Interior court and authentic Chinese garden in the Pacific Asian Museum in Pasadena
Gilbert Lester Leong (1911-1996) was a
Chinese-Americanarchitect 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]
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]
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]
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]
^"Chinatownia: Los Angeles News". Chinese Digest. Vol. 2, no. 8. February 21, 1936. p. 4. Retrieved 17 June 2021. A first prize of $200 goes to Gilbert Leong for his piece of sculpturing displayed at the last Los Angeles County Fair held at Pomona, California. For his outstanding artistic ability he has earned scholarships to the Chouinard School of Art, one of the leading art schools on the Pacific Coast. Presently, he will be transferred to U. S. C.