Washington
United States
47.597976, -122.323998
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Louisa Hotel

Seattle, Washington

miles away

Tai Tung

Seattle, Washington

miles away

Seattle Pinball Museum

Seattle, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Seattle

Seattle

Washington

Places 131
Stories 18

Nearby Places

The Louisa Hotel

Seattle, Washington

miles away

Tai Tung

Seattle, Washington

miles away

Seattle Pinball Museum

Seattle, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Seattle

Seattle

Washington

Places 131
Stories 18

Related Places

  • Pomerode’s German architecture on display at the Carl Weege house museum.

    Pomerode, Brazil

    Carl Weege Immigrant House Museum

    The preserved home of the first settler of "the most German town in Brazil."

  • The antique, embossed tin on the walls and ceiling of the Martin Hotel have an “Arabesque” design motif, popular at the time of establishment.

    Winnemucca, Nevada

    The Martin Hotel

    It may no longer take overnight guests, but the Martin still makes out-of-towners feel at home—just like it has for the past century.

    Sponsored by Travel Nevada
  • Clock faces. Notice the national symbols, numbers, and alphabets.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Ottoman Clock

    This clock was gifted to Mexico as a show of gratitude for its long history of welcoming Arab migrants.

  • The exterior of the museum in the former Immigration Inn.

    São Paulo, Brazil

    Immigration Museum of São Paulo

    This intriguing museum chronicles the history and impact of immigration in Brazil.

  • Hendrix’s bedroom.

    London, England

    Handel & Hendrix in London

    The next-door homes of two very different musicians, George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix.

  • Room at the Bohemian National Hall dedicated to Antonín Dvořák.

    New York, New York

    Dvořák Room

    A small piece of the composer's New York home lives on in the center of Czech culture in Manhattan.

  • The lobby.

    Klamath Falls, Oregon

    Baldwin Hotel Museum

    This hotel has hardly changed in over a century, like a time capsule of old Oregon.

  • The Athenaeum, Indianapolis.

    Indianapolis, Indiana

    The Athenaeum

    This stately clubhouse has showcased German-American culture for over a century.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.