US-based architecture studio Spaced Agency has completed the first-ever street-level expansion of Wo Hop, a nearly 90-year-old restaurant in New York City's Chinatown. The project represents a significant milestone for the historic eatery, which has operated exclusively from its basement location since opening in 1938.
Located off Mott Street in Chinatown, Wo Hop has been serving traditional dishes like chow mein and egg foo young from its "no-frills" basement dining room for decades. The original space features colorful tables and walls covered in memorabilia left by diners over the years. This marks the first time in the restaurant's nearly 90-year history that it has expanded to street level.
Spaced Agency director Justin Ng explained that the design team approached the project as "architectural archaeology," carefully studying the building's existing character and materials rather than introducing entirely new elements. The studio stated that "the design emerged by extending what was already there," using the building's bright red entrance and other pre-existing features as primary references for the expansion.
The new street-level dining room showcases several key design elements that directly reference the original basement space. A line of bright-red tiled booths runs along one wall, complemented by a strip of illuminated shelving positioned above them. The shelving serves as an interior extension of the iconic boxed awning that hangs above the building's basement entrance, while the tiled booth seating mirrors the red color of the entrance's guardrails.
Additional design details include a thin strip of matching red tile that runs along the bottom of a large picture window facing the street, allowing passersby to look into the dining space. The interior features red-and-white rope placed between red wainscoting and white drywall, along with a teal and white-checked floor underneath the booth seating area.
The studio intentionally left the walls blank to accommodate future memorabilia from diners, explaining that this decision was made "to invite the restaurant's legacy to continue growing above ground." Following this concept, the restaurant owners have already begun filling the illuminated shelving unit with lucky cat figurines toward the front, framed photography of staff in the middle section, and their personal collectibles at the back.
The restaurant now operates across two levels, with diners accessing both spaces through street-facing entrances while staff utilizes a back-of-house staircase and dumbwaiter system to navigate between floors. The single kitchen remains located in the basement, maintaining the restaurant's original operational structure. Spaced Agency designed the new upstairs space as one long "train-like" volume positioned perpendicular to Mott Street.
Beyond the expansion, the project included important structural upgrades to the basement space and restoration work on the restaurant's original 1900s brick facade. Throughout the construction process, Wo Hop remained mostly open to customers, maintaining its tradition of round-the-clock service that has defined the establishment for decades.
This project comes at a time when Chinatown residents are actively fighting to preserve the neighborhood's Chinese American cultural roots amid ongoing development pressures. The area faces significant changes, including the construction of a nearly 300-foot-tall jail facility currently under development in the neighborhood.
Spaced Agency recently completed another project in the same area – a community center located just down the street from Wo Hop. The studio's work in Chinatown demonstrates a commitment to honoring the neighborhood's heritage while meeting contemporary needs through thoughtful architectural interventions that respect existing cultural and physical contexts.
