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Eugene Kinn Choy

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Eugene Kinn Choy (1912–1991) was a Chinese-American architect best known for designing the Cathay Bank headquarters in Chinatown (1962–66) and several private residences in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was the second Chinese-American to join the American Institute of Architects, following I. M. Pei, and one of the earliest to graduate from the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California.

Eugene Kinn Choy
Portrait of Eugene Kinn Choy by Julius Shulman (1952); © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
Born(1912-03-05)March 5, 1912
Guangdong, China
DiedFebruary 12, 1991(1991-02-12) (aged 78)
OccupationArchitect
SpouseLucille (née Fong)
ChildrenBarton, Marilyn
Practice
    • Eugene K. Choy and Associates
    • Choy and McWilliams
Buildings
    • Cathay Bank (777 N Broadway)

Early life and family

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Choy's father, K. C. Choy, emigrated to San Francisco and eventually moved to Bakersfield, California, in 1921, where he started Choy's Department Store (originally named the "City of Fuchau").[1][2]

Eugene Choy was born March 5, 1912, in Guangdong, China, and emigrated to the United States in approximately 1923, when he was 10. He graduated from Kern County Union High School and Bakersfield Junior College, where he was president of the Architecture Students Association and participated in track competitions.[3] He also served as the art editor for the 1932 Oracle, the high school's yearbook.[4] Later, he attended the University of Southern California, where he received his degree in architecture in 1939.[5] At USC, he was the president of the Chinese Students Club and an amateur photographer.[3] Although he is sometimes credited as the first Chinese-American to graduate from USC with a degree in architecture,[6] he was preceded by peer Chinatown architect and sculptor Gilbert Leong (USC '36).[7]: 4 

Choy married Lucille (née Fong) on June 26, 1941, in San Diego, California.[8] During World War II, he worked for the Hughes Aircraft Company, where he assisted in the design of the Spruce Goose.[5]

Choy was one of the first non-white residents of the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles due to racial covenants in effect prohibiting the sale of property to "any person not of the Caucasian race" when he sought to build a house for his family there. He went door to door to seek the approval of every house in the neighborhood before he was given approval to build in 1949, opening the door to the Asian American and Latino communities in the 1950s and 1960s[9]

Choy's brother Lawrence also trained as an architect; a third brother, Allan (1920–2004), graduated from USC in 1948 with an architecture degree.[5][10][11] Lawrence later took over the family business in Bakersfield, Choy's Department Store, from his father; Eugene helped to redesign the storefront and interior in 1948[2] and again for a grand reopening in 1953 following the 1952 Kern County earthquake.[1]

Choy's son Barton also trained as an architect; Barton designed neighboring houses in Silver Lake for himself and his sister Marilyn.[12]

Career

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Choy first received local recognition for his sketches in the early 1930s.[3][13] One of Choy's fifth-year projects at USC was featured in The Architect and Engineer for April 1939.[14]

Before he received his architect's license in May 1947 and opened his own office in Los Angeles that July, Choy worked for architects in southern California, including Stanton Willard and Francis W. Wynkoop.[5] He hired Helen Liu Fong as a secretary after she graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1949.[15] Early commissions included the family business (1808 19th St, 1948)[2] and Temple Beth-El (2906 Loma Linda Dr, 1949),[16] both in Bakersfield.

After Barton joined his father's practice in 1972, the firm was renamed to Choy Associates; it later was renamed to Cordova Architects in 2013 to reflect the current ownership.[17]

Exhibitions

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In 2012 Steven Wong and Floridia Cheung highlighted Choy's work alongside contemporary peer architects Helen Fong, Gilbert Leong, and Gin D. Wong at the Chinese American Museum in an exhibit called "Breaking Ground", citing their collective influence on modern Los Angeles architecture.[18][19][20]

Designs

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Selected Chinatown buildings by Eugene Kinn Choy
Name Image Year Address Notes/Refs.
Ying On Benevolent Association 1949 424 W Bernard [21]
Gee How Oak Tin Association 1949 421 Bernard [7]: 11 
Wong Kong Har Wu Sun Association 1950 744 N Broadway [21]
Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association   1951 925 N Broadway [6][7]: 7 
Jin Hing Jewelry Store 1955 412 Bamboo Ln [6]
Chinese American Citizens Alliance 1955 415 Bamboo Ln [21]
Kwong Medical Center 1955 1029 N Broadway [22]
Cathay Bank   1966 777 N Broadway Cathay Bank was founded in 1962 by F. Chow Chan, owner of the Phoenix Bakery.[7]: 5  [23]
Castelar Street Elementary School   1977 840 Yale Choy designed the large addition, completed in 1977.[7]: 6 

Choy notably designed several buildings within the New Chinatown district of Los Angeles. Outside of Chinatown, Choy designed a research laboratory for the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation near Los Angeles International Airport (1957, 5730 Arbor Vitae).[24]

Aside from his commercial/public work, Choy was noted for designing residences in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, including:

  • Eugene Kinn Choy House (personal residence, 1949, 3027 Castle St/3028 Windsor Ave)[21][25][26] According to his son Barton, Choy had to seek permission from neighbors and build the house before securing a loan because of racial restrictions in the neighborhood.[6][27] The house was photographed by Julius Shulman and written up for Arts & Architecture in February 1951.[28]
  • Chew House (1953, 3893 Franklin Ave),[21][29] built for another Chinese-American architect.[30]
  • 3200 Windsor Ave (1954)[31][32]
  • Kawaguchi House (1955–56, 3022 Windsor Ave),[33][34] featured in Season 2 of the television show You as the house of the character Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti).[35]
  • 2352–2356 W Duane St (1957, apartments)[21][36][37]

In addition, Choy designed the Brander House in the Hollywood Hills (1959, 7266 Outpost Cove Drive).[38][39]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Choy's Store Will Reopen in New Place". The Bakersfield Californian. August 13, 1953. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Department Store Gets Face-Lifting". The Bakersfield Californian. March 24, 1948. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Impressionistic Sketches Are Made". The Bakersfield Californian. July 27, 1936. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Oracle Is Now Off Press". The Bakersfield Californian. May 31, 1932. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Chinese Youth Is Architect". The Bakersfield Californian. January 29, 1948. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d Richards, William. "Pioneering Architects: Eugene Choy". American Institute of Architects. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e Exploring Chinatown: Past and Present (PDF) (Report). Los Angeles Conservancy. April 17, 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Couple Returns From Bridal Trip". The Bakersfield Californian. July 18, 1941. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  9. ^ "The Chinese-American architect who broke down Silver Lake racial barriers". The Eastsider. 1 February 2012.
  10. ^ "15 Kern Residents Get Troy Degrees". The Bakersfield Californian. June 12, 1948. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Allan K. Choy". The Bakersfield Californian. January 8, 2004. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Barton Choy Residence". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Pen and Ink Sketches to Be Displayed Here Friday". The Bakersfield Californian. July 28, 1932. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  14. ^ "A Motion Picture Exposition" (PDF). The Architect and Engineer. April 1939. pp. 36–38. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Helen Fong". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  16. ^ "New Temple". The Bakersfield Californian. November 12, 1949. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  17. ^ "A History". Cordova Architects. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  18. ^ RAGO, DANIELLE. "Hidden in Plain Sight". archpaper. The Architect's Newspaper, LLC. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles, 1945–1980". archpaper. The Architect's Newspaper, LLC. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  20. ^ GILMARTIN, WENDY (13 February 2012). "'BREAKING GROUND' AT CHINESE AMERICAN MUSEUM SHOWS THAT NOT ALL L.A. ARCHITECTS ARE OLD, WHITE DUDES". LA WEEKLY. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  21. ^ a b c d e f Horak, Katie (Architectural Resources Group). Asian Americans in Los Angeles, 1850–1980 (PDF) (Report). City of Los Angeles. p. E39. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  22. ^ "New Structure". Los Angeles Times. July 10, 1955. Retrieved 22 June 2021. Shown above is the Kwong Medical Building, now being built at 1029 N Broadway. Building was designed by Eugene Kinn Choy for co-owners, Dr. Mon Q. Kwong and Dr. Owen Kwong.
  23. ^ "Cathay Bank". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  24. ^ "Convertible Design" (PDF). Architectural Record. Vol. 121, no. 2. February 1957. pp. 230–231. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  25. ^ O'Connor, Pauline (April 2, 2019). "Former home of architect Eugene Kinn Choy up for rent in Silver Lake". Curbed Los Angeles. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  26. ^ "Historic Resource Summary: 3028 W Windsor Ave". Historic Places LA. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  27. ^ Anderton, Frances (January 17, 2012). "Breaking Ground with Chinese American Architects". KCRW. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  28. ^ "Small City House" (PDF). Arts & Architecture. Vol. 68, no. 2. February 1951. p. 36. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  29. ^ "3893 Franklin Avenue". Sotheby's International Realty. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  30. ^ Gluck, Marissa (March 20, 2009). "New To Market: 'Chew House' Mid-Century Modern In Los Feliz". Curbed Los Angeles. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  31. ^ "Restored Silver Lake midcentury designed by Eugene Kinn Choy". Best LA Neighborhoods. May 27, 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  32. ^ Leitereg, Neal J. (June 26, 2020). "Silver Lake home designed by Eugene Kinn Choy sells for top dollar". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  33. ^ O'Connor, Pauline (August 7, 2020). "Mid-Century Post and Beam in Silver Lake Asks $2M". Curbed. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  34. ^ "Historic Resource Summary: 3022 W Windsor Ave". Historic Places LA. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  35. ^ Blake, Lindsay (January 8, 2021). "On 'You,' a Mid-Century Stunner Plays Victoria Pedretti's Home". Dirt. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  36. ^ "Historic Resource Summary: 2352 W Duane St". Historic Places LA. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  37. ^ "Historic Resource Summary: 2356 W Duane St". Historic Places LA. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  38. ^ Bell, Rebekah (January 8, 2018). "Mid-Century Modern Home Designed by Architect Eugene Kinn Choy Lists for $9.3 Million". Robb Report. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  39. ^ Smith, Dan (2019). "Party House with MCM Roots". Eichler Network. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
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