An upgrade to San Luis Obispo’s Historic Chinatown District with a $50,000 dollar grant awarded to a nearly 100-year-old establishment with Mee Heng Low Noodle House receiving a $50,000 historic grant.
“It's been really fulfilling to know that we matter to other people," owner Russell Kwong said.
“It has so much atmosphere, has so much history, and has great food," longtime customer James Papp added.
For Kwong, the neon sign that sits atop the noodle joint off of Palm Street will now be restored to brighten up the outside of the 97-year-old restaurant. It's been out for a couple of years and was in need of repairs.
“It's going to light up the street and look really good again. It'll kind of refresh Chinatown," Kwong added.
“A business that is still here waving like that flag, you know, it's going to be really exciting," customer and former employee Griffen Meyers explained.
Mee Heng Low is a staple of SLO and Chinatown along with the Ah Louis Store which has been standing for 150 years. Together, they are two of the last remaining long-standing businesses with longtime roots.
“To continue being here, you know, might not be the last family that owns that, but I hope that it just is here for another 100 years," Kwong hoped.
The restaurant received the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants" grant by American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation where there were over 500 applications and only 50 selected across the entire country. Part of the criteria for selection was they had to be cultural and culinary landmarks to their communities.
“There's been a Chinatown on that land for over 150 years, and it's really important to be able to recognize it and celebrate it," Executive Director for the History Museum of SLO County, Thomas Kessler explained.
“Restoring the Mee Heng Low neon sign from the 1940s is going to be key to having the restoration of this neon alley of at least as a partial memorial of what was Chinatown," Papp said.
The sign is a reminder of the downtown historical significance of San Luis Obispo and with the Cultural Arts District being built out within the city, Chinatown’s history is still on full display for years to come.
“‘To feel the bright lights and the glamour of Chinatown is can only be a good thing for San Luis Obispo," Kessler concluded.
The grant will come in two installments, the first $40,000 will come within the first 45 days of completion of the grant agreement with the additional $10,000 coming once the sign refurbishment is 100% done.
