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Chinatown’s Sang Kee Peking Duck House has reopened after city-imposed shutdown

Steam generated by a long-standing water leak had threatened Sang Kee’s electrical panel, which also governs its fire alarm system.

Sang Kee Peking Duck House has been a Philadelphia staple since 1980.
Sang Kee Peking Duck House has been a Philadelphia staple since 1980.Read moreBonnie Weller / Staff Photographer

Sang Kee Peking Duck House has reopened, a week after it was closed by the city because its electrical panel was threatened by a mysterious stream of steam pouring into its basement.

Owner Henry Chow said Saturday a temporary solution made it possible for the restaurant to reopen at 11 a.m.

“We’re not sure what will happen next, but we are thankful for the love and support from the city,” Chow said Saturday. ‘We really felt like everybody was behind us this week.“

In an email to The Inquirer Sunday, a spokesperson for Vicinity Energy, the company that provides heat to Center City buildings through an underground high-pressure steam-pipe system, identified the cause of the problem that forced the shutdown of Sang Kee to water from a nearby business’ service line coming into contact with the surface of Vicinity’s underground steam pipes.

“To clarify, there was no leak in our steam pipes,” said Sara DeMille, the spokesperson. “In this case, a continuous flow of water from the service line onto the surface of our hot steam pipes generated steady vapor production. This vapor was then drawn into the restaurant, most likely through a conduit or another pathway, which caused the visible steam inside the basement.”

The water service line was repaired Saturday, DeMille said, citing conversations with Philadelphia Water Department.

It is a joyful turn in a battle that one of the oldest restaurants in Chinatown has been grappling with for over a year.

When its closure was announced, Chow told The Inquirer steam generated by a long-standing water leak was threatening Sang Kee’s electrical panel, which also governs its fire alarm.

Contractors came in and out but no one could identify and repair the leak. As they continued to look for answers, officials feared that the electrical panel would be damaged by steam.

“The fire department has been out multiple times, and every utility company has been out multiple times,” Henry Chow’s father, Michael, told The Inquirer after the restaurant was ordered closed. “They all refer a different team and a different inspector and it gets nowhere.”

A Department of Licenses and Inspections notification appeared on Sang Kee Peking Duck House’s door on Dec. 13 stating “cease operations” in black bold letters spread across a white paper crossed with red lines, alleging electrical and fire violations.

“This is a nightmare,” the Chows posted on the restaurant’s Instagram account last week, announcing the indefinite shutdown to the mournful comments of longtime customers asking how they could help.

On Dec. 14, Vicinity workers created a temporary vent by making a hole in the ground, turning it into a chimneylike system to release part of the steam, Henry Chow said in an interview Saturday.

This temporary solution helped the Chows reopen the restaurant, the owner said, by reducing the amount of steam enough to prevent the electrical and fire panels from being at risk.

Chow said he is grateful to be back in business.

“This is not just a Chinese restaurant in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, it’s what people consider a Philadelphia institution,” Chow said. “To be part of the fabric of the city is really meaningful.”

Editor’s note: This article was updated Sunday to include comments from a spokesperson for Vicinity Energy citing the cause of the restaurant’s closure and stating the problem was repaired Saturday.