Eugene Kinn Choy

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.

Early life and family 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").

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. Later, he attended the University of Southern California, where he received his degree in architecture in 1939. he was preceded by peer Chinatown architect and sculptor Gilbert Leong (USC '36). During World War II, he worked for the Hughes Aircraft Company, where he assisted in the design of the Spruce Goose.

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

Choy's brother Lawrence also trained as an architect; a third brother, Allan (1920–2004), graduated from USC in 1948 with an architecture degree. 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

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

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

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. Early commissions included the family business (1808 19th St, 1948) 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.

Exhibitions 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.

Designs +Selected Chinatown buildings by Eugene Kinn Choy

Ying On Benevolent Association

Gee How Oak Tin Association

Cathay Bank

Cathay Bank was founded in 1962 by F. Chow Chan, owner of the Phoenix Bakery. Castelar Street Elementary School

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) 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. The house was photographed by Julius Shulman and written up for Arts & Architecture in February 1951. Chew House (1953, 3893 Franklin Ave), built for another Chinese-American architect. 3200 Windsor Ave (1954) Kawaguchi House (1955–56, 3022 Windsor Ave), featured in Season 2 of the television show You as the house of the character Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti). 2352–2356 W Duane St (1957, apartments)

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