User:Mliu92/sandbox/Eugene Kinn Choy

Eugene Kinn Choy (1912-1991) was a Chinese-American architect best known for designing the Cathay Bank headquarters in Chinatown (1962) 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 the first to graduate from the School of Architecture at the University of Southern California.

Early life and education
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 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. He also served as the art editor for the 1932 Oracle, the high school's yearbook. Later, he attended the University of Southern California, where he received his degree in architecture in 1939. At USC, he was the president of the Chinese Students Club and an amateur photographer. Although he is sometimes credited as the first Chinese-American to graduate from USC with a degree in architecture, 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's brother Lawrence also trained as an architect; a third brother, Allan, 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 and again for a grand reopening in 1953 following the 1952 Kern County earthquake.

Career
Choy first received local recognition for his sketches in the early 1930s.

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 Frank Wynkoop. He hired Helen Liu Fong as a secretary after she graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1949. Early commissions included the family business (1808 19th St, 1948) and Temple Beth-El (2906 Loma Linda Dr, 1949), both in Bakersfield.

Exhibitions
In 2012 Steven Wong and Floridia Cheung highlighted Choy's work alongside contemporary architects Helen Fong, Gilbert Leong, and Gin D. Wong at the Chinese American Museum in an exhibit called "Breaking Ground".

Designs
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) 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.
 * 3028 Windsor Ave (1949)
 * 3893 Franklin Ave (1953)
 * 3200 Windsor Ave (1954)
 * Kawaguchi House (1955–56, 3022 Windsor Ave)
 * 2356 Duane St (1957)

Personal
Choy married Lucille (nee Fong) on June 26, 1941 in San Diego, California. Choy's son Barton also trained as an architect; Barton designed neighboring houses in Silver Lake for himself and his sister Marilyn. After Barton joined his father's practice in 1972, the firm was renamed to Choy Associates; it has since been renamed to Cordova Architects in 2013 to reflect the current ownership.