Gilbert Leong
Chinese-American architect
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gilbert Lester Leong (1911-1996) was a Chinese-American architect who designed churches and public buildings in the Los Angeles area.[1] He was the first Chinese-American to graduate from USC with a degree in architecture. His designs helped shape the architecture of postwar Los Angeles and Chinatown. Leong was also a co-founder of the East West Bank in 1973. The bank was set up to serve the Chinese American community in Southern California.[1][2]
Gilbert Lester Leong | |
|---|---|
Gilbert and Florence "Sissee" Leong, c. 1943. | |
| Born | 1910 or 1911 |
| Died | (aged 85) |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse | Florence "Sissee" (née See) |
| Children | Leslee See Leong |
| Buildings |
|
Education
- Leong studied painting and sculpture at Chouinard Art Institute[3] under Millard Sheets
- USC degree in architecture (1936) [1][4]
Career
After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in architecture, Leong worked with architects Paul Williams and Harwell Hamilton Harris. Leong eventually began to work on his own.[5] Leong designed both residential and public buildings in his career. He had an influence on the postwar California architecture of Los Angeles.[6][7]
Exhibitions
- In 1936 the work of Leong was featured at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibition was entitled "Oriental Artists".[8]
- In 2012 Steven Wong and Floridia Cheung highlighted Leong's work at the Chinese American Museum in an exhibit called "Breaking Ground", alongside three contemporaneous Chinese American architects active in Los Angeles: Eugene Kinn Choy, Helen Liu Fong, and Gin D. Wong.[9]
Designs
| Name | Image | Year | Address | Notes/Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese United Methodist Church | 1947 | 825 N Hill | [10] | |
| First Chinese Baptist Church | 1951 | 942 Yale | [11] | |
| Kong Chow Family Association and Temple | .jpg) | 1960 | 931 N Broadway | |
| King Hing Theater | .jpg) | 1962 | 647 N Spring | [12]: 4 |
| Bank of America | .jpg) | 1972 | 850 N Broadway | With Richard Layne Tom[12]: 5 |
| Phoenix Bakery | 1977 | 969 N Broadway | [12]: 10 |
Other designs by Leong include:
- Tract homes for builder George Ponty in the Ponty-Vanowen (San Fernando Valley) and Ponty-Anaheim developments.[13][14]
- Homes for Judge Delbert Wong (1954)[15] and Dr. Miguel Tirado (1959)[16] in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.
- Interior court and authentic Chinese garden in the Pacific Asian Museum in Pasadena. Co-designed[4]
- Logo for the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California[17]
Personal
Leong was born in 1911: he was the son of Chinese immigrant parents. He was the first Chinese American to graduate from USC with a degree in architecture.[12]: 4 Leong served in the U.S. Army during World War II,[5][18] and worked for Paul R. Williams after the war.[11] Leong and his family owned the Soochow Restaurant in Los Angeles.[19] Leong co-founded the East West Bank in 1973.[20] Leong died in Pasadena California on August 23, 1996.[21]
Leong married Florence "Sissee" See in 1942;[22][23] she was the daughter of Chinatown businessman Fong See and the great-aunt of novelist Lisa See, who documented the family's history in her memoir On Gold Mountain at Sissee's request.[24] Leslee Leong, the daughter of Gilbert and Florence, inherited the F. Suie One Co., which had been founded by Fong See.[25]