By the mid-19th century, it became a center for tattoo parlors, flophouses and saloons, as a seedy section of the old Five Points neighborhood.

[4][5] Following the state grant, mayor Eric Adams announced a $56 million renovation of Kimlau Square in 2024, which would entail rebuilding plazas and roadways.

Kimlau Post 1291 in 1961 to honor United States service members of Chinese ancestry who have fought and died serving their country.

The arch is named after 26-year-old 2nd Lt. Benjamin Ralph Kimlau, an aircraft commander in the 380th Bombardment Group who was shot down on a mission over Los Negros Island on March 5, 1944 during World War II.

[7] The memorial was designed by Poy Gum Lee[8][9] and bears calligraphy by calligrapher and poet Yu Youren (于右任).