Here’s What New York’s Chinatown Fair Looks Like Right Now

Excitement swirled around the gaming industry this week in the wake of reports that New York’s legendary Chinatown Fair may be reopening for business. Film director Kurt P. Vincent, who directed a documentary about the beloved landmark called Arcade, reported that he had found workers moving arcade cabinets back into the building.

According to Vincent, a man named Lonnie is reopening the arcade. They’ve even got a photo of the workers setting up games.

The news would be well received by New York’s gaming community, some of whom were quite upset last year when Chinatown Fair closed after three decades of operation.

So this morning I walked down to Chinatown to check it out. The arcade certainly looks closed. It’s barred with a metal shutter that is covered with graffiti scrawls and internet memes (as you can see in the photo above). The door next to the shutter is locked. Nobody answered when I rang the doorbell.

I called the real estate company that owns the building, Raber Enterprises. They wouldn’t tell me whether there were any plans to reopen the arcade, though they did say to check back next month for more information.

I didn’t see any signs of construction or other indications that the legendary arcade might be reopening at some point soon. Maybe they’re all behind the shutter.