'Friendship Archway' To Be Installed In Sunset Park's Chinatown

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — Eighth Avenue in Sunset Park will soon be home to a new "Friendship Arch," a gift from Beijing.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that the arch would go in on Eighth Avenue, between 60th and 61st streets, in Sunset Park's Chinatown neighborhood. It will be installed by the Department of Transportation.

"Over the last few decades, 8th Avenue in Sunset Park has grown into one of the greatest hubs of our City’s growing and vibrant Chinese-American community -- and it will soon be graced with a grand and distinctive arch to welcome locals and visitors alike," de Blasio said in a statement.

"I want to thank our friends from Beijing’s Chaoyang District for the generous gift of the Friendship Archway. We look forward to this archway giving Sunset Park the recognition it deserves -- serving as an everlasting bridge between New York City and Beijing, two of the world’s great cities."

It's unclear exactly when the arch will be installed, but the statement from the mayor's office says DOT will conduct a traffic study on Eight Avenue between between 39 and 65 streets.

The work is expected to relocate some lights and utility poles.

The project was funded with $2 million from Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams' office and was approved by Community Board 7 back in 2015.

And here's how the mayor's office describes the actual arch itself:

The archway in Sunset Park will stand 40’-7’’ high, 12’-4” wide, and span 40’-9” across Eighth Avenue. Designed in the “Bu Chu Tou” style, the nine-roof, two-pillar archway will have blue indigo glazed tiles with sculptures of mythical creatures, similar to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. The arch will have a blue and green accented Xuan Zi style painting pattern with a golden dragon and revolving floral motif. Across the middle beam of the arch will be a Chinese inscription reading “One Family over Four Seas” as well as and English inscription reading “Brooklyn – Beijing Chaoyang.” The marble base will also have mythical creatures and the design team is currently refining the overall lighting proposal. Solar shingles are expected to power the lights sustainably – and the use of local materials and labor will be strongly encouraged.

In Chinese culture, archways traditionally mark entry to major urban streets. They are also often placed at significant sites like temples, parks, tombs and government offices. Beijing itself has over 100 archways within the city of 21.7 million people. Beijing’s Chaoyang District is the city’s largest, with a population of over 3.5 million people.

"Today is a great day for the Chinese community, and indeed all of Sunset Park," City Councilman Carlos Menchaca said in a statement. "We welcome a beautiful new arch to 8th avenue, the heart of our Chinese community. Sunset Park is a diverse and vibrant part of New York City, and this arch will help demonstrate its deep connections to so many different communities across the world.

"I want to thank the Beijing Chaoyang District for this generous gift. Know that it serves as a warm welcome to you and all others who would like to visit Sunset Park,” said Council Member Carlos Menchaca."

Photo courtesy NYC Mayor's Office