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A silent legacy: the influence of Gin D. Wong's work on the Los Angeles built environment

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A silent legacy: the influence of Gin D. Wong's work on the Los Angeles built environment

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A SILENT LEGACY:
THE INFLUENCE OF GIN D. WONG’S WORK ON THE LOS ANGELES BUILT
ENVIRONMENT

By

Nirali Sheth

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION

December 2022

Copyright 2022 Nirali Sheth

ii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my professor and chair of the
committee, Trudi Sandmeier, for her invaluable patience and feedback. I also could not have
undertaken this endeavor without my thesis committee members, Kathryn Horak and Peyton
Hall, who generously provided knowledge and expertise. Without their assistance and
dedicated involvement in every step, this paper would not have been accomplished.
Thanks should go to the former Architecture and Fine Arts Librarian at USC School of
Architecture, Stacy Williams, who assisted in finding research aids, books, and archives. I am
also grateful to my classmates for their editing help, late-night feedback sessions, and moral
support. Special thanks to Janna Wong, Gin Wong’s daughter, who provided vital
information and insightful comments about Gin’s life.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Cynthia Becht, head of Archives and
Special Collections at Loyola Marymount University, and Sue Luftschein, head of Special
Collections at the University of Southern California, for their prompt support during my
research. Thanks should also go to Nancy Hadley, director of Archives and Records for the
American Institute of Architects, for her assistance. I am indebted to all the interviewees who
gave their invaluable insights into Wong’s professional life, especially Mr. Bruce A. Bailey,
Mr. Millard Lee, and Mr. Kenneth Lee. Without their passionate participation, this endeavor
could not have been successfully completed.
Finally, I would be remiss in not mentioning my family and friends, especially my
father, Sandeep Sheth. Their belief and encouragement kept me motivated during the span of
the thesis.

iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii
LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... iv
ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................................... vii
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. viii
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1
THE SETTING ........................................................................................................................ 1
CHINESE-AMERICAN BACKGROUND: .................................................................................... 1
BIG BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE FIRMS: .................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER 1 : JOURNEY TO ARCHITECTURE (1922-1950) ............................................. 10
CHAPTER 2 : EXPERIMENTS IN PRAGMATISM (1951-1958) ............................................ 27
PEREIRA & LUCKMAN ........................................................................................................... 31
PROJECTS ........................................................................................................................... 36
1. CBS TELEVISION CITY ............................................................................................... 36
2. LOS ANGELES CENTER STUDIOS (FORMERLY UNION OIL CENTER) ............................ 45
3. LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ................................................................... 53
CHAPTER 3 : PLANNING COMES FIRST (1959 -1972) ................................................... 63
WILLIAM L. PEREIRA AND ASSOCIATES – ............................................................................... 64
PROJECTS ........................................................................................................................... 68
1. UNION 76 GAS STATION ......................................................................................... 68
2. OCCIDENTAL CENTER TOWER (Now South Park Center (USC Tower)) .......................... 72
3. OLIN HALL OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ................... 77
CHAPTER 4 : GIN WONG ASSOCIATES AND LEGACY (1974-2017) .............................. 84
GIN WONG ASSOCIATES.................................................................................................... 85
1. ARCO CENTER (now 1055 W 7
th
) ............................................................................... 91
2. THE CENTER (UNITED TALENT AGENCY HEADQUARTERS) .......................................... 96
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................... 105
BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................... 108

iv
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 118
APPENDIX I : AWARDS* ...................................................................................................... 118
APPENDIX II : IMPORTANT EVENT TIMELINE* ...................................................................... 119
APPENDIX III : LIST OF BUILDINGS AT PEREIRA & LUCKMAN* ............................................... 120
APPENDIX IV : WILLIAM PEREIRA & ASSOCIATES* ................................................................. 121
APPENDIX V : GIN WONG ASSOCIATES* ........................................................................... 122

iv
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure i.1: Organizational structure for a big business firm (here, Welton Becket & Associates). ......... 7
Figure 1.1: USC Trustee Gin D. Wong. ..................................................................................... 10
Figure 1.2: Map locating Old Chinatown and City Market area in Downtown L.A. ........................ 12
Figure 1.3: View of Los Angeles City Market. .............................................................................. 14
Figure 1.4: Photographs showing City Market. ........................................................................... 15
Figure 1.5: Sanborn map showing City Market, 1906-1950. ....................................................... 15
Figure 1.6: Sanborn Map of Wong’s neighborhood when he first came to Los Angeles. ................. 17
Figure 1.7: Photograph of Ying Chong Lung Co. ........................................................................ 17
Figure 1.8: Gin D. Wong’s School Yearbook Photo. ................................................................... 19
Figure 1.9: Gin Wong’s World War II Draft Card. ...................................................................... 21
Figure 1.10: Wong with the William Allen White crew. ................................................................ 21
Figure 1.11: Gin Wong's photo in USC Yearbook, El Rodeo, 1950. ............................................. 23
Figure 1.12: Gin Wong's photo as a member of SCARAB in USC Yearbook, El Rodeo, 1950. ........ 24
Figure 1.13: Wong with his family. ............................................................................................ 25
Figure 2.1: Cathay Bank by Eugene Choy. ................................................................................. 29
Figure 2.2: Charles Luckman and William Pereira meeting President Dwight D. Eisenhower. .......... 34
Figure 2.3: Campus Plan – Pereira & Luckman, 1952. ................................................................ 34
Figure 2.4: Gin Wong featured as an Alumni in El Rodeo, 1961. ................................................. 36
Figure 2.5: CBS Television City View. ........................................................................................ 38
Figure 2.6: Proposed master plan for CBS Television City. ........................................................... 39
Figure 2.7: Betty Luster with an architectural scale model, May 1952. .......................................... 40
Figure 2.8: Image showing building under construction. .............................................................. 42
Figure 2.9: Photo showing the curtain wall façade with the red-colored entrance. .......................... 42
Figure 2.10: First Floor Layout. ................................................................................................. 43

v
Figure 2.11: Live broadcast showing audience seating and stage. ................................................ 44
Figure 2.12: Views of Union Oil Center. .................................................................................... 47
Figure 2.13: Union Oil Center Rendered View by an architect. .................................................... 48
Figure 2.14: Ground floor plan shows the main building, plaza, and two lower wings. ................... 49
Figure 2.15: Main Building under construction. .......................................................................... 50
Figure 2.16: Fins as seen on the façade. ................................................................................... 51
Figure 2.17: Section through the main complex. ......................................................................... 51
Figure 2.18: Views from Beaudry Building. ................................................................................. 52
Figure 2.19: View of Mines Field ............................................................................................... 56
Figure 2.20: Aerial Image showing completed airport, 1961. ...................................................... 57
Figure 2.21: Internal photographs of the terminal. ...................................................................... 58
Figure 2.22: Photographs showing the underground tunnels. ....................................................... 58
Figure 2.23: Renderings for the Remodel. .................................................................................. 59
Figure 2.24: Rendering for the remodel showing the airport. ........................................................ 60
Figure 3.1: A rendered view for Hunt Foods and Industries corporate offices. ................................ 67
Figure 3.2: Rendering for Santa Fe Springs Civic Center in Santa Fe Spring, California. ................. 68
Figure 3.3: Photographic view of the Gas Station. ...................................................................... 70
Figure 3.4: Sketch for Gas Station. ............................................................................................ 71
Figure 3.5: Photograph of the gas station showing original colors. ............................................... 71
Figure 3.6: Photographic views of the completed structure. .......................................................... 73
Figure 3.7: Photographic view of the rooftop restaurant. ............................................................. 75
Figure 3.8: Photographic View of the tower under construction. ................................................... 76
Figure 3.9: Sketch views of the site. ........................................................................................... 77
Figure 3.10: Posing for dedication Ceremonies for Olin Hall, El Rodeo, 1961. ............................. 78
Figure 3.11: Image Showing major quadrangles proposed. ......................................................... 79

vi
Figure 3.12: Olin Hall of Engineering in 1966. .......................................................................... 81
Figure 3.13: Present-day photographs of the building. ................................................................ 81
Figure 3.14: Photographic view of the library. ............................................................................ 82
Figure 4.1: Image showing student activists. ............................................................................... 85
Figure 4.2: Wong's designs for his friends’ restaurants. ................................................................ 88
Figure 4.3: GWA rendering for Cusumano Plaza. ....................................................................... 89
Figure 4.4: Rendering of Crean Tower at the Crystal Cathedral. ................................................... 90
Figure 4.5: ARCO Center when constructed. .............................................................................. 92
Figure 4.6: Rendering of the Plaza. ............................................................................................ 93
Figure 4.7: Section through the parking and tower. ..................................................................... 95
Figure 4.8: Photograph of the lobby. ......................................................................................... 96
Figure 4.9: Satellite view of the original complex. ....................................................................... 97
Figure 4.10: Rendering of The Center by GWA .......................................................................... 98
Figure 4.11: View of the original buildings. ................................................................................ 99
Figure 4.12: Present-day views of the Complex. .......................................................................... 99
Figure 4.13: Gin Wong with other recipients of the Modern Masters Award. ............................... 102
Figure 4.14: Renderings of offices designed by GWA. ............................................................... 103

vii
ABBREVIATIONS
1. AIA – American Institute of Architects
2. FAIA – Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
3. USC – University of Southern California
4. B. Arch. – Bachelor of Architecture
5. GWA – Gin Wong Associates
6. CBS – Columbia Broadcasting Studio
7. LAX – Los Angeles International Airport
8. NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration
9. HVAC – Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning
10. P & L – Pereira & Luckman
11. USC SOA – University of Southern California School of Architecture
12. SC – Southern California
13. USSR – Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
14. UN – United Nations
15. China – Republic of China (1912-1949); People’s Republic of China (post-1949)
16. WWII – World War II
17. WLP – William L Pereira & Associates
18. ARCO – Arco Petroleum Products Co.
19. TDC – Transpacific Development Co.
20. LAWA – Los Angeles World Airports
21. WLPA – William L Pereira & Associates

viii
ABSTRACT
Gin D. Wong, FAIA, is a Chinese American architect whose work influenced the
architecture of Los Angeles in the late twentieth century, yet his name remains largely
unknown. Wong was born into a modest housebound in Guangzhou, China, in 1922. He
moved to Los Angeles soon after. Gin received his architecture degree from the University of
Southern California School of Architecture in 1950. After graduation, he worked under his
mentor William Pereira, first at Pereira & Luckman (where he became the Vice President of
design) and later at William L. Pereira & Associates (which he helped found). There he
became the president and partner-in-charge of design. Both firms were corporate big-
business architectural practices. In 1974 he founded his own firm, Gin Wong Associates.
Over his career, spanning over sixty years, he worked on numerous well-known buildings,
including the Los Angeles International Airport and Union 67 Gas Station in Beverly Hills. He
served as a USC Board of Trustees member from 1983 till his death, and his name is
commemorated on a classroom at the USC School of Architecture, now known as the Gin D.
Wong conference center. He received many awards and was one of the youngest architects
(at the time) to be granted a fellowship by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Despite
many contributions, his name is little known beyond a select few due to the fact that he
worked under a firm of a different name for most of his career. This thesis examines Gin
Wong’s life and career and maps out his work’s significance and influence on Los Angeles’
built environment.

1
INTRODUCTION
THE SETTING
If we view cities as records of history, architecture is one of the essential visual
materials archived in this vast collection of cultures, events, and aspirations. In the case of
post-war Los Angeles, a city hailed for its experimental spirit, the mid-century institutional
buildings, the playful Googie-style coffee shops, the modern Case Study houses, and the
high-rise corporate headquarters are just a few examples of the countless styles that prevailed
during the period. The construction demands that arose due to the post-war economic boom
also gave rise to many corporate architectural firms. These buildings are widely known,
discussed, and generally credited to a single architect or firm (often with eponymous
architects).
While it is challenging to paint Gin D. Wong’s architecture career in a single stroke,
he captured the essence of a city in his work. His architectural career spanning more than six
decades continuously evolved.
1
The range of his works demonstrates his love of design, from
large commercial projects such as hotels and office complexes to modest restaurants and
single-family homes. Distinguished amongst his peers and one of the least recognized
designers who influenced the modern architectural movement in Southern California, Wong
is responsible for some of the most iconic buildings in Los Angeles. His architectural legacy is
clouded by two socio-political complexities – he was a person of color, and he worked in
large architectural firms for much of his career. Both play an essential role in understanding
the significance of his career.

CHINESE-AMERICAN BACKGROUND:
The Civil Rights movement and the subsequent Civil Rights Act, signed in 1964, led to
a significant social change in the United States, bringing into focus the stories and struggles
of marginalized communities. Asian American communities, especially the youth, were active

1
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376). He started working as a draftsman under
Architect Albert Gardner in 1946 and retired in 2015.

2
in this struggle.
2
Scholarship on their history has continuously shed light on their immigration,
discrimination and displacement, and resilience that shaped the built environment and
cultural landscape of Los Angeles (and the country).
The United States saw a regular influx of Chinese immigrants searching for work, with
the earliest migration traced back to the 1850s.
3
Their disposition to work for low pay and
work on demanding and undesirable jobs concentrated them in various work occupations like
building railroads or working at farms and mines. These workers, primarily men, faced
regular discrimination and violence because of labor competition and the visual presence of
a large number of Chinese workers, forcing them to congregate and stay in ethnic enclaves
or ‘Chinatowns.’
4
Chinatowns provided them protection and a support system against these
anti-Chinese sentiments and allowed them to open small businesses creating job
opportunities.
5
In the case of Los Angeles, areas between North Spring Street, Cesar Chavez
Avenue, Alameda Street, and Arcadia Street marked the earliest Chinese Settlement or Old
Chinatown.
6
The area became a center of the Chinese community in the city, providing
homes, meeting halls, and places of work. Unequal access to amenities like medicine and
burial grounds led the community to continue practicing their cultural and religious traditions
like herbal medicine and maintaining small shrines in homes and businesses.
7
Community
organizations and family associations (based on shared familial kinship or geographical
location) emerged and functioned as banks, employment centers, educational centers,

2
“Berkeley Historical Plaque Project – Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA),” Berkeley Historical Plaque
Project, accessed February 19, 2022, http://berkeleyplaques.org/e-plaque/asian-american-political-alliance-
aapa/; Marissa Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic
Context Statement, 1850-1980” (SurveyLA, October 2018), https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/8481e27d-
2d93-431e-a201-7cb6bedc3029/SurveyLA_ChineseAmerican_Oct2018.pdf.
3
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980”; Haiming Liu, The Transnational History of a Chinese Family (New Brunswick: Rutgers
University Press, 2005). The main reason was economic survival for their family and at times their village or
clans as well.
4
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.”
5
Chinatowns were places of shared culture, language, and experiences for the Chinese immigrants.
6
The city razed Old Chinatown in 1933. The following chapter elaborates on this subject.
7
Liu, The Transnational History of a Chinese Family; Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context
Statement: Chinese American Historic Context Statement, 1850-1980.” While benevolent associations played a
positive role within the community there were organization that relied on violence and public altercations
(usually with each other) which received more attention. This added to the anti-Chinese sentiment.

3
medical centers, and a source of news and welfare for the Chinese. Unsurprisingly, the
Chinese were a closely-knit community with a robust support system that developed over the
decades.
Another excellent example of this strong network and community bond is the practice
of chain migration, where socially related individuals or households migrate through a mutual
help system - one member (usually male) of the family immigrates, gains a foothold, and then
calls for other family members.
8
They share information and experiences and provide initial
assistance and accommodation to newer arrivals. In her book The Transnational History of a
Chinese Family, Haiming Liu describes another facet of chain migration, “…once human
migration is set into motion, ties among family, kin, and friends form the social networks to
sustain momentum regardless of legal restriction… Chinese migration is essentially a socially
embedded, group-oriented, and family-supported movement.”
9
Chain migration extended
beyond family ties to social circles. Due to legal restrictions like the Chinese Exclusion Act, the
Chinese could only bring their family over. The non-eligible Chinese (especially children)
often immigrated by becoming related on ‘paper.’ Wong immigrated under a similar process
as a ‘paper son’ to Lee Shee Wong, a friend of Gin’s mother, and her husband, Shoo Tan
Wong, who previously immigrated to Los Angeles.
10

While the community kept growing, the area severely lacked public amenities like a
proper sewage system and paved roads. Additionally, city officials allowed prostitution, opium
use, and gambling in the area (in part to keep them out of the desirable areas of the city).
Legislations such as the California Alien Land Law of 1913 barred the Chinese from owning
property.
11
As a result, Old Chinatown was under constant threat of demolition. In 1933, the
city razed Old Chinatown, and thousands of Chinese Americans were forced to relocate to
areas like City Market Chinatown and East Adams. Wong stayed at City Market Chinatown

8
Liu, The Transnational History of a Chinese Family.
9
Liu, The Transnational History of a Chinese Family.
10
Wong-Healy, Janna (professor at USC Marshall), Gin Wong’s daughter, interview by author, Personal
Interview, January 10, 2022; Janna Wong-Healy, “My Father Gin Wong,” Gom Benn Scholarship Fund (blog),
January 31, 2022, https://gombenn.org/my-father-gin-wong/; Brian A. Wong, “Paper Sons, Paper Lives,” Gom
Benn Scholarship Fund (blog), January 31, 2022, https://gombenn.org/part-1-paper-sons-paper-lives/.
11
“May 3, 1913 | California Law Prohibits Asian Immigrants from Owning Land,” Equal Justice Initiative, 3,
accessed August 28, 2022, https://calendar.eji.org/racial-injustice/may/03.

4
with his adoptive parents. The advent of World War II would dramatically change how the city
viewed Chinese Americans from being discriminated against to a ‘model minority.’ Many
Chinese Americans served in the armed forces, including Wong. Their veteran status allowed
them to be naturalized citizens and get a university degree. The naturalization process would
make the ‘paper relations’ legal.
Gin never discussed much about his Chinese heritage, save how it influenced his
designs. He always looked to the future, finding solutions rather than discussing problems. He
maintained relationships with those in his community, drawing and designing their homes and
restaurants throughout his architectural career. However, it is essential to study Wong’s
background as a Chinese immigrant to discern the intermingled lives of immigrants, the
changing political and social forces of the time, and their influence on his work and life.

BIG BUSINESS ARCHITECTURE FIRMS:
In the early twentieth century, Modernism came to Southern California with the works
of Irving Gill, Frank Lloyd Wright, and R. M. Schindler.
12
Although we can see examples of
the archetype during the early 1920s, it was still an avant-garde idea. The economic boom
post both World Wars brought about a shift in American culture and the traditional
architecture of the time.
After World War I, the United States became a rich and powerful nation and began
the 1920s with steady economic and cultural growth. A rise in new technologies made cars
and radios accessible to everyone, and public taste for ornamentation and luxury
skyrocketed. As a result, an eloquent and somewhat hedonistic aesthetic language was
developed. Styles like Art Deco and Art Nouveau, associated with opulence, became popular
across the country, including in Southern California. Los Angeles buildings like Bullocks
Wilshire, and the Eastern Columbia Building are good examples of architecture during this
period. The 1930s saw the Great Depression, and architecture transitioned to less opulent
styles like Streamline Moderne. The elaborate aesthetic was toned down to match this loss of

12
Katie E. Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980” (SurveyLA, August 2021), https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/4f67bd39-631a-
4f26-9a52-cd5809a66655/LA_Modernism_1919-1980.pdf. Many architectural historians believe Irving Gill
was the first architect to introduce Modernism in Southern California.

5
prosperity. Streamline Moderne was less ornate, used basic shapes, and focused on
practicality and functionality, combining Art Deco with the modern principles of the Bauhaus.
Nevertheless, the use of using traditional forms and materials persisted.
World War II would change the course of architecture. Wartime manufacturing was a
major driving force behind the transformation in the economy, especially in Los Angeles.
Cheap land, labor, and a temperate climate helped make Los Angeles a locus for industrial
production.
13
To keep up with the demands (wartime), these manufacturers had to utilize
innovative methods to make production efficient and economical. They used newer materials
like plastic and aluminum to reduce costs. These plants increasingly hired women, African
Americans, and minorities previously excluded from working.
14
There was rising demand for
housing in the region. These conditions persisted even after the war.
15
Pre-war architecture
styles faded, and the modernist International Style, with its hard edges and machines,
replaced it, sowing the seeds of the future and progress. By the 1950s, modernism had
established itself as the go-to style, and Los Angeles cemented itself as an essential proponent
of this style. Using cost-effective materials, innovative construction technologies, and
unorthodox forms, architects transformed the city into a forward-looking metropolis. Styles
such as –Corporate International, Mid-Century Modern, and Googie flourished in the city.
The freeway transportation network’s development in the mid-century era
accommodated the rising population’s demands. Cities spread outward, and people were not
restricted to downtown. The suburban tracts surrounding Los Angeles offered the same
amenities as people living downtown and became top social gathering places.
16
More people
started living in the suburbs, and even more, people were driving. Businesses and services

13
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980.”
14
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980”; Blue Sky Metropolis: Wings, Documentary (PBS SoCal, 2019),
https://www.kcet.org/shows/blue-sky-metropolis/episodes/wings-ixuvfq. They were hired for skilled jobs (and
positions) like engineers, or laborers. Traditionally if hired, they worked as janitors. There was a gap in demand
and supply of workforce since men went to fight the war.
15
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980.”
16
Boban Docevski, “From Coffee Shops to Airports, Googie Architecture Is a Futuristic Style That Embraced
Space Age USA,” The Vintage News (blog), July 19, 2017,
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/07/19/from-coffee-shops-to-airports-googie-architecture-is-a-futuristic-
style-that-embraced-space-age-usa/.

6
started opening in strips of commercial buildings like motels, gas stations, coffee shops,
bowling alleys, and car washes across the city in the Googie Style. The rising entertainment
industry and the need for purpose-built production facilities led to a technology and
efficiency-focused studio-building typology constructed in the city. War also brought about
the invention of the jet engine, and postwar this invention transformed commercial airlines
and the travel industry. The late 1950s and early 1960s saw a shift of focus in the aviation
sector, with numerous airports, aircraft manufacturing plants, and research centers cropping
up in the region, eventually expanding to accommodate the emerging aerospace industry as
well.
Along with these manufacturing enterprises, various insurance companies, oil
companies, and banks set up their headquarters and offices in Los Angeles. A turning point in
the City’s construction history was the repeal of the 150 feet downtown height limit. As a
result, the 1960s saw many developer-commissioned corporate high-rise offices and
complexes built. Various civic and cultural buildings like the Los Angeles County Museum of
Art and the Music Center, and educational campuses’ master planning like Pepperdine
University and UC Irvine added to California’s growth, with many universities looking to
modernize and expand their existing campuses.
Local architecture firms adapted to gain expertise in designing and planning these
buildings and complexes. They were large-scale corporate entities with a strict organizational
structure that maintained different departments for architecture, structure, building services,
interiors, and production, to name a few. They had a top-down structure with a board of
directors, a president, vice presidents, and department heads, much like their clients. The
design staff, separate from the head of the firm, was responsible for the project’s architectural
design.
17
(Figure i.1) Hence it is critical to note which design team member took the lead.
18

Firms like Welton Becket and Associates, A.C. Martin, and Pereira & Luckman (and their
respective firms post-split in 1958) are excellent examples. They did not design just

17
William Dudley Hunt, in Total Design: Architecture of Welton Becket and Associates (New York: McGraw-Hill,
1971), 16–60. The book describes organizational structure of these corporate firms.
18
Hunt; Daniel Prosser, “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Commercial Development, 1850-
1980, Rise of Corporations and Corporate Types, High-Rise Corporate Office Buildings, 1945-1975”
(SurveyLA, April 2018), https://planning.lacity.org/odocument/2d44c916-ff01-4080-9349-
80f05b873590/High-RiseCorporateOfficeBuildings_1945-1975.pdf.

7
specialized buildings but offered diverse services like master planning, research, architecture,
surveying, site analysis, interiors, and zoning assistance. Owing to their operation in a highly
consumer-driven environment with mass-produced aesthetics and the sheer volume of
projects they managed, they are often overlooked and harshly criticized.

Figure i.1: Organizational structure for a big business firm (here, Welton Becket & Associates).
Image is taken from Hunt, William Dudley. Total Design; Architecture of Welton Becket and Associates. New
York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.
Nevertheless, they reflect the era, and their contributions to Los Angeles’s architectural
history must not be ignored. A need also arises to attribute these designs more elaborately
after considering all persons involved, just like the credits at the end of a movie. Recent legal
cases between architectural firms and one or more lead designers over project design credit
make it a relevant issue today.
19
In 2004, the American Institute for Architects, a professional
organization, introduced rules that mandated architectural practices to recognize and state
the contributions of significant team participants (at a minimum).
20

19
Cheryl L. Davis and Suzanne Stephens, “Where Credit Is Due,” Architectural Record, June 16, 2014,
https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/5864-where-credit-is-due.
20
“Attribution of Credit,” The American Institute of Architects, accessed August 20, 2022,
https://www.aia.org/pages/3311-attribution-of-credit; Peter A. Piven, “AIA Ethics Council Releases Guidelines
for Attribution of Project Credit,” AIArchitect, November 8, 2004,
https://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/secure/thisweek04/tw1105/1105bp_ethics.htm.

8
Wong worked at Pereira & Luckman and, later, William L. Pereira & Associates. He
started as a designer and was soon promoted to Director of Design. He eventually became
the Vice President of planning and design. His standing in the firms would allow him to
become a lead on many projects, but on more than a handful of notable projects, his
contribution was never documented. There are also cases where Wong was wrongly credited
for a design like that of the Theme Building at Los Angeles International Airport.
21
Similarly,
Wong held a prominent position at William L. Pereira & Associates and worked in a
supervisory capacity on projects, but other than the few (major) recorded projects, there are
not many projects indicating his role. This thesis tries to identify Wong’s contributions to these
famous corporate firms.

The legacy of Wong’s work is a silent one often overshadowed by more prominent
and public ones, partly due to his modest and quiet disposition. Wong spent more than two
decades working under another firm’s banner. His contributions to those firms are overlooked
because the project displays the firm’s name (both named after architects).
22
This thesis aims
to study Gin’s architectural legacy and the forces influencing the same.
To discern this, the thesis is divided into two parts – Wong’s life and journey to
architecture and his architectural career. The first chapter traces his ancestry, his life as an
immigrant, his schooling, and his military service, all examined through the lens of his
Chinese heritage. It further examines the factors that led to his joining the University of
Southern California School of Architecture, his architectural education, and meeting William
Pereira, who would hire Wong to work in his newly established firm of Pereira & Luckman.
The following three chapters examine and compare Wong’s career over the years. For ease
of understanding, they are divided into three crucial milestones in Gin’s life –working at
Pereira & Luckman, working at William L. Pereira & Associates, and setting up his firm, Gin

21
Wong was the director of design for the Airport and a lead designer on behalf of the firm, but he was not the
author for the Theme building. He however worked on its restoration 1972. There are a few black and white
photographs of Wong in front of the Theme Building. It is possible due to this he is mistakenly credited.
22
Both firms carry the name of notable architects –William Pereira and Charles Luckman in case of Pereira &
Luckman, and Pereira in the case of William L. Pereira & Associates.

9
Wong Associates. Each chapter dwells on selected works by the forward-thinking architect
during each period to understand his design sensibilities, style, and methodologies.
An attempt to study and document his life work helps us understand the changing
socio-political and architectural landscape in the post-war twentieth century, its influences,
and the road to contemporary architecture. At the same time, it helps us understand the
difficulties facing an architect of color during a time of widespread racial discrimination. This
thesis writes in favor of Wong’s work, making a case for its conservation.

10
CHAPTER 1 : JOURNEY TO ARCHITECTURE (1922-1950)

Figure 1.1: USC Trustee Gin D. Wong.
Photo from USC Libraries Special Collection/College trustees/USC trustee Gin D. Wong & his wife Louise,
before 1998; filename uaic-054-132; Legacy Identifier uaic-054-132_122-095-wong/uaic-054-132.tif Unique
Identifier UC12571847. Downloaded on 21 September, 2021.

Gin Wong belonged to a generation of Chinese American architects that came of age
in the 1930s and 1940s when the country faced the Great Depression, and the threat of
another World War loomed. (Figure 1.1) He was born Jeen Dop Wong in Gom Benn village,
located a few miles north of Toishun in the Kwangtung province of South China, on
September 17, 1922.
23
His father died soon after, and he experienced the realities of poverty

23
Wong-Healy, “My Father Gin Wong.”; “Florida, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1847-1995,” database with
images, Ancestry. Although the record states Toishun, Kwantung, China, Taishan is Romanized as Toishan or
Toisan or Toishun. Similarly, Guangdong Province is alternatively called Canton Province or Kwangtung. Some
sources also state that he was born in Guangzhou, which is the capital of Guangdong Province. This record also
shows that he changed his name from Gin Dop Wong (Jeen Dop Wong) to Gin Dan Wong.

11
at an early age.
24
However, Wong always looked to the future. Reflecting on the years spent
in China, he once stated, “…to us, there was no depression. We saw bread lines, but at least
there was bread.”
25

Fearing a constant threat of displacement,

Gin’s mother, Ng Pui King, sent him to the
United States with her best friend, Lee Shee (Wong), so that he could have a better life.
26

When he set off for Los Angeles, Wong was nine years old, arriving on January 1, 1932.
27

They immigrated with the help of Shoo Tan Wong, Lee Shee’s husband, who was already in
Los Angeles. At the time, a law in the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act, restricted
immigration based on race.
28
The act allowed Chinese merchants in America to bring (only)
their family members over legally. To this end, Wong came over as their ‘son’ along with Lee
Shee’s children Gim Way and Jeen Keung, and Ging Ching (another boy not biologically
related).
29
Most Chinese Americans then lived around Old Chinatown and the Old Plaza area
located north of Downtown, or East Adams and the City Market Chinatown located south of
the downtown area.
30
(Figure 1.2)

24
Wong-Healy, Janna (professor at USC Marshall), Gin Wong’s daughter, interview.
25
Marshall Berges, “Home Q&A: LOUISE & GIN WONG Home Q&A,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995),
October 27, 1974, http://search.proquest.com/docview/157528940/abstract/51E6637FD96B4120PQ/1.
26
Wong-Healy, “My Father Gin Wong.”
27
“California, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959,” database with images, Ancestry. Wong's
name is mentioned as Jeen Dop Wong here. He left from a Hong Kong port on December 8, 1931, on the ship
S.S. President Coolidge. His place of birth is mentioned as Sunning, a former name of Taishan.
28
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.”
29
Wong, “Paper Sons, Paper Lives.”; “California, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959,”
database with images, Ancestry.
30
"US World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," database with images, Ancestry. Shoo Tan Wong’s
records show he lived at 717 E 9th place Los Angeles, CA, and he worked at (next door) a grocery store on 956
S. San Pedro St. Los Angeles, CA.

12

Figure 1.2: Map locating Old Chinatown and City Market area in Downtown L.A.
Map downloaded from Google Earth. Map graphic by author.
At the time, Los Angeles itself was undergoing profound changes. Only one year
earlier, in 1931, the City finalized plans to construct the Union Station Passenger Terminal on
the site of Old Chinatown, necessitating its complete demolition.
31
Despite being the fourth
largest Chinese American community in the United States, Old Chinatown severely lacked
public services and amenities (including a lack of paved streets, electricity, proper ventilation,
and sewage systems that led to deteriorating health conditions). Additionally, Laws (such as
the California Alien Land Law of 1913) barred Chinese Americans from owning property in
California. As a result, the area became a target for land clearance by city officials, and the

31
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.”; David R. Chan, “The Chinese in Los Angeles – A Chronology, Gum Saan Journal,”
Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (blog), accessed December 16, 2021,
https://gumsaanjournal.com/vol2-1978-walter-uriah-lim-lim-poon/the-chinese-in-los-angeles-a-chronology/.
Proposals to raze the area in favor of a new station had been in talks since the early 1910s. Anti-Chinese
sentiments and perceptions that the Old Chinatown was unhygienic, dangerous, and undesirable reinforced it.
Eventually, the California Supreme Court would allow this proposal in 1931 Within two years, most of the area
was demolished, and by 1934 construction of Union Station started.

13
residents were always under the threat of displacement. With the plans for the new station
finalized, the residents had to relocate elsewhere over the next few years forcibly. Due to
restrictive covenants that prevented them from buying land across most parts of the city, they
had limited options for housing.
32
The existing neighborhood of City Market was one of the
few communities that welcomed these displaced people.
By the late nineteenth century, Chinese farmers played a significant role in the Los
Angeles economy, with most of the City’s produce cultivated and sold by them as vegetable
peddlers or truck farmers.
33
About a quarter of the Chinese Population in California was
involved in agriculture.
34
With the increase in population (and the subsequent rise in demand
for produce) came a need for regulation to curb congestion and the informal nature of the
activity. The city eventually started leasing out vacant lots for regulated market spaces. Many
Chinese farmers started selling at these wholesale markets. Of the many wholesale markets
established, like Hewes Market, and 746 Market Court, City Market was significant to the
Chinese American community because it highlighted the community’s transition from truck
farmers to wholesale produce businesses. City Market or Market Chinatown, sandwiched

32
William Gow, “A History of Los Angeles Chinatown in the 30’s and 40’s,” Chinese Historical Society of
Southern California (blog), accessed October 3, 2021, https://chssc.org/los-angeles-chinatown-remembered-
project/a-history-of-los-angeles-chinatown-in-the-30s-and-40s/. Most Chinese Americans relocated to the
existing communities of the 9th street area, San Pedro Street, or the bedroom community of East Adams.
33
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” As the railroad and mining industry began declining Chinese began to cultivate and
sell produce. By the 1880s, these entrepreneurs made up almost 90% of truck and market farmers in the city.
Anti-Chinese sentiments and discriminatory policies led to a city-wide boycott of Chinese-owned businesses in
the late 1880s. This boycott was opposed by the truck farmers, who managed to stop it, showing these
entrepreneurs' extensive network and power. In 1906, the city council passed an ordinance that increased
licensing fees for the produce peddlers and restricted the areas where produce can be sold.
34
Tara Fickle, “A History of the Los Angeles City Market: 1930 – 1950, Gum Saan Journal,” Chinese Historical
Society of Southern California, accessed December 13, 2021, https://chssc.org/los-angeles-chinatown-
remembered-project/a-history-of-the-los-angeles-city-market-1930-1950/. This figure only shows the male
population as U.S. Census data then did not count Chinese Women. Discriminatory hiring practices and
boycotts lead these laborers to look for a different source of livelihood. In addition to agriculture, they worked in
restaurants, laundry, and gambling businesses.

14
between San Pedro and San Julian Streets and 9
th
and 11
th
streets, was set up during the first
decade of the twentieth century. (Figure 1.3)

Figure 1.3: View of Los Angeles City Market.
Photo downloaded from Wikimedia Commons, (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:City_market_of_
Los_Angeles,_Cal.,_9th_and_San_Pedro_St.,_Aug._8th_1910_LCCN2007660460.tif).

City Market resulted from a consortium of traders of different ethnicities catering to
local individuals, restaurants, and hotels.
35

In 1909 the firm Morgan and Walls designed the
City Market in the Mission Revival style. (Figure 1.4) The market spread across 6.7 acres and
consisted of brick and reinforced concrete buildings surrounding a central loading dock.
(Figure 1.5) It soon became a thriving market with merchants and vendors moving in due to
its location and (then) talks of the demolition of Old Chinatown.
36
Various lodgings, houses,
apartment buildings, and restaurants began cropping up, catering to the neighborhood.
Service structures such as supermarkets, pharmacies, offices, and religious institutions soon
followed.
37

35
Fickle, “A History of the Los Angeles City Market”; Los Angeles Conservancy, “City Market and Market
Chinatown District,” Los Angeles Conservancy, accessed December 13, 2021,
https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/city-market-and-market-chinatown-district; George Yee and Elsie Yee,
“The Chinese and the Los Angeles Produce Market – Gum Saan Journal,” accessed December 16, 2021,
https://gumsaanjournal.com/vol9-1986-french-hospital-produce-market/the-chinese-and-the-los-angeles-
produce-market/. The group led by Louis Quan (his name is written as Louie Gwan in a few documents) helped
raise capital for the development of City Market. The consortium was between 158 Chinese holdings, sixty-five
Japanese and nineteen Caucasian. The market was demolished in 2013.
36
Predominantly Chinese immigrants but people of other ethnicities also lived there including, Japanese, African
Americans, Italian Mexicans, Jewish, and Russians. Most of the workforce was primarily single men.
37
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” Chinese Immigrants maintained their religious traditions. They built shrines within in
their shops and houses or built small temples in Old Chinatown. There were a few Christian churches and
missionaries who converted Chinese immigrants. This was not always seen as a terrible thing. Some viewed it as
a means to counteract xenophobia. Churches provided welfare and education and supported the youth.

15

Figure 1.4: Photographs showing City Market.
Image downloaded from USC Dornsife, Downtown Los Angeles Walking Tour (https://dornsife.usc.edu/la-
walking-tour/city-market/), Downloaded on April 4, 2022.

Figure 1.5: Sanborn map showing City Market, 1906-1950.
Image downloaded from Library of Congress (Sanborn Map Company. “Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Los
Angeles, Los Angeles County, California; 1906 - Jun 1950; Vol. 2,” 1950. Map. (https://www.loc.gov/item/
sanborn00656 _009/)(accessed November 15, 2021).

16
After an influx of people in the late 1920s and early 1930s in the wake of the
construction of Union Station, City Market became the Chinese community’s essential
economic and social support system.
38
Institutional buildings such as schools and churches
with exclusive Chinese membership appeared by the late 1930s. The primary focus of these
establishments was on political causes, business interests, or recreational activities. Like many
immigrant communities, the Chinese community was also close-knit.
39
The produce market
primarily hired Chinese, so the community remained afloat even during the Depression years.
Workers involved in and around Market Chinatown would live in lodges or homes in the
vicinity or single-family homes in one of the nearby bedroom communities.
40

Shoo Tan Wong lived just off San Pedro street, and this is where Gin lived along with
his adopted family.
41
(Figure 1.6 ) U.S. Federal Census records for 1940 indicate that Wong’s
household consisted of eleven plus a lodger, with the head of the household (Shoo Tan)
owning a grocery store.
42
Shoo Tan was one of three founding partners at the Ying Chong
Lung Co. store.
43
(Figure 1.6, Figure 1.7) Such grocery stores that catered to Chinese
customers were not uncommon at the time.
44
According to Janna Wong, Gin’s daughter, he
helped operate the grocery store.
45

38
With Market Chinatown becoming more populated, residents started moving towards south and east towards
East Adams Boulevard and San Pedro Street.
39
Fickle, “A History of the Los Angeles City Market.” They followed chain migration. Hiring too was based on
association and kinship (based on what province or village one came from). One had to know someone to be
hired. They followed the Hui system, where families pooled their money together (related by kinship) and would
lend it to individuals in need. This played a significant role during the depression years.
40
Fickle, “A History of the Los Angeles City Market.” These boarding houses and homes were owned by
Caucasians who rented out spaces. Until the first few decades of the twentieth century, they were generally
group of men who stayed together (family households started well into the 1930s). There were instances where
the vegetable sellers were forced to live in shoddy, quickly made residences adjacent to the market due to long
working hours.
41
Ancestry.com, "US World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," database with images.
42
Ancestry.com, "1940 United States Federal Census," database with images.
43
Ancestry.com, "US World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," database with images.; Wong, “Paper
Sons, Paper Lives.”
44
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” Many Chinese Americans used the grocery stores near the city market due to its
proximity (than old Chinatown). These grocery stores often had a small area designated for living quarters.
45
Wong-Healy, Janna (professor at USC Marshall), Gin Wong’s daughter, interview.

17

Figure 1.6: Sanborn Map of Wong’s neighborhood when he first came to Los Angeles.
Image showing Wong’s residence (red) and grocery store (green) opposite the city market. Image downloaded
from Library of Congress (Sanborn Map Company. “Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Los Angeles, Los Angeles
County, California; 1906 - Jun 1950; Vol. 2,” 1950. Map. (https://www.loc.gov/item/ sanborn00656
_009/.)(accessed November 15, 2021).

Figure 1.7: Photograph of Ying Chong Lung Co.
Image downloaded from Gom Benn Scholarship Fund (https://gombenn.org/7-ying-chong-lung/). Downloaded
on April 4, 2022.
CITY
MARKET

18
The decades of the 1930s and 1940s saw a dramatic shift in demographics of the
Chinese American community from bachelor households to family households.
46
While most
schools did not admit immigrant children, a few public schools, such as Belmont, Lincoln, or
Polytechnic high schools, admitted them.
47
Since these schools were racially diverse, students
could meet and interact with peers from various backgrounds and cultures. The youth were
engaged in various extracurricular activities, sports, and academic activities. They even
published their own newsletters. Many Chinese teenagers regularly helped at stores and
restaurants near their homes. Outside of these areas, they interacted with the city differently
than their parents. This evolved into a culture different from the previous generation, an
identity unique to these young Chinese Americans.

Wong enrolled in the first grade when he was nine. Although he did not know English
due to his schooling in China, he was a quick learner. Drawing, painting, math, and science
came easily to him. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he stated that drawing came
more naturally than spelling.
48
Later, Gin attended Los Angeles John H. Francis Polytechnic

46
There was a decent population of first and second-generation Chinese Americans by then. Children who
stayed behind (in China) also came to the United States during the Japanese invasion of China around 1937.
Sometimes the families sent their children to China to complete their schooling, and then they returned to attend
college.
47
“Episode 1, Lesson 4: The Fight For School Desegregation by Asian Americans,” Asian Americans Advancing
Justice - L.A., September 8, 2020, https://archive.advancingjustice-la.org/what-we-do/curriculum-lesson-
plans/asian-americans-k-12-education-curriculum/episode-1-lesson-4-0; “The Quest for Education - Separate
Is Not Equal,” Separate Is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education, accessed December 17, 2021,
https://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/2-battleground/quest-for-education-2.html; William Gow, “Youth
Activities in Los Angeles Chinatown,” Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (blog), accessed
December 17, 2021, https://chssc.org/los-angeles-chinatown-remembered-project/youth-activities/. These
schools are a part of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) now. Prior to 1961 they were a part of Los
Angeles High School District. 1n 1884, Joseph and Mary Tape tried to get their daughter admitted to a local
public school in San Francisco. The school denied their request citing school policy against admitting Chinese
children. Tapes took the case to court, and the California State Supreme court ruled in favor of Tapes (Tape v.
Hurley), saying that public education should be open to all children. However, a legislation was passed soon
allowing schools to segregate/ establish separate facilities. It would take about sixty years more for courts to
deem segregated schooling based on race unconstitutional (Mendez v. Westminster (1947) and U.S. Supreme
Court case Brown v. Board of Education (1954)). Many a time, racial minorities attended the same schools due
to not having enough students. Schools such as Walnut Grove Oriental School was for Asian and Pacific
Islanders.
48
Berges, “Home Q&A.”

19
High School for five years, graduating in 1942.
49
While studying there, he was a part of two
extracurricular clubs – the Civil Engineering Society (of which he was president) and the
Chinese Club. (Figure 1.8)

Figure 1.8: Gin D. Wong’s School Yearbook Photo.
Image (cropped) downloaded from Ancestry.com, "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999," database with images,
Ancestry.

When the United States entered the Second World War (December 1941), it became
allies with China, and many Chinese Americans joined the armed forces.
50
The war effort
bought about a transformative change in the lives of the Chinese American community.
Whether they served for patriotic or monetary reasons or to help the war effort in China, they
returned with a sense of pride and belonging to the country.
51
This endeavor helped pave the

49
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376). The school’s campus then was in Downtown Los
Angeles. The curriculum of his schools (due to the ongoing war) propagated patriotism and serving military. (As
seen in the yearbook, found on ancestry.com).
50
Annie Leong, “Los Angeles Chinatown and World War II,” Chinese Historical Society of Southern California
(blog), accessed October 3, 2021, https://chssc.org/los-angeles-chinatown-remembered-project/los-angeles-
chinatown-and-world-war-ii/. They were not allowed to enlist prior to WWII. 15000-20000 Chinese Americans
served in the Military (About 19-25% of all the Chinese population in U.S.). They were assigned a variety of jobs
from cooks to pilots and ranks ranging from Private to Major. While some were drafted, others volunteered and
raised funds. Many Chinese (American) women were also actively involved in the war industry while the men
were sent off to war.
51
William Gow, “The Youth of L.A. Chinatown,” Chinese Historical Society of Southern California (blog),
accessed December 19, 2021, https://chssc.org/los-angeles-chinatown-remembered-project/the-youth-of-la-
chinatown/. This did not stop the racism they faced. Many were not allowed to enlist citing, “only whites
allowed.” (Especially during early years of the war). With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, anyone who
looked ‘oriental’ was “fair game.”

20
way to repeal the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943, allowing the Chinese to enter via a quota
system.
52
Congress further passed the War Brides Act (1945) and the Fiancées Act (1946)
that admitted spouses and children of the returned soldiers.
53

During World War II, Wong signed up to join the army and served in the Army Air
Corps. (Figure1.9) He was a B-29 navigator for the 20
th
Air Force, participating in battles as
a lead crew navigator and radar bomber.
54
(Figure 1.10) During his time as an airman, a
fellow platoon member noticed Gin’s skills in drawing and described his father’s prosperous
career in architecture back home in Oklahoma, suggesting Wong study architecture (Gin
used to create posters for the platoon).
55
This piqued his interest in the field. While serving, he
became a naturalized citizen, officially changing his name to Gin Dan Wong.
56

52
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” The act had restricted immigration based on race. By the way of Magnuson Act,
Chinese immigration was permitted (105 per year) and already resident Chinese were allowed to be
Naturalized.
53
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” There was still a quota system (only 105 people could immigrate every year). Most of
the people who were admitted were women and children. Of the 5,687 Chinese admitted, 5,099 were women,
583 were children, and the remaining five were men. This accounted for a positive shift in the demographic
ratio of the Chinese Americans.
54
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376); “Gin Wong - WWII Serviceman - 9BG - 99BS,”
accessed September 16, 2021, https://www.20af.org/wong-gin-w6804-9bg.cfm. He was stationed on Tinian
Islands in the pacific. He served as a lead navigator with the 9
th
Bombardment group according to Army Air
Corps Library and Museum. The record at National Archives (for his enlisted serial number 39549327) misspells
his name as GI D G due to a technical error (https://www.archives.gov/research/aad).
55
Alison Martino, “The Story Behind L.A.’s Coolest Looking Gas Station,” Los Angeles Magazine (blog),
February 16, 2015, https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/story-behind-l-s-coolest-looking-gas-station/.
56
“Florida, U.S., Naturalization Records, 1847-1995,” database with images, Ancestry.

21

Figure 1.9: Gin Wong’s World War II Draft Card.
Image downloaded from Ancestry.com "U.S. World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," database with
images Ancestry.

Figure 1.10: Wong with the William Allen White crew.
Wong is seen second to left in the top row. Image downloaded from Gom Benn Scholarship Fund
(https://gombenn.org/7-ying-chong-lung/). Downloaded on April 4, 2022.

22
The years during and immediately following the end of World War II saw policies that
encouraged Chinese students to complete their studies vis-a-vis financial grants.
57
The
Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (GI Bill) allowed many war veterans to attend
college, resume their education (and pay for their entire education), provide loans to buy
houses, or start businesses.
58
Through the GI bill, veterans could attend universities and earn
a degree. In California, they attended universities such as the University of Southern
California, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Berkley.
Upon discharge with a newfound interest in architecture, Gin decided to pursue a career in
the field. He studied architecture at J. Milkin University, Illinois (for a year) before joining the
University of Southern California’s School of Architecture in Los Angeles (USC SOA).
59
Wong
explained that his early years and education in China, which was visual and three-
dimensional, directed his inclinations towards art and later his design.
60

USC was the only school to offer a professional architecture course until the 1960s in
Los Angeles.
61
The architecture program pedagogy embraced the ever-changing social,
cultural, and economic conditions of the region (and the world) and focused on issues of the
present day.
62
The curriculum reflected contemporary, real-life design principles and

57
During the war years, aero-space industry had taken a center stage and it continued to have its importance
during the cold War. Many Chinese students became academics, or technology professionals (especially in the
aerospace field), or doctors.
58
Leong, “Los Angeles Chinatown and World War II”; Jim Absher, “GI Bill Overview,” Military.com, August 12,
2022, https://www.military.com/education/gi-bill/learn-to-use-your-gi-bill.html.
59
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).
60
Berges, “Home Q&A”; “Ageless Elegance,” Transpacific, February 1996,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A18661979/PPDS?u=usocal_main&sid=bookmark-PPDS&xid=cec6453d.
61
Kenneth Breisch, “Professional and Educational Discourse: Training the Next Generation of Architects in Los
Angeles,” in Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940-1990, by W. de Wit and C. Alexander (Los Angeles:
Getty Publications, 2013), 81–95.
62
Deborah Howell-Ardila, “‘Writing Our Own Program’: The USC Experiment in Modern Architectural
Pedagogy, 1930 to 1960” (University of Southern California, 2010), Order No. 1484253,
http://libproxy.usc.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/writing-our-own-program-usc-
experiment-modern/docview/847226614/se-2. USC SOA became the fifth out of forty-five schools (teaching
architecture), in the U.S., to shift from a Beaux-Arts based curriculum to a contemporary program with site and
region driven principles (‘…. practical rather than exclusively historic…’ (El Rodeo Yearbook, 1947)). Gilbert
Lester Leong was the first Chinese American architecture graduate (1936) from USC SOA.

23
encouraged engaging allied fields like planning, industrial design, and landscape design.
63

Wong’s work would reflect this multi-disciplinary, present-day design ideology.
While studying, Gin honed his skills by working as a draftsman under Architect A. B.
Gardner and associates (A. Wolfe and Anthony Thormin) from 1946 to 1948. Showing a flair
for design and drawing, he joined Daniel, Mann, Johnson, and Mendenhall from 1948 to
1950 as a draftsman designer.
64
Wong’s eagerness to learn proved helpful, winning first
place in the Producer’s Council Design Competition in 1949.
65
He graduated a year later.
66

(Figure 1.11) He was a member of USC’s chapter of SCARAB, a national professional
architectural fraternity, when he graduated (1950).
67
(Figure 1.12)

Figure 1.11: Gin Wong's photo in USC Yearbook, El Rodeo, 1950.
Wong (red) is seen last on the right. Image (cropped) downloaded from Ancestry "U.S., School Yearbooks,
1900-1999," database with images, Ancestry.

63
Howell-Ardila, “‘Writing Our Own Program.’” Planning and Landscape design was incorporated into the
curriculum with supplemental courses in 1937. Then dean, Arthur Gallion, had hired Simon Eisner to lead the
in-house planning curriculum in 1946. Similarly, by 1946 a separate landscape architecture program was
designed and led by Garett Eckbo.
64
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376); Berges, “Home Q&A.”
His AIA membership file (fellowship application) lists down the places he worked at along with his role in the
firm.
65
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).
66
“U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999,” database with images, Ancestry (page 85).
67
“U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999,” database with images, Ancestry (page 480). Scarab was an
Architecture Fraternity founded in 1909 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Only students who
were skilled were allowed to join. It was reserved for white-male students at the time. But post war saw a change
in this rule. USC joined SCARAB in 1927.

24

Figure 1.12: Gin Wong's photo as a member of SCARAB in USC Yearbook, El Rodeo, 1950.
Wong is seen third from left. Image (cropped) downloaded from Ancestry "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-
1999," database with images, Ancestry.
Amongst the faculty teaching at USC, Gin met William Pereira, who would become his
employer and later business partner. Pereira was a fifth-year design critic who taught at the
USC School of Architecture from 1949 to 1957.
68
His firm was known to hire recent
graduates for apprenticeships regularly.
69
Wong’s association with Pereira would start when
the latter hired Wong.
On February 4, 1948, Gin married Louise Y. Tom, a fourth-generation Chinese
American from San Diego.
70
(Figure 1.13) They held two wedding ceremonies.
71
Louise
worked as a secretary until the birth of their eldest daughter. In an interview with Marshall
Berges, both talk about their shared heritage, with Gin reflecting on the influence of two

68
Breisch, “Professional and Educational Discourse: Training the Next Generation of Architects in Los Angeles.”
69
Ricardo Nicol, “Contributions of Pereira: [Home Edition],” Los Angeles Times (Pre-1997 Fulltext), May 12,
1985,
https://www.proquest.com/docview/292214272?parentSessionId=Ib1dHNtYybYvmHur8siltpMhUUMCTfbGb2
7fh46C3zg%3D&pq-origsite=primo&accountid=14749.
70
“California, U.S., County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980,” database with images, Ancestry
Wong-Healy, Janna (professor at USC Marshall), Gin Wong’s daughter, interview.
71
Berges, “Home Q&A.”.

25
cultures on his work.
72
Together they had three daughters, Terrina, Janna, and Kimberlee.
73

(Figure 1.13) Wong lived in Los Angeles most of his life, moving around the city before
eventually moving to an elegant and contemporary home in Beverly Hills, where he lived until
his death. Wong’s home mirrors the significant influences in his life. Ironically, he did not
design this home, over which he later expressed regret.
74
He fashioned the interiors in a
simple yet elegant design highlighting his lifestyle using black (furniture) and white (walls and
carpets), with paintings and plants adding color to the rooms. This subtle aesthetic is a
manifestation of his time in China. He states in an interview that as a part of his education in
China, he learned to write with pictures, which helped develop his visual sensibilities.
75

Figure 1.13: Wong with his family.
From left: Gin with Louise; (from left) Terrina, Gin, Janna, and Louise (pregnant with Kimberlee), 1950. Image
downloaded from Gom Benn Scholarship Fund (https://gombenn.org/7-ying-chong-lung/). Downloaded on
April 4, 2022.

72
Berges, “Home Q&A.”
73
Lynn Lipinski, “In Memoriam: Gin Wong, USC Trustee and Prominent Architect, 94,” USC School of
Architecture, accessed March 30, 2021, https://arch.usc.edu/news/in-memoriam-gin-wong-usc-trustee-and-
prominent-architect-94.
74
Berges, “Home Q&A.”
75
Berges, “Home Q&A.”

26
The next few decades saw rapid transformations in the City’s social and cultural fabric
and the built environment, to which Wong quickly adapted. Over the years, he worked on
diverse projects and experimented with assorted styles, always keeping in mind future
transformations. He effectively fused technology and design sensibilities for impactful
buildings. Wong’s work was greatly influenced by his dual heritage and the changing times.
Explaining his design sensibility of quality (design) over quantity, he was once quoted in an
interview, "…less is better than most, and the least is the most.
76

76
Berges, “Home Q&A.”

27
CHAPTER 2 : EXPERIMENTS IN PRAGMATISM (1951-1958)
The blossoming economy and population allowed for creativity and innovation in
architecture across the Southern Californian region in the 1950s. During the post-war period
in Los Angeles, agriculture declined, and many farmlands were subdivided for suburban
residential development to meet the demands of a steadily rising population. Residential
architecture in Los Angeles gained international recognition, especially the Case Study
program by Arts+Architecture magazine.
77
Due to the development of the new freeway
system, the city saw the advent of car culture. Modernism was rising, and people (and the city)
shed their traditional ways to meet the blooming lifestyle.
78
With the construction of New
Chinatown (1938), the significance of Market Chinatown decreased.
79
First and second-
generation Chinese Angelenos were coming of age. As commercial and suburban
development boomed throughout the region, Chinese American developers established
commercial institutions like banks and publishing houses and owned businesses like noodle
shops and bakeries. Many Chinese youths that returned from war now attended professional
colleges and started working in their respective fields, including architecture.
Two Chinese American architects, Gilbert Lester Leong (USC, 1936) and Eugene Kinn
Choy (USC, 1939), set up their own firms, paving the way for future architects, including

77
Wim de Wit and Christopher James Alexander, “Introduction: Provoking New Perceptions of Los Angeles,” in
Overdrive: L.A. Constructs the Future, 1940-1990, by Wim de Wit and Christopher James Alexander (Los Angeles:
Getty Publications, 2013), 1–12; Alan Hess, “Everyday Modernisms: Diversity, Creativity, and Ideas in L.A.
Architecture, 1940-1990,” Los Angeles Conservancy, May 2013, https://www.laconservancy.org/explore-
la/curating-city/modern-architecture-la/history-la-modernism.
78
Wit and Alexander, “Introduction: Provoking New Perceptions of Los Angeles.”
79
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” Chinese businessman and community leader, Peter Soo Hoo, Sr. along with a few
other businessmen, pooled their finances to purchase land for a New Chinatown. Chinese leaders and
businessmen wanted to break free of the stereotype that Chinatowns were dangerous and undesirable areas of
the city. They wanted New Chinatown to be mixed use tourist destination that romanticized China that could
become an economic driving force for the city. They hired architects Erle Webster and Adrian Wilson to design a
Master Plan. The architects designed a low scale commercial center aligned around a central plaza with a
system of pedestrian streets. Many buildings were adorned with elements from Chinese architecture (upturned
rafters with elaborate eaves, bright colored facades, clay tile roofs, decorated brackets). Traders and
entrepreneurs relocated to New Chinatown to open retail stores (even before the construction was completed
since it catered to tourists along with the Asian Community). By 1950, only 25 Chinese families stayed in Market
Chinatown, most engaged in produce business. New Chinatown became the first Chinese commercial enclave
to be owned, funded, and managed Chinese Americans.

28
Wong and designer Helen Liu Fong.
80
They are responsible for architecture and infrastructure
in and around Chinatown. These architects and designers took inspiration from traditional
Chinese designs and combined them with modern forms, creating unique buildings (later
called the Asian Eclectic style).
81
(Figure 2.1) The designs were a mix of modern with Asian
details like glazed clay tiled roofing, flared eaves, and upturned rafters. Before this, Chinese
architecture was considered exotic and was widely appropriated, by white designers and
architects, especially in the entertainment industry. The style reflected the sentiment felt by the
Chinese community to embrace American life without losing touch with their cultural heritage.
Choy became the second Chinese American architect in the U.S. to become a member of the
American Institute of Architects and the first in California.
82
The post-war population boom
resulted in tremendous growth in Los Angeles communities of color, which led to ethnically
mixed neighborhoods, especially in the Westside and South L.A., with middle-class Asian
American families moving into formerly white-only neighborhoods.
83
These families would hire
Chinese American architects to design their homes.
84

80
This is referring to Los Angeles. In 1950, Leong along with a partner opened one of the nation’s first Chinese
American architectural firms and in 1954 he opened his own practice. (Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide
Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context Statement, 1850-1980.”).
81
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” They were not restricted to this style. They designed structures in Modern-Style too.
82
AIA is a professional organization founded in 1857 in Washington D.C., dealing with the advocacy,
education, and improvement of the architecture fraternity. The have strict code of ethics and professional
conduct that their members must follow. To be a member (and to practice architecture (1919)) one had to be a
licensed architect. IM Pei was the first Chinese American to join the AIA.
83
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” Prior to 1940, Asian Americans were excluded from Federal Housing Administrations’
home loan programs. This coupled with restrictive covenants lead to starkly segregated neighborhoods across
the city. The next two decades saw residents with different ethnic backgrounds using legal means to take action
against this. Shelley v. Kraemer (1947), an important victory for Chinese American Civil Rights – In 1947
Thomas Amer was prevented from purchasing property in South Los Angeles citing deed restrictions.
84
Moshier et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Chinese American Historic Context
Statement, 1850-1980.” A significant factor in this shift were the Chinese American architects. Eugene Choy
faced deed restrictions that prevented him from buying property in Silver Lake. He had to go door to door
seeking support from this neighborhood and eventually constructing his residence. He would later go on to
design houses for other affluent Chinese Americans in his neighborhood.

29

Figure 2.1: Cathay Bank by Eugene Choy.
Asian Eclectic Style. Image downloaded from the Los Angeles Conservancy (https://www.laconservancy.org/
locations/cathay-bank), crediting Architectural Resources Group). Downloaded on December 24, 2021.

Along with commercial establishments, benevolent associations also set up their
headquarters in New Chinatown. These associations were set up before the twentieth century
to support the welfare of the Chinese American communities by providing medical assistance,
educational programs, spreading news within the community, and funeral services. Initially,
they shared space with boarding houses or shops, but with the turn of the century, they
constructed official buildings housing meeting halls, boarding rooms, shrines, and even a tiny
jail. After the war, they established permanent headquarters, often hiring Asian architects like
Gilbert Leong and Eugene Choy. Along with these associations, religious institutions played
an essential role in the community and set up their structures in New Chinatown. While many
second and third-generation Chinese Americans practiced Christianity, these associations and
religious structures served those who followed traditional Chinese practices.

Around 1947, political and ideological tensions between the United States and the
Soviet Union (USSR) led to the Cold War. Although this was not an all-out war between the
nations, they however engaged in proxy wars.
85
There was a general fear in the U.S. that
communism was taking over and Soviet spies had infiltrated the country. During these years,

85
Proxy Wars can best be explained by the idiom ‘Shoot one’s gun from someone else’s shoulder.’

30
a new phenomenon had taken hold in the U.S. called McCarthyism, where people accused
an individual or a community of treason without any just evidence.
86
After World War II, the
allied forces (U.S. and USSR) divided Japan-annexed Korea into two zones.
87
The northern
half was administered by the Soviet Union, and the southern by the United States. As a result
of the Cold War, both zones became separate sovereign states fighting for their right over the
whole of Korea.
88
On June 25, 1950, the northern forces forcibly occupied South Korea,
much to the dismay of the United Nations (UN), which soon dispatched forces to repel the
invasion.
89
The majority of the deployed troops were American.

When the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong took over China, it entered
the Korean war to support the North.
90
The actions and politics of the Chinese American
communities were again under scrutiny. Vandals attacked Chinese-owned businesses; many
businesses withdrew their advertising in community newspapers that seemed to support the

86
“Episode 3, Lesson 2: McCarthyism,” Asian Americans Advancing Justice - L.A., November 1, 2020,
https://archive.advancingjustice-la.org/what-we-do/curriculum-lesson-plans/asian-americans-k-12-education-
curriculum/episode-3-lesson-2. On February 9, 1950, senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he had a list of
communist party members in the State Department which caused mass panic. The term originally was a
reference to Senator McCarthy’s (and his allies) practices and policies which called for the persecution of anti-
national, left-wing individuals who are trying to influence the ‘American way’. By the mid-1950s he lost his
credibility, and his accusations were deemed baseless by the Supreme Court.
87
In 1910 Japan took over Korea and ruled for over 35 years till its defeat in the World War.
88
Socialist southern state or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the totalitarian north or the
Republic of Korea. The subsequent war for Korea lasted until mid-1953.
89
At the time USSR was boycotting UN for recognizing Taiwan and China was not recognized by the UN. Both
were allies of North Korea.
90
“Episode 3, Lesson 2.” Charlotte Brooks, “Numbed with Fear: Chinese Americans and McCarthyism |
American Experience | PBS,” accessed December 23, 2021,
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/mccarthy-numbed-with-fear-chinese-americans/. The
U.S. initially accused Owen Lattimore, A U.S. wartime advisor to Chiang Kai-shek (president of Republic of
China) and other aids in China for the ‘…loss of China and its four hundred million inhabitants, to Soviet
Russia…’ Only those Chinese Americans who were associated with the U.S. Communist Party leftist groups were
persecuted. But when China entered the Korean war, actions of Chinese Community in America were
scrutinized.

31
Communist takeover of China.
91
Crippled with fear, many scrambled to demonstrate their
loyalty to the U.S.
92
Anyone different was termed a ‘potential security threat’ and faced abuse.
Nevertheless, the Chinese community continued to thrive.
The rise of big businesses and industries like oil, aerospace, entertainment, and
finance defined the decade following World War II. New buildings and offices to
accommodate them started popping up across the city. Major commercial architectural firms
catering to such clients were set up, such as Welton Becket & Associates and Victor Gruen
Associates, while previously established practices like A.C. Martin and Associates adjusted to
cater to the demand. One such firm was Pereira & Luckman.

PEREIRA & LUCKMAN
The turning point in Gin Wong’s career was joining the firm Pereira & Luckman after
graduation from USC. William Pereira, FAIA, and Charles Luckman, FAIA, former classmates
at the University of Illinois School of Architecture, founded the firm. A combination that was
considered equal parts skillful and indomitable by many, Pereira & Luckman shaped the Los
Angeles cityscape in the 1950s. Here, Wong would hone his design sensibilities and grow
from a junior designer fresh out of school to Vice President of Planning and Design in less
than a decade.
After graduating in 1931 from the University of Illinois, both Pereira and Luckman had
successful individual careers. After getting his degree, Luckman worked as a draftsman and
designed pamphlets for Colgate-Palmolive-Peet company.
93
The Great Depression led him

91
“Episode 3, Lesson 2”; Brooks, “Numbed with Fear.” Many Chinese Americans supported the fall of western
regime in China when Zedong took over. They were for Chinese independence and not the communist agenda.
At the time, Chinese newspapers, and other organizations like China Daily News (started to advocate for and
inform the Chinese community) usually relayed news from China. Since many within the community had family
and friends living in China it was only natural for them to want to be informed. When China Daily kept reporting
news even after the takeover, it was labeled as a ‘communist paper.’ When an advertisement (for a Chinese
bank) allowing Chinese to remit money to their families in China was printed, people believed China Daily
violated the Trading with the Enemy Act (1917). Subsequently, the editor was imprisoned, anyone working for or
reading the newspaper was suspected and kept under surveillance. It was not uncommon to send money back
home and this act affected thousands of ordinary Chinese Americans. Their families in China faced pressure
from the Communist Party to ask for money and were targeted by increasing taxes or seizing their land. As a
response many Chinese Americans had to unlawfully send money adding on to the panic and despair.
92
Brooks, “Numbed with Fear.”
93
Work was scarce and although he was a registered architect he had to work at a corporate office.

32
away from architecture to the corporate sector. He worked in sales, eventually becoming
president of Lever Brothers and landing on the cover of Time magazine as the “Boy Wonder
of American Business.”
94
Pereira, a Chicago native, moved to Los Angeles in 1938. He first
worked as a motion picture photographer and art director, which led to his designing the
Motion Picture Country Home in 1941.
95
He worked with his brother Hal at his firm William L.
Pereira. With multiple projects commissioned to him, Pereira decided to partner with
Luckman. Around mid-August 1950, they set up their firm – Pereira & Luckman.
96
Known to
hire promising graduates, Pereira hired Wong as a designer.
Post-war prosperity brought a boom across the urban and suburban built environment
– a boom in suburban and tract housing, corporate headquarters, shopping malls, and
roadside architecture.
97
Explaining the architecture of the era and the firm, architect and
historian Alan Hess has stated –
…cast out because of their sometimes bombastic, unrepentant
Modernism and occasional lapses into gargantuan scale and corporativism…
their best work defined a state of profound innovation, energy, charisma, and
influence. With self-assurance, they addressed the critical issues of enormous
scale, public space in a consumer society, and mass aesthetics that still
confront us.
98

94
“Exploring the Legacy of Midcentury Architectural Firm Pereira & Luckman | National Trust for Historic
Preservation,” accessed September 21, 2021, https://savingplaces.org/stories/exploring-the-legacy-of-
midcentury-architectural-firm-pereira; “PCAD - Pereira and Luckman, Architects, Engineers and Planners,”
Pacific Coast Architecture Database, accessed September 21, 2021, http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/firm/24/;
Los Angeles Conservancy, “William Pereira,” Los Angeles Conservancy, accessed September 21, 2021,
https://www.laconservancy.org/architects/william-pereira; Los Angeles Conservancy, “Charles Luckman,” Los
Angeles Conservancy, accessed September 21, 2021, https://www.laconservancy.org/architects/charles-
luckman. Luckman – He was promoted as sales manager at Pepsodent Company. The company was brought by
Lever Brothers. Luckman became a president there. Due to a power struggle, he lost his position at Lever
Brothers.
95
Prosser, "Commercial Development, 1850-1980, High-Rise Corporate Ofiice Buildings, 1945-1975."
96
“August 15, 1950 (Page 2 of 32) - ProQuest,” accessed September 17, 2021, https://www-proquest-
com.libproxy2.usc.edu/docview/2023439872/D3BF140CCD194FE2PQ/10?accountid=14749. Pereira, and
Luckman were classmates during their architectural education at University of Illinois. The firm was short-lived
but was one of the busiest firms known internationally.
97
By 1950s, the economic slack because of WWII (and the depression) was replaced by prosperity. Americans
were buying houses in suburban tracts. Streetcars and its related commercial architecture started popping up.
Many industries transitioned their assembly lines from making propellers for aircrafts (used to fight in the war) to
making appliances for homeowners (looking to make their ‘modern’ homes comfortable). Consumerism and
baby boom was on the rise.
98
Alan Hess, “The Place of Histories,” AIA California (blog), January 21, 2018, https://aiacalifornia.org/the-
place-of-histories/.

33
Best known for its modern and innovative corporate architecture, the partnership
would become extraordinarily successful and one of the country’s busiest architecture firms.
(Figure 2.2) It specialized in designing large-scale institutional and commercial projects such
as office buildings, airports, air force bases, and hotels.
99
Owing to his work in the corporate
sector, Charles brought with him many defense department projects.
100
At its peak, the firm
employed over 300 architects.
101
They worked on J. W. Robinson Company Stores, Los
Angeles International Airport (from 1952 till the end of the partnership), and the University of
California Santa Barbara Campus (1951). (Figure 2.3) A marketing expert with natural
business instincts, Luckman’s designs were always business over art. Charles once told a
writer for The New Yorker, "I am firm in my belief that architecture is a business, not art."
102

This is probably one of the reasons that many corporate executives and government officials
who regularly worked with business people would prefer working with Luckman over his
artistically centered peers. On the other hand, Pereira was a planning genius, and his master
plans conveyed futuristic designs. Citing differences in ideologies, the firm dissolved in 1958,
with the principals opening their respective firms – William L. Pereira & Associates and
Charles Luckman Associates.
103

99
Prosser, "Commercial Development, 1850-1980, High-Rise Corporate Ofiice Buildings, 1945-1975."
100
Charles Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000” (2008), CSLA-34, William H. Hannon Library,
Department of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA,
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8057gjv/; Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates),
interview by author, Personal Interview, 9 2022.
101
“Exploring the Legacy of Midcentury Architectural Firm Pereira & Luckman | National Trust for Historic
Preservation.”
102
Herbert Muschamp, “Charles Luckman, Architect Who Designed Penn Station’s Replacement, Dies at
89: [Obituary (Obit)],” New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast), January 28, 1999, sec. C,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/431103801/abstract/94AB87A81C954DE6PQ/1.
103
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.” As a businessperson Charles focused on meeting budget
estimates. He would prefer cheaper materials over quality design.

34

Figure 2.2: Charles Luckman and William Pereira meeting President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Charles Luckman Papers, 1955. Image (cropped) downloaded from Insuring the City
(https://insuringthecity.wordpress.com/2012/04/17/luckman-pereira-and-ike/ on August 13, 2021), crediting
"Charles Luckman Papers."

Figure 2.3: Campus Plan – Pereira & Luckman, 1952.
Image downloaded from Calisphere (https://calisphere.org/item/a1b8d6956b745157f27fc131f22 78a12/),
crediting UC Santa Barbara, Architecture and Design Collection, Art, Design and Architecture Museum,
downloaded on November 12, 2021.

35
Charles took over the firm Pereira & Luckman, renaming it Charles Luckman
Associates. A press release indicates the former partners agreed for Luckman to retain the
staff (most) and facilities in Los Angeles and New York and would also retain existing client
contracts.
104
His archives, Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000, have typewritten notes on his
life and work, including his partnership with Pereira. However, owing to his business-minded
nature, the materials focus on contract documents, speeches, press releases on projects,
newspaper clippings, brochures, and client details over drawings and design details. Gin
might see Pereira as his design mentor, but he almost certainly learned entrepreneurial and
networking skills from Luckman.

Wong started with Pereira & Luckman in the design department
105
and was promoted
to Vice-President of Planning and Design on February 16, 1958.
106
(Figure 2.4) He played a
vital role in the firm, leading design teams that worked on significant projects. On August 15,
1955, Wong was certified as an AIA Southern California Chapter member.
107
Both Luckman
and Pereira functioned as references for the same. As one of the earliest employees, Wong
maintained a good relationship with his colleagues. They went on social outings together.
Wong, along with John Majdick, Charles Stanton, and two others, won the La Cienega
Lanes’ team bowling trophy in 1956.
108

104
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.”
105
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.”
106
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376); “New Partners of Planning, Architectural Firm
Named,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), January 18, 1959, sec. PART 6,
http://search.proquest.com/docview/167390874/abstract/A2178BE2EC944DB4PQ/439.
107
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376). Prior to applying for AIA, Wong was a registered
architect in California (California State Board of Architectural Examiners).
108
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.”

36

Figure 2.4: Gin Wong featured as an Alumni in El Rodeo, 1961.
Image (cropped) downloaded from Ancestry “U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999,” database with images,
Ancestry.
Gin was responsible for numerous groundbreaking designs at Pereira & Luckman. The
following pages describe three of Gin’s significant projects at Pereira & Luckman that
highlight important economic and cultural trends in Los Angeles history and his design
sensibilities during the decade.

PROJECTS
1. CBS TELEVISION CITY
7800 BEVERLY BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES, 1952
A significant part of Los Angeles’s identity is its association with the entertainment
industry, which has been a primary driver of its cultural and economic growth. Throughout the
twentieth century, new forms of entertainment developed and evolved. With progress in
science, the motion picture industry gave birth to radio and television production. Television
came to the city in 1927 when inventor Philo T. Farnsworth developed the first electronic

37
television system in East Hollywood.
109
Although the growth was slow, the post-war years saw
an explosive consumerism boom due to better technology and lower prices.
110
The television
industry was an exaggerated extension of its precursor, radio broadcasting, which needed
purpose-built facilities. It directly benefited from the existing technologies and innovations in
the film and radio industries.
111
However, by the mid-twentieth century, the industry was
steadily growing, and the radio sector stagnated.
112
With the production increase in volume,
there was a need for special facilities.
CBS was one of the earliest networks created (1927), and with the rise of television as
a national medium, CBS became one of the early leaders in broadcast television.
113
When
the television industry entered its golden age in the 1940s, the need for a purpose-built
facility was evident when CBS (and other networks) started to feature live productions. These
major television networks started looking into the potential of such facilities. CBS hired Pereira
& Luckman to evaluate this issue. They concluded that television production had a different
efficiency and economic philosophy than the motion picture industry. Thus, CBS hired the firm
to design an intensive production facility with highly flexible spaces, efficient circulation, and
provisions for expansion.
114
CBS purchased fifteen acres of land at the southeast corner of

109
Christine Lazzaretto, Heather Goers, and Christy Johnson McAvoy, “Entertainment Industry, 1908-1980,
Institutional Properties Associated with Entertainment Industry, 1908-1980 | Los Angeles City Planning,” Los
Angeles City Planning, December 2019, https://planning.lacity.org/preservation-design/historic-
resources/entertainment-industry.
110
Lazzaretto, Goers, and McAvoy, “Entertainment Industry, 1908-1980, Institutional Properties Associated with
Entertainment Industry, 1908-1980 | Los Angeles City Planning.” When the first soap opera. Vine Street, aired
in 1938 there were only five television sets in the city. Manufacturing demands of the War restricted the number
of television sets to about four hundred. Nevertheless, there were people and studios who saw the potential
television broadcasting offered. The first broadcast was in 1931. By 1954, the number of television sets in
American household grew from 5,000 to 44,000. (Katie E. Horak, Mary Ringhoff, and Mickie Torres-Gil, “CBS
Television City, Los Angeles, Historic Resource Assessment,” Historic Resource Assessment (Pasadena,
California, April 11, 2018), https://planning.lacity.org/StaffRpt/CHC/2018/5-3-
2018/CBSTelevisionCity_7800Beverly_FINAL.pdf.).
111
Alan Hess and Adrian Scott Fine, “CBS Television City - Historic-Cultural Monument Application,” May 3,
2018, 243, https://planning.lacity.org/StaffRpt/CHC/2018/5-3-
2018/CBSTelevisionCity_7800Beverly_FINAL.pdf. Most network television companies produced their national
television programs at their own radio facilities. CBS had may affiliated radio stations including KTSL, one of the
seven licensed commercial channels, was acquired by CBS post 1949 operating under KCBS.
112
Lazzaretto, Goers, and McAvoy, “Entertainment Industry, 1908-1980, Institutional Properties Associated with
Entertainment Industry, 1908-1980 | Los Angeles City Planning.” Seven new commercial television stations got
license in Los Angeles.
113
Hess and Fine, “CBS Television City - Historic-Cultural Monument Application.”
114
Horak, Ringhoff, and Torres-Gil, “CBS Television City, Los Angeles, Historic Resource Assessment.”

38
Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard for their new facility, CBS Television City, dubbed “the
first large-scale purpose-built facility in the U.S.”
115
(Figure 2.5) It reflected Los Angeles’s
becoming a Mecca for television broadcasting.

Figure 2.5: CBS Television City View.
Image Downloaded from USC Libraries Special Collections/ Dick Whittington Photography Collection,1924-
1987/ Getty Faces of L.A., 1936-1958, Legacy Identifier: DW-V6-4-1-ISLA.tiff, Unique Identifier: UC12073100.
The project, comprised of a main studio complex and service building, completed
construction in late 1952 and soon became a landmark in the Beverly Fairfax area. Wong
was credited as the chief designer (along with others) and project coordinator for CBS
Television City.
116
Archives for Charles Luckman show two memos that indicate Wong was
part of the design team and worked on sketches for the project during the early stages.
117

Millard Lee, principal at Gin Wong Associates, who worked closely with Wong for over forty
years, says Gin was involved in the designs (with someone supervising his work).
118
Wong and

115
Harry Ackerman, “Radio-Television: If You’ll Pardon a Cliche, The Show’s Still the Thing,” Variety (Archive:
1905-2000) (Los Angeles, United States: Penske Business Corporation, November 12, 1952),
http://www.proquest.com/docview/963156994/citation/4BB3D42EEC74D1BPQ/1. The site was occupied by
the Gilmore Stadium at the time of its purchase which was razed prior to constructing CBS Television City.
116
Thomas S. Hines, “Building Big: The Corporate Modernism of Postwar Los Angeles: Welton Becket and
William Pereira,” in Architecture of the Sun: Los Angeles Modernism 1900-1970 (New York: Rizzoli, 2010),
684–86.
117
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.”
118
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.

39
fellow USC graduates James Langenheim and Charles Stanton were part of the team.
119
Gin
Wong returned to Television City (under his own firm Gin Wong Associates) to add annexes
in 1976 and 1992 and minor construction in 1996.
120

The design blended the practical needs of the profession (entertainment) with the
boisterous post-war attitudes. Out of the extensive master plan developed for the project, only
the first phase came to fruition.
121
(Figure 2.6) The master plan was a series of box-like
service buildings and studio complexes forming a massive plant that featured a high-rise
office building, a long retail front along Beverly Boulevard, and twenty-four studios.
122
When
the architects were ready with the designs and drawings, Dale Clark and Associates built a
two-ton scaled model of the complex.
123
(Figure 2.7)

Figure 2.6: Proposed master plan for CBS Television City.
A series of boxed facilities surrounded by commercial shops. Image downloaded from Television City L.A.
(https://televisioncityla.com/gallery) crediting "CBS Photo Archive."

119
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.”
120
Permits searched through LABDS website.
121
The expansion was planned based on the 150 feet height restriction set forth by the city. An extension was
planned in 1956 with Pereira & Luckman as architects but it never materialized. Similar plan was proposed in
1961 with Charles Luckman Associates that never materialized. Over the years there was minor construction
seen across the structure. In 1969, S.B. Barnes & Associates worked on the construction of two additions to the
east façade. The reason for not completing the master plan would relate to less live and live-to-tape programs.
122
Horak, Ringhoff, and Torres-Gil, “CBS Television City, Los Angeles, Historic Resource Assessment.”
123
“Two-Ton Working Model of TV City to Be Placed on Display Tomorrow,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995),
September 21, 1952, http://www.proquest.com/docview/166363000/abstract/6BD939F26AD94A1EPQ/1.

40

Figure 2.7: Betty Luster with an architectural scale model, May 1952.
Image downloaded from Television City L.A. (https://televisioncityla.com/gallery) crediting "CBS Photo Archive.")
Downloaded on August 21, 2021.
Since there was no typology to follow, exhaustive research was needed. The architects
had to reconcile the needs of various elements in the entertainment industry (actors,
producers, technicians) with the efficient planning and economic restraints needed for mass-
producing television shows. For one of Pereira’s architecture studios at USC, students
designed a television studio; a few designs from this studio were part of the numerous design
iterations the team went through.
124
Wong worked on some of these sketches and
iterations.
125
After many client consultations and trial and error, they devised a strategy based
on a ‘Sandwich Loaf’ principle.
126
The architects aimed to create a pattern or a blueprint that
could be repeated (and modified) throughout the country, thus creating a precedent for future
projects.
127

124
Hines, “Building Big: The Corporate Modernism of Postwar Los Angeles: Welton Becket and William
Pereira.”; CBS Television Network, “Details of CBS Television City in Hollywood Revealed by CBS ‐TV President
Van Volkenburg,” News, February 4, 1952; “CBS Television City History,” 1982.
125
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000”; Hines, “Building Big: The Corporate Modernism of
Postwar Los Angeles: Welton Becket and William Pereira.”
126
William L. Pereira and Charles Luckman, “Radio-Television: Take a Sandwich-Loaf Idea, Add Some
Imagination, and Presto--CBS-TV City,” Variety (Archive: 1905-2000) (Los Angeles, United States: Penske
Business Corporation, November 12, 1952), http://www.proquest.com/docview/963157017/citation
/BE49A6ADCFE2456APQ/1.
127
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.”

41
The team came up with a ‘production-line’ design modifying the existing film-studio
typology into a factory-like system. Traditionally a studio is a large walled plot with
standalone structures like studios, sets, and office buildings, but this project was a single, self-
contained structure.
128
The structure itself emphasized the horizontal axis with asymmetrical
massing of two rectangular volumes creating an irregular plan.
129
The design focused on two
factors - change in size (facility could expand) and change in technology (accommodate
future technological advancement).
The two masses were a studio building housing the studios, rehearsal halls, and
technical areas, and a support building that primarily contained the craft workshop. The
building, constructed of steel framework and reinforced concrete, is raised on pilotis, giving
the structure a feeling of a ‘lightweight glass box.’
130
(Figure 2.8) Three of four exterior
façades hinged on steel connections at each supporting point in the structural framework,
making them removable. When the need arose to expand the building, the walls could
detach from its frame, and additional construction work could occur.
131
The façade was either
glazed curtain walls or clad with smooth stucco painted black or white.
132
(Figure 2.9) A
dramatic red-colored bridge-like entrance, designed by Charles Stanton, adorned the
building.
133
(Figure 2.9) Ramps running across the periphery provide access to service areas
and warehouses from the outside without a need for elevators.
134
Additionally, the support
buildings had an open interior, allowing trucks to enter the building.

128
Horak, Ringhoff, and Torres-Gil, “CBS Television City, Los Angeles, Historic Resource Assessment.”
129
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.”
130
“Television City” with Edward R. Murrow (Originally Broadcasted November 1953)- Part 1, Video (YouTube,
2012), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5YdyY8IM9M&t=3s.
131
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.”
132
Wherever there was a curtain wall, that façade could come down; they were permanent wherever the facade
was stucco. Curtain walls at ideal locations in the support building provided ample light into the spaces,
whereas the studios blocked light to allow artificial lighting necessary for filming.
133
Hines, “Building Big: The Corporate Modernism of Postwar Los Angeles: Welton Becket and William
Pereira.”
134
“Television City” with Edward R. Murrow (Originally Broadcasted November 1953)- Part 1.

42

Figure 2.8: Image showing building under construction.
Image downloaded from Television City L.A. (https://televisioncityla.com/gallery) crediting "CBS Photo Archive.")
Downloaded on August 21, 2021.

Figure 2.9: Photo showing the curtain wall façade with the red-colored entrance.
Image downloaded from Los Angeles Conservancy (https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/cbs-television-
citycrediting "CBS Photo Archive.") Crediting Tom Gardner, downloaded on October 28, 2021.

43
The internal layout was simple, with two studios on each side bisected by a central
service corridor connecting the four. The service corridor terminated at a giant craft shop
housing carpenters, painters, and scenery. (Figure 2.10) A level above the studios were
rehearsal halls, and below were storage and service areas. Rehearsal and the performance
areas could be reconfigured with the amount of space increasing or decreasing, thus altering
the size and shape of the studio.
135
Transportation of scenery, props, and pedestrian traffic to
the production areas was separated, thus improving the efficiency of production.
136
Pereira
quoted in an interview, "We felt the real distinction was the matter of time. Time could not be
wasted in moving equipment, sets, and people.”
137

Figure 2.10: First Floor Layout.
Image downloaded from j-shea (http://www.j-shea.com/TVCity/Schematic01.html). Image modified by author.
The facility had state-of-the-art technology (then), including overhead monitors that
displayed the shoot. Air-conditioning ducts could be lowered or adjusted, providing maximum

135
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.”
136
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.” Transportation of scenery, stored below, was done either through
the central corridor or outside on runways that encircle the building not to disturb production. During
production, the actors rehearsing on the upstairs halls would come down to the studios, whereas the scenery
stored in warehouses below would go up from the basement.
137
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.”

44
space for lights and cameras.
138
Even the workshop was adapted for efficiency - a painter
would stay in place, and the scenery would move for ease of painting.
139
The audience
seating array was worked out after much research.
140
Cameras on platforms placed amidst
and at the sides of the arrangement made the audience feel like a part of the production.
141

The platform was flexible and portable, providing maximum horizontal camera movement.
The audience seating was made to be dismantled in the future and covered up using
floorboards without needing any structural renovation.
142
(Figure 2.11)

Figure 2.11: Live broadcast showing audience seating and stage.
Image downloaded from Television City L.A. (https://televisioncityla.com/gallery) crediting "CBS Photo Archive."
Downloaded on October 28, 2021.
The property was designated as a Historic-Cultural Landmark by Los Angeles in 2018.
It is a testament to the Los Angeles entertainment and broadcasting industry setting a

138
“Television City” with Edward R. Murrow (Originally Broadcasted November 1953)- Part 1, 1.
139
“Television City” with Edward R. Murrow (Originally Broadcasted November 1953)- Part 1.
140
The designers produced a 350-seater audience between the center camera and the stage floor. The height
of the arrangement never went above the stage. This allowed for maximum seating without disrupting the
camera positioning required for production.
141
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.”
142
Pereira and Luckman, “Radio-Television.”

45
precedent and an excellent example of corporate international style architecture. Its design
reflected the optimistic post-war attitude while effortlessly keeping intelligent planning at its
core. CBS Television City was one of the earliest projects of Wong. Although he was not the
primary author, his contributions as a designer in producing the various design iterations and
as a project coordinator were crucial for his career at Pereira & Luckman. It not only gave the
partners confidence in Wong’s work, trusting him with his projects in the future, but at the
same time, Wong honed his minimal and modern design sensibilities. CBS Television City, as
a project, set a foundation for Gin’s understanding of intelligent circulation planning and
using present technology, which he would replicate in his future projects.

2. LOS ANGELES CENTER STUDIOS (FORMERLY UNION OIL CENTER)
451 S BEAUDRY AVENUE, LOS ANGELES, 1958
The post-war rise of corporations and their high-rise office buildings brought a
significant shift in the kind of architectural projects commissioned. These national or local
corporations, usually banks, insurance, or oil companies, looked to leave their mark on the
City through architecture.
143
They wanted to proclaim themselves as instruments of progress
and modernity. Zoning and urban planning played a vital role in developing and massing of
the City’s commercial districts. The City of Los Angeles followed height restrictions limiting
heights to 150 feet or thirteen stories during the early 1950s.
144
City authorities also restricted
these resources to areas in Los Angeles – the downtown business district and outlying
commercial districts like Wilshire. Downtown buildings were massed together on rectangular
plots, filling the site due to space constraints. The projects away from the city center could be
free-standing, separated from the street and neighboring buildings, allowing for projects that

143
Prosser, “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Commercial Development, 1850-1980, Rise of
Corporations and Corporate Types, High-Rise Corporate Office Buildings, 1945-1975.” Owing to the logos
displayed, people generally believed these corporations owned the buildings. These corporations could own and
occupy the whole building or be the largest leaseholder in a building constructed by others.
144
Prosser, “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Commercial Development, 1850-1980, Rise of
Corporations and Corporate Types, High-Rise Corporate Office Buildings, 1945-1975.” Due to safety concerns
and to restrict the scale of building vs streets, Los Angeles had limited the heights 150 feet in 1911. This law
also applied to neighboring districts such as Wilshire Boulevard. Only the city hall was permitted to be above
150 ft. In late 1950’s this rule was abolised but the effects on the city skyline were seen post 1960.

46
stand out. These tall, glass and steel structures were generally associated with a single
corporate entity, and its logo displayed clearly, advertising its brand. Architects hired to
design these buildings were large corporate entities themselves. They had previous experience
in handling the scale and planning requirements.
145
They had a distinct Modern post-war
design accentuated by advancements in construction technology and (sometimes iconic)
logo. They are now categorized as ‘High-rise Corporate Style.’
146

Such were the conditions when Union Oil Center was conceptualized. When hired, the
firm of Pereira & Luckman had already worked on multiple large-scale commercial
projects.
147
This five-acre complex was the highest structure in the city during its completion.
Located west of downtown, next to Harbor Freeway (110), the main building stood taller than
City Hall due to the site’s elevation of 165 feet.
148
True to the typology, the project utilized
(then) modern technologies like escalators. The construction of this complex started in mid-
1955.
149
It contains one million square feet of floor space.
150
The building housed the
headquarters for Union Oil Company, later known as Unocal (until Chevron took over), a
major petroleum products producer. Wong was the assistant director of design during the
project overseeing the design process with the help of Charles Kratka, the chief interior
designer, and Patrick L. Lawless, the project manager.
151
Wong’s fellowship nomination from
his AIA membership file indicates Wong presented Union Oil Center as one of his “…
achievements in architectural design.”
152

145
The design of the building and its various complex engineering systems – structural, mechanical electrical
and plumbing.
146
Prosser, “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Commercial Development, 1850-1980, Rise of
Corporations and Corporate Types, High-Rise Corporate Office Buildings, 1945-1975.”
147
Their firm already had designed some famous corporate high-rises across the U.S. by 1955. These clients
preferred hiring architects who have experience and through contacts.
148
Gladwin Hill, “Los Angeles Gets Business Center: Union Oil Starts ‘Radio City’ in Downtown Area at Cost of
$20,000,000,” New York Times, 1955, sec. REAL ESTATE CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/113422065/abstract/271CD4F4F09E4AD1PQ/1. The site is bounded by –
Fifth Street, Bixel, Maryland and Beaudry Avenues with Boylston Avenue cutting through the site.
149
Hill, “Los Angeles Gets Business Center.”
150
“Union Oil Center, Historic District,” Historic Places LA, accessed September 23, 2021,
http://historicplacesla.org/reports/fc9dcb2c-a99d-46f1-bfc8-d3ef5d9dcdc3.
151
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.”
152
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).

47
The building provided a panoramic view of the Los Angeles cityscape. After much
deliberation, a location that was central and accessible was chosen. (Figure 2.12) Reports
claim that all employees lived within a nine-kilometer radius of the site. The cost of
construction was roughly $20,000,000.
153
Wong’s master plan for this modern complex
comprises four buildings interconnected through pedestrian channels. At the center was a
hexagon-shaped main building flanked by two long perpendicular buildings, which enclosed
a wide and open plaza.
154
(Figure 2.13, Figure 2.14) The tall main building, standing thirteen
stories, displayed the branding for Union Oil. The two perpendicular buildings were three and
two stories at Fifth Street and Maryland Avenue, respectively, with provision for additional
three stories.
155
(Figure 2.14) The fourth building on the opposite street connects the main
complex through pedestrian bridges. (Figure 2.14) Local trees and shrubs with terrazzo
planters adorned the plaza adding to the beauty of the place.
156
The design is an early
example of Corporate International architecture.

Figure 2.12: Views of Union Oil Center.
From Left: As seen from 110 Freeway; View from Beaudry Building. Images from Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos.
“Union Oil Center - Los Angeles (USA).” Informes de la construcción 12, no. 111 (1959): 23–32. Downloaded
on October 18, 2021.

153
Hill, “Los Angeles Gets Business Center.”; Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos. “Union Oil Center - Los Angeles
(USA).” Informes de la construcción 12, no. 111 (1959): 23–32.
154
The three-story building, Fifth Street Building, housed Brea Chemicals, a subsidiary to Union Oil. The two-
story building was called Maryland building. Both named after the streets they are located on.
155
Hill, “Los Angeles Gets Business Center.”
156
“Union Oil Center, Historic District.” Keeping in mind the local climate and seasons the plants were chosen.

48

Figure 2.13: Union Oil Center Rendered View by an architect.
Image downloaded from Los Angeles Center Studios (http://lacenterstudios.com/about-us). Downloaded on
October 15, 2021.

49

Figure 2.14: Ground floor plan shows the main building, plaza, and two lower wings.
Image from Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos. “Union Oil Center - Los Angeles (USA).” Informes de la
construcción 12, no. 111 (1959): 23–32. Image modified by author.

50
The main structure contains private offices and clerical spaces. It has a flat hexagonal
plan connected to the rest of the complex via a circulation-service core towards the west end.
Like the rest of the structures, the main building has a steel framework enclosed in a
reinforced concrete structure. (Figure 2.15) In the original design, Wong intended the lobby
to be open to the public, an extension of the street devoted to a museum, and lined with
storefronts with glass displays. Glass and aluminum line the façade with decorative fins (or
brise solei) that doubled as a way to control sunlight entering the interior spaces.
157
(Figure
2.16) The parking and the main building connect through a vertical, terracotta-clad (glazed)
projection, housing elevators on one end and escalators on the other. (Figure 2.17) Wong
foresaw the future need for ample parking in a rapidly transforming Los Angeles and thus
dedicated four stories for subterranean parking with a capacity for 1400 cars. A peculiar
feature of this parking is the absence of circular ramps. Instead, a system of flat ramps with a
maximum slope of 4% accommodated parking, thus increasing the number of cars that can
be parked.
158

Figure 2.15: Main Building under construction.
Image downloaded from Los Angeles Center Studios (http://lacenterstudios.com/about-us). Downloaded on
October 15, 2021.

157
“Union Oil Center, Historic District.”
158
Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos. “Union Oil Center - Los Angeles (USA).”

51

Figure 2.16: Fins as seen on the façade.
Image downloaded from USC Libraries Special Collections/ Legacy Identifier: CHS-39549.tiff, Unique Identifier:
UC126178.

Figure 2.17: Section through the main complex.
Image from Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos. “Union Oil Center - Los Angeles (USA).” Informes de la
construcción 12, no. 111 (1959): 23–32. Image modified by author.

52
A fourth building (formerly called the Beaudry Building), located on the opposite side
of the street, is connected to the main building via two pedestrian bridges. Wong designed
these pedestrian bridges not to interrupt (vehicular) traffic flow while connecting the two sites.
(Figure 2.18) This attempt was the first time in Los Angeles that a group of buildings was
connected using bridges.
159
Beaudry building was a hexagonal two-story multipurpose
structure housing the cultural and social cores of the complex. It had a 550-person
auditorium and a restaurant with two large terraces, all open to the public.
160
(Figure 2.18)

Figure 2.18: Views from Beaudry Building.
From left: View under Pedestrian Bridge; View of terrace cafeteria. Image from Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos.
“Union Oil Center - Los Angeles (USA).” Informes de la construcción 12, no. 111 (1959): 23–32.
The whole complex had central air-conditioning with provisions for regulation within
each room. Separate circulation for upper and lower floors controlled the flow of pedestrian
traffic in the main buildings – a series of escalators throughout the lower seven floors
controlled most of the traffic, and escalator-free elevators served the upper floors, thus
minimizing circulation times between departments.
161
This circulation core, built to withstand

159
Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos. “Union Oil Center - Los Angeles (USA).” Bridges were constructed of pre-
stressed concrete and assembled on site.
160
Hill, “Los Angeles Gets Business Center.”
161
“Union Oil Center Unique in Design - ProQuest,” accessed September 22, 2021, https://www-proquest-
com.libproxy2.usc.edu/docview/167290813/4F99BE42EB8F413FPQ/5?accountid=14749.

53
seismic forces also sheltered all the engineering functions, such as HVAC ducts, conduits, and
plumbing.
162
Union Oil Center was the only office building to employ escalators during
construction.
163
Furniture and interiors were consistent with the grandeur of the building.
Marble, granite, and terracotta made up most of the surface finish.
164

Unocal moved its headquarters to El Segundo in 1996, leaving the building to an
uncertain fate.
165
With many Hollywood films using downtown as a setting, a group of
developers saw an opportunity to convert the complex into a studio. Three years later, the
structure was re-opened as a studio that adopted the spaces into six large stages, a theatre,
streets, and ancillary facilities.
166
Union Oil Center is one of the successful adaptive reuse
stories in downtown Los Angeles.
Gin’s work at Union Oil Center is noteworthy as it is one of the earliest buildings, with
evidence supporting his lead role in its design. The statement project met success and
bolstered Wong’s position within the firm, with Wong becoming vice principal in charge of
planning and design.
167
The groundbreaking use of technology and its master planning won
Gin an AIA merit award in 1960.
168

3. LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
LOS ANGELES, 1961
One cannot address the Southern Californian built environment without discussing the
aerospace industry. The early 1900s saw multiple aviation meets with crowds flocking to see

162
“Union Oil Center Unique in Design - ProQuest.”
163
Pereira y Luckman, Arquitectos. “Union Oil Center - Los Angeles (USA).”
164
Hill, “Los Angeles Gets Business Center.”
165
Michael Parrish, “Unocal Seeking to Lease Headquarters in El Segundo,” Los Angeles Times, June 20, 1995,
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-06-20-fi-15125-story.html. Since 2005 it is now a subsidiary of
Chevron.
166
Los Angeles Center Studios. “About Us.”
167
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376). Press release for Pereira and Luckman naming
Wong as Vice President list Union Oil Center as one of his key projects. After completion the building was in the
news frequently for its design. (Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000.”)
168
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).

54
the new winged machines and their enigmatic pilots taking off on the unobstructed
(undeveloped) Southern Californian landscape. Owing to open-labor laws, pleasant weather,
and a culture that cradled entrepreneurship, many aircraft manufacturers, opened plants
across Los Angeles.
169
Although the industry declined during the depression years, it regained
its vigor during World War II as defense contractors. Thousands of people came to Los
Angeles searching for work in these plants.
170
Many returning war veterans, predominantly
single men, took advantage of subsidized housing loans, low-cost mortgages, and
educational and vocational studies subsidies.
171
They settled in urban or suburban areas and
started their families. During the war years, people seldom spent money.

When the war ended, there was a demand for consumer goods, and many previous
defense manufacturers turned to production for consumer markets. A substantial amount of
federal money went into constructing public infrastructure, most notably an extensive network
of freeways and highways.
172
This was especially true for Southern California. By the 1950s,
Los Angeles had made a name for itself as a rising metropolis reflected in the modernist
urban landscape of the city. This post-war modernism was expressed in architecture in a
range of styles –Mid-Century Modern, A-Frame, Corporate International Style, Googie, and
New Formalism.

169
Samantha Masunaga, “Southern California’s Aerospace Industry, Long in Decline, Begins to Stir,” Los
Angeles Times, July 22, 2016, https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-socal-aerospace-20160723-snap-
story.html.; Teena Apeles, “The Surprising Vestiges of the Aviation Industry in SoCal Neighborhoods,” KCET
(blog), July 23, 2019, https://www.kcet.org/shows/blue-sky-metropolis/the-aviation-industrys-enduring-impact-
on-southern-californias-urban-landscape.
170
Ashleen Knutsen, “The History and Revival of Southern California’s Aerospace Industry,” KCET, July 9, 2019,
https://www.kcet.org/shows/blue-sky-metropolis/the-history-and-revival-of-southern-californias-aerospace-
industry. The plant workers would eventually settle in the city after the war.
171
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980.” FHA (Federal Housing Administration) and VA (Veteran Affairs) offered government-
subsidized loans. Further GI Bill offered various other subsidies.
172
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980.”

55
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is a brilliant example of transportation
architecture that addresses the logistical issue of the massive amount of people (traveling).
Due to rapid advancement in aviation technology and the introduction of the Boeing 707,
analysts predicted that there would be a steep rise in the number of passengers traveling. The
rising entertainment and aviation industries further pushed Los Angeles to the center, with
another influx of people (tourists and residents alike).
173
The City was redesigning the old
airport southwest of Inglewood, known as Mines Field (1928).
174
(Figure 2.19) Construction
began in 1957, and when it re-opened, it was considered an ultramodern state-of-the-art
facility.
175
The design for this ‘Jet Age’ terminal was a joint venture between Pereira &
Luckman, Welton Becket & Associates, and Paul R. Williams. Gin Wong, vice-president of
design, was the lead architect on behalf of Pereira & Luckman.
176
In his interview with
Transpacific magazine, Wong explains that he was the Supervising architect, and he
collaborated on the designs of the airport.
177

173
Francesca Street, “Vintage Pictures Show How LAX Has Changed over 90 Years,” CNN, accessed September
28, 2021, https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/lax-airport-vintage-pictures-los-angeles/index.html; Breaking
Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980) (Los Angeles: Los Angeles: Chinese American
Museum, 2012).
174
Street, “Vintage Pictures Show How LAX Has Changed over 90 Years”; Nathan Masters, “From Mines Field to
LAX: The Early History of L.A. International Airport,” KCET, July 25, 2012, https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-
la/from-mines-field-to-lax-the-early-history-of-l-a-international-airport. In 1937 City of Los Angeles purchased
(previously on ten-year lease) Mines Field and renamed it as Los Angeles Airport. Although a redesign started in
1940s it was interrupted by the war and completed in 1946.
175
“Building Your Airport from the Ground up: Some ‘Believe It or Not’ Facts,” Los Angeles Times (1923-
1995), November 15, 1961,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/167974944/citation/CC2E9CFC8DDC457BPQ/1. Before the construction
began it was proceeded by eighteen months of paperwork on the part of the development team.
176
Luckman, “Charles Luckman Papers 1908-2000”; “William L. Pereira & Associates Records” (2022 1939),
0326, USC Libraries Special Collections, Doheny Memorial Library 206, University of Southern California, Los
Angeles, CA, https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8k93f3r/.
177
“Ageless Elegance.”

56

Figure 2.19: View of Mines Field.
Image downloaded from KCET, (https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/from-mines-field-to-lax-the-early-history-of-
l-a-international-airport#overlay-context=shows/lost-la/from-mines-field-to-lax-the-early-history-of-la-
international-airport).
Wong considered two primary factors for the planning – free circulation and security.
The master plan consisted of unit terminals arranged around a central parking area. (Figure
2.20) These terminals led to individual ‘satellite’ buildings connected through underground
tunnels. These buildings allowed individual airlines to hold passengers while they waited to
board the aircraft. This reorganization proved revolutionary and is still implemented in airport
design today.
178
An early iteration of the airport included a system of trains interconnecting
the terminals over the car park centered by a vast steel and glass dome.
179
The Theme
Building constructed in its place became the airport’s focus. The development was estimated
to cost seventy million and handle twenty-three million passengers by 1970.
180

178
Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980).
179
Marnix (Max) Groot, “Photo Feature: LAX in the 1960s - Part 1,” Airport History, March 13, 2019,
https://www.airporthistory.org/lax-photo-special-1.html. The trains were later on scrapped.
180
“#1 WORLD WAY The Story of the New Los Angeles International Airport,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995),
November 15, 1961, https://www-proquest-com.libproxy1.usc.edu/historical-newspapers/1-world-way-story-
new-los-angeles-international/docview/168013993/se-2?accountid=14749; “#1 World Way” - the Story of
Los Angeles International Airport, Video (YouTube, 2014), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4NysCgVQ1Y.

57

Figure 2.20: Aerial Image showing completed airport, 1961.
Images downloaded from Daily Mail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-6256521/The-
amazing-story-LAX-told-using-rare-vintage-photographs.html) citing Herald Examiner Collection, Los Angeles
Public Library. Downloaded on February 21, 2022.
Six of the seven terminals proposed were constructed with provisions for the seventh in
the future. Each terminal had airside facilities for arrivals and satellite boarding facilities.
(Figure 2.21) These airside terminals were arranged in a loop around a 5000-car rectangular
parking lot lined by palm trees and were placed close to the parking lot for convenience
when passengers checked in. They were highly flexible, with possibilities to expand an
additional two stories lengthwise.
181
They connected to the satellite buildings via underground
pedestrian tunnels for passengers. (Figure 2.22) Each satellite building had a different décor
and featured a glass façade for viewing decks, gift shops, coffee shops, restaurants, and
waiting for lobbies and boarding ramps.
182
These buildings have provisions for ten aircraft
boarding gates. The aircraft could freely circulate to the gates from taxiways. A 162-foot
control and administration tower near the central area’s entrance housed the Department of

181
Groot, “Special.”
182
“#1 WORLD WAY The Story of the New Los Angeles International Airport.”

58
Airport and Federal Aviation Agency offices, air traffic controllers, and equipment.
183
The
facility featured state-of-the-art services like conveyor belts, automatic doors, air-conditioning,
heating, and loading bridges.
184
The design of satellite buildings is now standard and applied
across the world. Talking about the designs, Gin said, “An airport is not a static building; it
has to be flexible for change.”
185

Figure 2.21: Internal photographs of the terminal.
From left: Ticketing booth, Baggage check-in area. Images downloaded from Daily Mail
(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-6256521/The-amazing-story-LAX-told-using-rare-
vintage-photographs.html) citing Los Angeles World Airports. Downloaded on February 21, 2022.

Figure 2.22: Photographs showing the underground tunnels.
Images downloaded from Daily Mail (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-6256521/The-
amazing-story-LAX-told-using-rare-vintage-photographs.html) citing Los Angeles World Airports. Downloaded on
February 21, 2022.

183
“#1 WORLD WAY The Story of the New Los Angeles International Airport.” The tower was highest in the
nation when constructed.
184
“#1 WORLD WAY The Story of the New Los Angeles International Airport.”
185
“Ageless Elegance.”

59
Cliff Moore, former executive director at the Los Angeles Department of Airports, and
William M Schoenfeld, former deputy executive at LAWA and a former colleague of Gin’s at
Pereira & Luckman (who worked on the original designs), selected Wong (Gin Wong
Associates) for work on the airport expansion in the 1970s.
186
The remodel accommodated
growth and retrofitted newer technologies. With the advent of the Boeing 747, analysts
predicted the number of passengers traveling would double.
187
Larger aircraft carrying a more
considerable number of passengers upset the organization and logistics of arrival and
departure. Wong added a second floor to change the circulation patterns in the remodel.
(Figure 2.23, Figure 2.24) Interestingly the original design for the airport had two levels, but
due to budget restrictions, clients modified the plans.
188
The upper story would lead
passengers into the plane, whereas the lower story would lead passengers out of the terminal
to the baggage area. (Figure 2.23, Figure 2.24)

Figure 2.23: Renderings for the Remodel.
From left: Rendering showing the two levels of the terminal and roadway; rendering showing the new
satellite buildings. Image from Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980).
Los Angeles: Los Angeles: Chinese American Museum, 2012. Crediting Gin Wong Associates.

186
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
187
Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980). Prior to 1970s Boeing 707 was
the largest commercial aircraft with a passenger capacity of 189. Introduced in 1970, Boeing 747 had a
passenger capacity of 366.
188
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.

60

Figure 2.24: Rendering for the remodel showing the airport.
Image from Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980). Los Angeles: Los
Angeles: Chinese American Museum, 2012. Crediting Gin Wong Associates.
One of the notable features of the central parking area was the Theme Building.
Constructed in 1961, this space-age-inspired building is recognized worldwide as a modern
landmark. It quickly became an icon for the new ‘jet-age’ airport and the City of Los Angeles.
The current building is a scaled-down version of the original design, with a giant glass dome
acting as a central hub for the terminals. Its design is credited to James Langenheim (on
behalf of William L Pereira & Associates). Wong is sometimes mistakenly credited due to his
returning to work on its repairs in 2007.
The building was supported on 135-foot parabolic arches giving it its distinct spider-
like look. These arches support a cylindrical restaurant that is suspended seventy feet in mid-
air. The structure was the first in the United States to use supporting steel arches. Constructed
steel and clad with stucco, the restaurant had a rooftop observation deck that offered a 360-
degree panoramic view of the airport.
189
Although the restaurant is closed, the observation
deck is open during weekends with limited access. A screen wall made of perforated concrete
blocks surrounds the building. Although Wong was not the original designer of the building,
in 2007, the building underwent a seismic retrofit carried out by Gin Wong’s firm.
190
The city

189
Sam Lubell and Emily Bills, “LAX Theme Building,” Text, SAH ARCHIPEDIA, November 6, 2018, https://sah-
archipedia.org/buildings/CA-01-037-0082.
190
Early design sketches are credited to James Langenheim, Wong’s colleague at WLPA. Paul R. Williams (a
part of the airport design collaboration) is also credited at times, but further research needs to be conducted to
clarify these stakeholders’ involvement.

61
and airport authorities approached the firm after portions of the skin on the arches fell due to
corrosion. They collaborated with Miyamoto International (seismic team) and VCA
engineering for the work, adding a tuned mass dampener to counteract any seismic
activity.
191
Since the building is designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument, the dampener
was first approved by the Office of Historic Resources before its installation.
192

The partnership between Pereira and Luckman ended in 1958. Their work was a
response to the trends in the city that favored wealthy and prominent clients. In his interview
with Time Magazine, Pereira stated that Charles was a sly businessman and his strength lay in
salesmanship, whereas he focused on architectural design and innovation. Explaining their
ideological differences, he quoted, “…the businessman who hires us, does not need another
businessman to do the work – he needs an architect.”
193
Working in a famous, nationally
recognized firm garnered a considerable volume of large-scale (primarily commercial or
institutional) projects. This proved to be an essential factor in the separation because Pereira
believed their designs became too mechanical and felt factory-produced, and the divided
attention among the various projects did not allow for their best work.
Work is delegated to various teams in a firm like Pereira & Luckman. With over three
hundred employees and a top-heavy organization, principals oversee projects and client
negotiations, and project design falls on the people who work under them. Often, smaller
projects or projects of lesser significance are wholly handled by project architects. However,
the design is still credited to the firm or its principals. This raises questions about the
contributions of the project architects in these designs. If Charles’s prowess was as a
businessman and Pereira’s was that of a planner/designer, Gin (and the other project
architects/ vice-principals) were the minds behind the designs who detailed and molded these
ideas and plans. Going through the archives to find Wong’s contribution to the firm proved

191
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview by author, Personal
Interview, February 7, 2022.; “LAX Is Happening: Theme Building Renovation Program” (Los Angeles World
Airports, October 2014), https://www.lawa.org/-/media/lawa-web/projects-and-
reports/files/theme_building_renovation.ashx.
192
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
193
“The Land: The Man with The Plan,” Time Magazine, September 6, 1963,
http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,870487-6,00.html; Luckman, “Charles Luckman
Papers 1908-2000.” Luckman wanted the project to be constructed within the budget irrespective of the quality
or actual costs, whereas Pereira preferred to focus on design despite the costs.

62
difficult because there is not much-documented evidence of his roles on projects. Most of the
information is not in the public domain. Thus, these architects working in large corporate
firms are not well known beyond the architecture community. This problem is more relevant
today than ever.

63
CHAPTER 3 : PLANNING COMES FIRST (1959 -1972)
Japanese Americans were seen as a threat to national security during the war and
imprisoned. In contrast, Chinese Americans who fought in the War hoping to be accepted by
American society (and the newfound sense of patriotic duty amongst the youth) were
stereotyped as ‘ideal.’ This phenomenon magnified what is known as the ‘model minority
myth.’
194
Although the term refers to a minority group perceived as better than others
(minority groups), it often applies to Chinese Americans. Americans considered them as ideal
minorities, representing the ‘American dream.’ They were often perceived to be more
successful than the other minorities academically, economically, and socially.
195
It was
believed that Chinese Americans “capitalized on the American dream (during the war) with
their work ethic and emphasis on education.”
196
This statement is misguided in its observation
and intended to create a wedge between different disadvantaged communities, especially
African Americans, during the Civil Rights movement. The premise also does not address the
discrimination that Chinese Americans faced, some of which persists today. Many in the
community were not accepted into specific neighborhoods or did not get service and
government attention when needed. It was a myopic view of all the minority groups.
Until 1965, various laws limited Asian Americans from immigrating and getting
citizenship, especially Chinese Americans.
197
The Emergency Quota Act of 1921 established a
numerical limit to immigration that favored Eastern European immigrants over the ones from
Asia and Africa.
198
Although in 1943, Congress repealed any exclusion act not allowing
Chinese Americans to be naturalized, the quota system still prevailed.
199
The African

194
“The Model Minority Myth,” Digital Publication, The Practice, November 2018,
https://thepractice.law.harvard.edu/article/the-model-minority-myth/.; “Episode 3, Lesson 1: Model Minority
Myth,” Asian Americans Advancing Justice - L.A., September 12, 2020, https://archive.advancingjustice-
la.org/what-we-do/curriculum-lesson-plans/asian-americans-k-12-education-curriculum/episode-3-lesson-1.
195
Kat Chow, “‘Model Minority’ Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks,” NPR, April
19, 2017, https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/04/19/524571669/model-minority-myth-again-
used-as-a-racial-wedge-between-asians-and-blacks.
196
“Episode 3, Lesson 1.”
197
Chinese Exclusion Act later included all Asian ethnicities.
198
“Closing the Door on Immigration (U.S. National Park Service),” accessed July 31, 2022,
https://www.nps.gov/articles/closing-the-door-on-immigration.htm.
199
Office of the Historian, “Repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act, 1943,” Office of the Historian, accessed July
31, 2022, https://history.state.gov/milestones/1937-1945/chinese-exclusion-act-repeal. Also called Magnusen
Act. As per the quota system 105 Chinese national were allowed to immigrate each year.

64
American community's efforts led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed
discrimination based on race, color, nationality, religion, or sex. As a result, immigration
policies came under review, and in 1965 the Immigration and Nationality Act removed the
quota system. Under the new act, immigration to the United States depended on labor skills
or family relations. Over the next ten years, the population of Asian immigrants would
double. The civil rights efforts would also bring about a cultural shift in the coming decade
with an elevated focus on Chinese American narratives – a week in May is designated
Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week (later the month of May), and academic institutions
start offering courses in ethnic (including Asian American) cultures.
At the same time, Los Angeles (and California) became one of the most prosperous
regions in the country, with its trends, architecture, and fashion coveted across the globe.
200

The City’s growing population continued its expansion into previously agricultural areas of
San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley, and even areas of neighboring Ventura and
Orange Counties.
201
Historian Alan Hess explaining modernism in California (and
subsequently the city of Los Angeles), said, “California was a nation-state in itself, and its
Modern architecture perfectly reflected the wealth, reach, and self-confidence of this
empire.”
202
The region’s growth manifested not only in the manufacturing facilities, corporate
headquarters, master-planned cities, and educational campuses that cropped up but also in
the various cultural and civic institutional buildings (like museums, stadiums, and airports).
With it came the demand for architectural firms with expertise and a workforce to design
these large-scale and complex institutions. William L Pereira & Associates was one such firm
these large corporations and organizations would hire.

WILLIAM L. PEREIRA AND ASSOCIATES –
William Pereira split with Charles Luckman to start a more modestly scaled practice
and opened William L Pereira & Associates (WLPA) with its offices at Union Oil Center in

200
As a result of boom in aerospace, entertainment, tourist, and oil industry during the 1950’s.
201
Planned residential communities and tracts were still practiced.
202
Alan Hess, “History of L.A. Modernism - 1960-1970: Imperial California,” Los Angeles Conservancy,
accessed August 1, 2022, https://www.laconservancy.org/explore-la/curating-city/modern-architecture-
la/history-la-modernism/1960-1970-imperial-california.

65
November 1958.
203
Wong stayed with Pereira helping establish the new firm and joined as
the President and partner-in-charge of the firm.
204
Although Luckman kept the clients,
Pereira’s experience and esteem in the community ensured they never lacked new clients.
Even before the split, Lockheed Aircraft Corp. hired him to design a master plan for their
research center.
205
The firm’s work reflected the region’s growth and transformation in the
numerous corporate offices, institutional campuses, and intelligent master plans in both their
scale and design. Some famous buildings and campuses designed by WLPA are the Los
Angeles County Museum of Art (1965), the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco (1969),
the master plan for the city of Irvine (1960), the Geisel Library at the University of California,
San Diego (1968), and the master plan for the University of Southern California (1960,
1966). Pereira’s designs and planning projects would land him on the cover of Time
magazine (“The Land: The Man with the Plan”) in September 1963.
206

William L. Pereira & Associates is an exemplar for corporate architecture firms. It
worked on multi-disciplinary projects in the fields of planning, including land use and urban
planning, design, conceptual development, architecture, and interiors. One of the main
reasons Pereira gave for his split with Luckman was the need to focus on design over the
number of projects.
207
To this end, Pereira had a strict policy to restrict its projects to provide
unrestricted attention to those at hand and set up eight ‘Project Centers’ across the U.S.
208

Each project would be under the supervision of a Project Director, supported by the staff
based in a Project Center closest to the job site. Archival data for the firm indicates that it also
had a research department, a publication department, and a ‘Concepts Workshop,’ all
focused on supporting the quality of work.
209
The firm also had a Policy Board comprised of
Pereira, Wong, James M. Sink, and William P. Fickler that established and oversaw policies

203
“New Partners of Planning, Architectural Firm Named.”
204
“New Partners of Planning, Architectural Firm Named.” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995). January 18, 1959.
At this point Wong had known Pereira for a decade. Gin Wong along with James H. Langenheim and Jack L.
Campbell were named partners. All three were former vice presidents at Pereira & Luckman prior to this.
205
“The Land: The Man with The Plan.”
206
“The Land: The Man with The Plan.”
207
“The Land: The Man with The Plan.”
208
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.” In Los Angeles, Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, San Francisco,
New York, Houston, St. Paul, and Honolulu.
209
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.” They also had a monthly newsletter to update the staff on projects
and their lives.

66
and operation standards.
210
One or more board members were directly involved in every
project undertaken. Their role was both of an advisor and supervisor, and they also assumed
responsibility for that project.
In his essay about William Pereira for L.A. Forum, Scott Johnson quotes architecture
critic Allen Temko, “…Pereira was Hollywood’s idea of an architect.”
211
Designs produced by
the firm did not strictly adhere to the modern language and evolved with time. However, they
were simple, well-planned structures with geometric volumes. Wong’s future work would be
synonymous with this simple yet efficient design. While the firm (WLPA) handled diverse
projects, including large-scale master plans, the bulk of the work that they are known for lay
in civic and commercial buildings. Antonio Pacheco, a preservationist and writer, described
Pereira’s buildings as follows: “…(they) are these types of buildings—grand statements of
their time, first and foremost, and icons of capitalism, commerce, and development….”
212
He
further added, “…(they are) often relics of periods of economic expansion and growth, are
treated as relatively disposable, their cultural utility viewed more through an economic lens
than an architectural or civic one.”
213
Some of the firm’s notable projects became icons of
capitalist sentiment and profit-driven construction. For this reason, perhaps, his work is often
criticized and overlooked.
WLPA archives, in contrast to the business-oriented archives for Luckman,
concentrate on recording the design and planning aspects of its work in the form of reports
and documentation. The publications department would record every significant planning and
architectural commission in book form (reports). In addition to relevant project data (research
data, site studies, planning methodologies, concepts, drawings, and kind), these reports
named the people who worked on these projects (though they did not indicate their
contributions). City of Santa Fe Springs Public Library (1961), Hunt Food and Industries Inc.
Headquarters in Fullerton (1962), and Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco (1972) are

210
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.”
211
Scott Johnson, “Forum Issue 7: Late Moderns: William Pereira,” L.A. Forum for Architecture and Urban
Design, October 14, 2015, http://laforum.org/article/william-pereira/.
212
Antonio Pacheco, “Time Is Running out for the Modernist Legacy of William Pereira,” The Architect’s
Newspaper (blog), September 26, 2016, https://www.archpaper.com/2016/09/william-pereira-preservation-
legacy/.
213
Pacheco, “Time Is Running out for the Modernist Legacy of William Pereira.”

67
some of Gin’s notable projects. (Figure 3.1, Figure 3.2) Wong was also a part of the team
responsible for the master planning of the University of Southern California campus in 1961.
When Wong opened his own firm, its internal organization and project planning reflected that
of WLPA, especially when choosing the right persons for a project. The following pages
describe three of his notable projects at WLPA.

Figure 3.1: A rendered view for Hunt Foods and Industries corporate offices.
Image downloaded from William L. Pereira & Associates brochure ([Box85], William L. Pereira & Associates
records, Collection no. 0326, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/328) Accessed April 16, 2022.

68

Figure 3.2: Rendering for Santa Fe Springs Civic Center in Santa Fe Spring, California.
Image downloaded from William L. Pereira & Associates brochure ([Box85], William L. Pereira & Associates
records, Collection no. 0326, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/328) Accessed April 16, 2022.
PROJECTS
1. UNION 76 GAS STATION
BEVERLY HILLS, 1965
The development of good transportation infrastructure, mass-produced cars, and
suburban housing post-war meant more people living in the suburbs and even more driving.
Cities spread outward, leading to the decentralization of downtowns. The City’s suburban
ranch tracts offered the same commodities as downtown and became top social gathering
places.
214
People embraced modern technologies, and war-driven technological
advancements and inventions were brought into the consumer market to keep busy. Stable
incomes implied that people were less focused on ‘necessities’ and started spending money

214
Barbara King, “So Goofy, so Giddy, so Googie,” Los Angeles Times, October 20, 2005,
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-oct-20-hm-eye20-story.html; Docevski, “From Coffee Shops to
Airports, Googie Architecture Is a Futuristic Style That Embraced Space Age USA.”

69
on these mass-produced commodities.
215
Electricity, refrigerators, telephones, household
appliances, office machines, and other gadgets were all made available to the public to
improve their lives. Businesses and services catering to this techno-car culture started opening
in strips across the roadside, like motels, gas stations, coffee shops, bowling alleys, drive-in
theatres, and car washes, all designed to be easily accessed by car. Visual communication
became of prime importance to capitalize on motorists, and hence buildings became more
noticeable and expressive. They used attention-grabbing buildings and signs that captivated
the car owners. These buildings were designed as collages of materials and colors
illuminated by attractive neon signs. They had eccentric, eye-catching forms utilizing modern
materials like glass, chrome (steel), and plastic, resembling spaceships, missiles, and power
plants. They looked like gravity-defying abstracts with unconventional geometrical features.
The style’s signature is in its sweeping arches, reverse cantilevered roofs, angular lines, and
bold colors and lighting. All these features made up the new gaudy design style of Googie
architecture.
216

An icon of Los Angeles Architecture, Union 76 gas station is one of the most
recognized Googie-style buildings in the region. (Figure 3.3) Located at the corner of
Crescent Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard, this landmark gas station was initially
intended to complement the Theme Building near the entrance of Los Angeles International
Airport. Around the time LAX was under construction, the airport authorities put out a
triangular piece of land near the west end of central parking for a bid inviting architects to
design a gas station in 1960. Wong, working at WLPA, proposed the design for Union Oil
company, but they lost the bid.
217
Union 76, a brand owned by Union Oil (then), loved the
design. Fred Hartley, former CEO and chairman of Union Oil, was a huge fan of Gin

215
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980.”
216
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980.” The name was coined much later when an article in House and House magazine
referenced a (generally credited as first building of the style) John Lautner designed coffee shop as ‘Googie
Architecture.’
217
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.

70
Wong’s designs (then recently completed Union Oil Center), and when the company was
looking to set up a gas station, he recommended Wong.
218

Figure 3.3: Photographic view of the Gas Station.
Image downloaded from Creative Commons (“ PentaxSP_76Station1” by “J Jakobson,” licensed under CC BY-
ND 2.0.) Image downloaded on April 23, 2022.
Los Angeles was hailed as a ‘city of the future,’ and Wong’s design demonstrated
these sentiments. The structure replaced an original gas station operating on the site
(constructed in 1924).
219
The design was a simple rectangular building overlooking the
pumps, both topped by a concrete canopy supported on three piers. (Figure 3.4)The building,
located towards the lowest section of the canopy, contained snacks and a cashier’s station. A
striking feature of the gas station is its dominating red roof that soars upwards towards the
sky, appearing ready for take-off, an inspiration from the airport. This Googie-style canopy is
decorated with simple square-shaped tiles at its edges and illuminated by fluorescent lights on
its underside, making it look like a spaceship. These tiles, originally painted in orange, the

218
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
219
Lain “Jack Colker’s Union 76 Gas Station.”

71
signature color for Union 76, are now painted red. A pole with the trademark “76” ball, also
painted orange (now red), provided eye-catching signage. (Figure 3.5)

Figure 3.4: Sketch for Gas Station.
Image downloaded from Unocal Corporation Reports ([Box72], William L. Pereira & Associates records,
Collection no. 0326, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/328) Accessed April 16, 2022.

Figure 3.5: Photograph of the gas station showing original colors.
Image downloaded from Creative Commons (“Union 76 Gas Station” by “Mark Van Slyke,” licensed under CC
BY-ND-SA 2.0.) Image downloaded on April 23, 2022.

72
The City of Beverly Hills declared the structure a historic Landmark and placed it on
the Beverly Hills Register of Historic Properties in 2018.
220
Wong’s design served its purpose
of attracting automobile drivers. The simple yet striking design was hard to forget and served
as a perfect branding for Union 76.
221
The station was company-owned rather than operating
under license under the care of its employee Jack Colker.
222

2. OCCIDENTAL CENTER TOWER (Now South Park Center (USC Tower))
LOS ANGELES, 1965
Discussions about eliminating the 150-foot height restrictions in Los Angeles started as
early as the mid-1950s, with a law that favored site area ratio in late 1956.
223
It took two
years for the City to work out the regulations for the law and a few years before its effects
were noticeable. Repealing the height limit brought about a change in the downtown real
estate, with several tall towers dominating the skyline. Over the next fifteen years, many high
rises would crop up, typically in the Corporate International style. This boom in downtown
high-rise office buildings would last till the mid-1970s.
224

In addition to towers, developers and companies also invested in complexes or
‘ensembles’ like Union Oil Center.
225
These ensembles comprised one or more towers and
lower buildings within the same complex. Occidental Tower, located south of downtown
along the north side of Twelfth from Hill to Olive Streets, is a good example. (Figure 3.6) The
developer, Occidental Life Insurance Company, a subsidiary of Transamerica Corporation,

220
Luke Harold, “76 Reasons to Save This Gas Station,” Beverly Press & Park Labrea News, September 27,
2017, https://beverlypress.com/2017/09/76-reasons-to-save-this-gas-station/.
221
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
222
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.; Lain “Jack Colker’s Union 76 Gas Station.”
223
“The Building Height Limit Question,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), August 11, 1956,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/166988849/abstract/587BDD056C2241D0PQ/1. Site area ratio – a
building could go as high as it wished as long as the total square foot area of the building did not exceed
thirteen times that of the site.
224
There were several factors for this decline – density of downtown, traffic, vacant offices spaces (and
buildings), shift of financial cores towards outlying cities, and a decline in the Country’s economy.
225
Prosser, “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Commercial Development, 1850-1980, Rise of
Corporations and Corporate Types, High-Rise Corporate Office Buildings, 1945-1975.”

73
had its offices a block away and owned the site. They awarded WLPA the project’s design.
226

Archival records and Wong’s AIA fellowship files indicate that he was part of the team that
worked on the designs.
227
A 1962 article in the Los Angeles Times, “Skyscraper of 32 stories
started five years early,” states that Wong and Pereira personally took charge of the project.
228

Given his role in the firm, Wong would have also played a supervisory role.

Figure 3.6: Photographic views of the completed structure.
Left: Image downloaded from Calisphere (“Occidental Center Building,” Order No. 00058207, HE box 5051,
Herald Examiner Photo Collection, Los Angeles Public Library.) Image downloaded on 23 April 2022.
Right: Image downloaded from William L. Pereira & Associates brochure ([Box85], William L. Pereira &
Associates records, Collection no. 0326, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/328) Accessed April 16, 2022.

226
Ray Hebert, “New $25 Million Center Planned by Occidental Life: 25-Story Downtown Project CENTER,” Los
Angeles Times (1923-1995), February 3, 1961, 25,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/167869947/abstract/A5FBD814E53640FAPQ/1; Millard Lee, (former
Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
227
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.”; Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of
Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).
228
“Skyscraper of 32 Stories Started Five Years Early,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), August 19, 1962, sec.
J, 32, http://www.proquest.com/docview/168160000/abstract/1D626155E27B40BAPQ/1.

74
The complex is dominated by a single tall tower connected (via an underground
tunnel) to a lower structure and parking garage with a capacity of more than five hundred
cars. Construction for the lower eleven-story structure, which housed the company’s electronic
data processing equipment, began in 1961.
229
Plans for the tower, topped by a restaurant
and connected to the lower building, were approved in 1963.
230
(Figure 3.7) A two-level
auditorium was later added to the complex (1964).
231
The tower featured a landscaped
observation deck open to the public and a two-story dining facility enveloped in alternating
glass and column skin on the 30
th
floor. Polished black marble broken by aluminum louvers
and light brown ceramic tile panels clad the façade. A high-ceiling lobby featuring terrazzo
adorned with plants emphasized the entrance to the building.
232
The tower also featured a
helicopter landing pad.
233
Its distinct height, steel and glass structure, high ceilings, viewing
observatory, and glass restaurant all made it a landmark building since its construction.

229
Hebert, “New $25 Million Center Planned by Occidental Life”; Ray Hebert, “Work Starts on $25 Million
Center,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), September 21, 1961,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/167935280/abstract/FA3DB183C5014CC1PQ/3.
230
“Work Starts on 32-Story Office Center,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), February 7, 1963,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/168302832/citation/FA3DB183C5014CC1PQ/5.
231
Tom Cameron, “Center Presages Rebirth of Area: REBIRTH,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), February 9,
1964, http://www.proquest.com/docview/168503380/abstract/49D6C98F1D7E466DPQ/1; Hebert, “New
$25 Million Center Planned by Occidental Life,” 25.
232
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records”; Cameron, “Center Presages Rebirth of Area.”
233
Cameron, “Center Presages Rebirth of Area”; “Skyscraper of 32 Stories Started Five Years Early.”

75

Figure 3.7: Photographic view of the rooftop restaurant.
Courtesy of the Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount
University. (https://digitalcollections.lmu.edu/Documents/Detail/the-tower-atop-occidental-center/25495).

The location for the site was favorable due to its proximity to the freeways (Santa
Monica (10) Freeway and Harbor freeway (110)), availability of public transport, and low
land values.
234
With many tall buildings concentrated mainly in downtown, the thirty-two-story
Occidental Tower stood out from its vicinity buildings.
235
(Figure 3.8) It was the second-tallest
building in Los Angeles at the time of its construction. A Los Angeles Times writer described
the building as “Mt. Everest of Office Buildings.”
236
Another article described the building as
the “largest non-government, non-civic complex…(that) will dominate the downtown area.”
237

The location, however, is an issue of debate as development in its vicinity was slow, and the

234
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records”; Hebert, “New $25 Million Center Planned by Occidental Life.”
Accessibility was a major factor as the employees came from all compass directions.
235
Cliff Dfktar, “325 Firemen Fight Blaze in Los Angeles High-Rise,” Fire Engineering (blog), January 1, 1977,
https://www.fireengineering.com/leadership/325-firemen-fight-blaze-in-los-angeles-high-rise/; Millard Lee,
(former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
236
Matt Weinstock, “Going Up in World--With No Guard Rail,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), December 23,
1963, http://www.proquest.com/docview/168475766/abstract/78F2D18A69894898PQ/1.
237
“Work Starts on 32-Story Office Center.”

76
structure remained an isolated enclave for a long time. Wong would return to work on repairs
on the main building after a fire in 1977.
238
Since 2015, the University of Southern California
has owned the tower, displaying its signage.
239

Figure 3.8: Photographic View of the tower under construction.
Image showing the tower's height compared to the buildings in its vicinity. Downloaded from L.A. Magazine
(https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/citydig-the-loneliest-skyscraper-in-los-angeles/) citing USC Libraries –
Dick Whittington Photography Collection. Downloaded on 23 April 2022.

238
Dfktar, “325 Firemen Fight Blaze in Los Angeles High-Rise”; Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong
Associates), interview.
239
David Medzerian, “USC Name to Rise over Downtown Los Angeles,” USC News, February 20, 2015,
https://news.usc.edu/76256/usc-name-to-rise-over-downtown-los-angeles/.

77

Figure 3.9: Sketch views of the site.
Image from William L. Pereira & Associates Archives ([Box57], William L. Pereira & Associates records,
Collection no. 0326, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/328) Accessed April 16, 2022.

3. OLIN HALL OF ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES, 1963
Educational campus master planning was another factor that added to California’s
growth, with many universities looking to modernize and expand their existing campuses (or
set up new campuses). Local architecture firms adapted to gain expertise in planning these
large and complex campuses. In response to the widespread use of modern styles like the
international style and the case study program, which were ‘overly formulaic,’ architects
started using newer iterations of the style.
240
New formalism is one such style that emerged at
the time. The style blended the ideals of modernism with classical forms and motifs. Large
volumes perched on a podium, colonnades, classical details blended with geometric forms,
and symmetrical facades often articulated with formal landscaping are some of the features
of the style. The new formalism style was usually used in civic and institutional buildings that
needed to be formal and monumental. The style proved perfect for academic buildings and
campuses aiming to express a formal yet progressive outlook.

240
Horak et al., “Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement: Architecture and Engineering, L.A.
Modernism, 1919-1980.”

78
In the 1960s, the University of Southern California (USC) went through a series of on-
campus construction that sought to modernize its facilities and accommodate its growing
population. Dr. Norman Topping, then USC President, hired William Pereira to create a
master plan for its University Park Campus (in 1960 and later in 1966).
241
(Figure 3.10)
Pereira and his team combined garden city principles with traditional ‘quadrangles’ for the
campus, emphasizing outdoor learning and recreation.
242
They proposed a plan to create
pockets of academic buildings built around quadrangles around which future related
buildings could be built. Furthermore, they proposed that all land bounded by Jefferson
Boulevard, Figueroa Street, Exposition Boulevard, and Vermont Avenue be university owned
with ownership over all the public right of way within that boundary. (Figure 3.11)

Figure 3.10: Posing for dedication Ceremonies for Olin Hall, El Rodeo, 1961.
From left are James O. Wayne of Olin Foundation; William Pereira; president; Dr. Norman Topping, president
(then) USC; Gin Wong; Dr. Alfred Ingersoll, dean (then), Engineering School and Charles L. Horn, president
(then) of Olin Foundation. Image (cropped) downloaded from Ancestry "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999,"
database with images, Ancestry.

241
Pereira was first hired to create a report (indicating growth patterns, intended size of the campus, housing
etc.) and later to create a master plan.
242
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.”

79

Figure 3.11: Image Showing major quadrangles proposed.
Image from William L. Pereira & Associates Archives ([Box81], William L. Pereira & Associates records,
Collection no. 0326, Special Collections, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
https://archives.usc.edu/repositories/3/resources/328) Accessed April 16, 2022.
Additionally, they added two rings – an inner core with academic facilities and an
outer ring with ‘student housing villages,’ parking, and service facilities.
243
They separated
pedestrian (in the inner core) and automobile (in the outer ring) circulation patterns across the
campus, making it a ‘pedestrian-friendly campus.’
244
Along with the master plan, the team
also designed several buildings (built over the years), like the Ahmanson Center (1964),
Stauffer Hall (1965), and Olin Hall of Engineering (1963). Two reports from William Pereira’s

243
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.”
244
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.”

80
archives associate Wong as associated with the campus master planning project.
245
Gin’s AIA
fellowship application from his AIA membership file quotes his involvement in the design of
Olin Hall as “…(Gin’s) achievement in architectural design,” further stating, “… he has made
significant contributions to university architecture, as evidenced by the buildings he has
designed for the University of Southern California, and has made dramatic innovations in the
design of research and development facilities.”
246
Two articles in the Los Angeles Times name
Wong as a Project Architect and partner in charge, respectively, for the structure.
247

The form comprises five interconnected rectangular volumes arranged in a pinwheel
formation –two five-story buildings housing classrooms, laboratories, administrative offices,
and a student lounge, two one-story buildings containing a library and an auditorium, and a
central service core. These buildings sit on a podium and are connected through concrete
walkway bridges at each level that meet the open-air corridors across the perimeter. The
facade featured brick cladding and steel windows with rows of concrete frames or screens
with steel railings hanging on the east and west elevations. (Figure 3.12) These screens in
abstracted rounded form give the buildings their distinct formal aesthetic. Lush soft scape
adorned the plaza around the building. (Figure 3.13) It was the first high-rise building on
campus. In 2014, the City of Los Angeles named Olin Hall of Engineering as an L.A.
Historic-Cultural Monument No 1054.

245
“William L. Pereira & Associates Records.”
246
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).
247
“New Engineer Hall to Start USC Expansion,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), February 25, 1962, sec. J,
http://www.proquest.com/docview/168038783/abstract/CC67C0E7518D4D47PQ/1; “On
Wednesday: Dedication of USC Unit Will Be Held,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), September 22, 1963, sec.
J, http://www.proquest.com/docview/168435328/abstract/B8DC9B21CD9C474DPQ/1.

81

Figure 3.12: Olin Hall of Engineering in 1966.
Photo from USC Libraries Special Collection/University Archives Images/Olin Foundation; filename Olin Hall,
USC, 1966; Legacy Identifier uaic-olin-hall-1966.tif Unique Identifier UC12567710).

Figure 3.13: Present-day photographs of the building.
Image downloaded from USC News (https://news.usc.edu/17588/USC-Viterbi-Ranks-12th-in-the-World/)
Downloaded on 29 April 2022.

82

Figure 3.14: Photographic view of the library.
Photo from USC Libraries Special Collection/College Buildings/Olin Foundation; filename Engineering Library,
Olin Hall, USC, ca. 1963; Legacy Identifier uaic-olin-engineering-library-c1963.tif, uschist-c104-279832
Unique Identifier UC12567468).
All three projects described here would become markers in Los Angeles's architectural
history. Two buildings (Olin Hall of Engineering and Occidental Life Insurance Company
headquarters) were among the various projects considered when Wong was inducted into the
AIA College of Fellows in 1966.
248
He was one of the youngest architects to be elevated to
Fellow.
249
The architectural community started recognizing his design contributions, with many

248
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).
249
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376). AIA has five levels of membership offered
depending on the profession, age and where the architect holds their professional license. AIA’s also offers a
fellowship to its members who have made significant contribution to the profession nationally – Fellow of the
American Institute of Architect (FAIA). It is the most prestigious honor designated by AIA. About 2% of the total
members gave been granted a fellowship. For his application he indicated that he was NCARB certified under
the license NCARB 3140 and in State of California under license number C1900. He was elected on May 14,
1966.

83
buildings he worked on winning awards.
250
In 1962, Gin was a part of the Preceptorship
Program at Rice University, Houston, Texas.
251
Wong was one of ten nominees to mentor fifty
students from various universities in a Design Fete where they studied the need for junior
colleges in the United States and designed an ideal Junior college layout.
252
He served on the
Membership Committee board at AIA, Southern California Chapter for two years. He also
served as the Architectural Guild president at the USC School of Architecture (1971-1972).
253

While Wong supervised and led many projects at WLPA, Pereira’s or the firm’s name
went on its works. In his book Architecture of the Sun, Thomas Hines quotes AC Martin, “the
firm is not a single individual,” to describe corporate architectural practices like that of
Pereira’s.
254
The quote reflects the complexity in structure, division of workforce, and scale
and volume of projects of these post-war ‘big business practices.’
255
Newspapers often
reported significant or groundbreaking architecture by these firms, but less than a handful
named the project lead. Labor on projects divided across a team raises questions about the
credit and contributions of each member. WLPA recorded (only) significant projects in reports
(some now archived), which state the names of people who were part of that project but not
their roles. However, this record is vital irrespective of the kind and quantity of projects
recorded.
Gin would leave William L. Pereira & Associates in the early 1970s to establish his
own firm, Gin Wong Associates.

250
Around 1965 he had received ten awards from various professional organizations. A list of his awards is
given in Appendix I.
251
“PCAD - Gin Dan Wong,” Pacific Coast Architecture Database, accessed March 25, 2021,
http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/436/.
252
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376); “PCAD - Gin Dan Wong.”
253
The 60th Anniversary Architectural Guild Dinner, “Annual Guild Dinner,” Digital Publication, Issuu (blog),
April 25, 2019, https://issuu.com/uscarchitecture/docs/2019_guild_dinner_book. Issuu.
254
Hines, Thomas S. “Building Big.”
255
Los Angeles Conservancy, “Big Business,” Los Angeles Conservancy, accessed August 14, 2022,
https://www.laconservancy.org/collections/big-business.

84
CHAPTER 4 : GIN WONG ASSOCIATES AND LEGACY (1974-2017)
The decade of 1970 saw an elevated focus on the lives and narratives of Asian
Americans. Following the Civil Rights struggle, students of color in California began to
question the education system, demanding representation in teaching and a curriculum that
reflected their lives. Seeing their shared experiences and struggles, Asian American students
asked for similar reform. Many minority grassroots youth and student organizations, including
the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA), started at the University of California, Berkeley,
embraced their identity, and fought for diversity in education in the Southern Californian
region.
256
(Figure 4.1) These organizations later joined the Third World Liberation Front
(TWLF), a coalition of various ethnic student groups that initiated and led the Third World
Liberation strikes of 1968 and 1969.
257
The strikes were not peaceful and were met with
force. However, they helped launch the first ethnic studies department (with one of its four
units on Asian American Studies) at a handful of universities in California, inspiring other
universities across the U.S. in 1969.
258
A pan-Asian American sentiment was on the rise. The
momentum carried onto the following decade, with arts and culture acting as a catalyst to
highlight Asian American stories and identities. Artists, academics, and youth used creative
mediums to exhibit their histories and experiences of the Asian American cause in the fight for
racial justice.

256
“Berkeley Historical Plaque Project – Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA).” It is considered the first public
use of the term ‘Asian American’ as a protest against the term ‘oriental.’ (Anna Purna Kambhampaty, “In 1968,
These Activists Coined the Term ’Asian American’—And Helped Shape Decades of Advocacy,” Time, May 22,
2022, https://time.com/5837805/asian-american-history/.)
257
Anthony Gilmore and Kai Nham, “The Third World Liberation Front,” The Berkeley Revolution, accessed
February 19, 2022, https://revolution.berkeley.edu/projects/twlf/. TWLF started at San Francisco State University
in 1968 calling for a campus wide educational reform. Another TWLF was formed at UC Berkeley in 1969 with
similar struggles and demands. Both were born out of a long history of struggle and resilience against the larger
structural oppression. Both were a coalition of various minority student organizations who led protests and strikes
across their respective campuses. Although the strike at UC Berkeley started a few months after the one at San
Francisco State University there was prior unrest.
258
“History | College of Ethnic Studies,” San Francisco State University | College of Ethnic Studies, accessed
February 19, 2022, https://ethnicstudies.sfsu.edu/history; “The Original AAS Department in the Country!,” San
Francisco State University | Asian American Studies, accessed February 19, 2022, https://aas.sfsu.edu/.
University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, and San Francisco state university were
some of the first universities to introduce an Ethnic studies course.

85

Figure 4.1: Image showing student activists.
From left: Activists Charles Brown of the Afro-American Students Union; Ysidro Macias of the Mexican-American
Student Confederation; LaNada Means of the Native American Student Union; and Stan Kadani of the Asian
American Political Alliance walk down Bancroft Way. Image downloaded from TWLF-50
(https://news.lib.berkeley.edu/TWLF-50 citing Chicano Studies Program Records, Ethnic Studies Library, UC
Berkeley, CS ARC 2009/1, Carton 1, Folder 14.) Downloaded on March 3, 2022.
GIN WONG ASSOCIATES
In the early 1970s, the country faced a recession which ended the postwar economic
expansion. The popularity of the International Style and modernism was waning, and
alternative architecture theories were rising. The oil crisis and the spread of the preservation
movement brought about a need for judicious use of resources and energy consumption. It
influenced the Los Angles architecture landscape. Under these socio-political conditions,
Wong decided to leave William L Pereira and Associates (around 1973) to start his practice,
and in 1974 he set up Gin Wong Associates (GWA).
259
At the time of leaving WLPA, Wong
was the President and on the policy review board; his role in the projects was supervisorial.

259
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview; “Wong Leaves Pereira to
Start Firm,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), March 17, 1974, sec. PART X,
http://search.proquest.com/docview/157342741/abstract/A2178BE2EC944DB4PQ/6.

86
He would oversee all the projects in the Los Angeles office, but his name was not on them.
According to Millard Lee, former Principal at GWA, Gin had solid entrepreneurial instincts.
“Wong’s love for design and due to business reasons, he decided to leave WLP,” he further
explains.
260
In his discussion with Transpacific Magazine, Wong described this move to set up
his firm as “challenging’ yet ‘fortunate.’
261
He reasoned that when demand for construction is
higher than supply, the architecture, design quality, and workmanship tend to deteriorate.
Whereas during a recession, the demand for construction is less, developers tend to build
what is needed. Thus, he explained, intelligent and good architecture became a priority,
making this period (the recession) an excellent time to start his practice.
262

Charles Gable, a project architect at WPA, helped set up the firm with Gin Wong as
the President.
263
When it started, the firm had only five people working, recalls Bailey, former
Executive Architect at GWA. He added that the office moved around the city a lot during its
term. The first office was at 5900 Wilshire building, owned by a former client (Walter
Shorenstein, who rented out the space to him) and designed by Pereira’s firm. When the firm
grew to ten, they moved to an office building in DTLA. GWA opened a branch in San
Francisco four years later.
264
They also had offices in Korea town, Beverly Hills, and Century
City before returning to the Wilshire area, where they stayed until the firm dissolved.
265
GWA
was responsible for various commissions worldwide, including a building at 1055 W 7
th
Street
(formerly known as ARCO Tower) (1989), a Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills (1987), and
expansions to LAX (1984). When asked if he specialized in a particular typology of buildings,
Wong stated, “I’m one of the few who is a generalist.”
266
This belief allowed him to work on a

260
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
261
“Ageless Elegance.”
262
“Ageless Elegance.”
263
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview. He started working with
GWA in 1974. A few months after the firm was set up.
264
Los Angeles Times (1932-1995).“Gin Wong Opens S.F. Branch,” Los Angeles Times (1923-1995), April 2,
1978, sec. PART VIII, http://search.proquest.com/docview/158510278/citation/BA929162B8404DD3PQ/15;
“PCAD - Wong, Gin, Associates, Architects,” Pacific Coast Architecture Database, accessed March 25, 2021,
http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/firm/171/. The San Francisco branch was located at 182 2
nd
St. and was
headed by David Sands.
265
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
266
“Ageless Elegance.”

87
broad range of buildings like large office complexes, hotels, and retail and commercial
complexes. The firm had projects across the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region.
Over his career, Wong maintained strong relations with his clients, a trait he picked
up working with Luckman.
267
His close connections with his former clients and networks within
the industry proved helpful, especially during the early days of GWA. According to Bailey,
their first project was through Wong’s former client, Walter Shorenstein, a well-known
businessman and developer. The project involved a proposal for a thirty-three-story office
building in Kansas City, Missouri, for Mutual Benefit Life. The project eventually went to
another architect, but this was the first paying project for GWA.
268
Wong’s colleagues
described him as very amiable and someone people loved talking to. Former clients like Los
Angeles World Airports (LAWA) and Occidental Life Insurance frequently called upon Gin for
any expansion work or new projects. Charles ‘Cappy’ Cappleman, former executive vice
president at CBS, was impressed by the Television City design and awarded GWA with the
commission for new studios to be added to the facility.
269
Similarly, William M. Schoenfeld,
former deputy executive at LAWA and a former colleague of Gin’s at Pereira & Luckman,
selected GWA for work on the airport expansion.
270
Additionally, developers like Transpacific Development Co. and Irvin Daniels hired
GWA frequently. Pragmatic designs and excellent client relationships were the main reason
for rehiring him.
271
Talking about his clients, Gin described an intelligent client as one who
would not waste good advice and would constantly accumulate knowledge and appreciate
design and aesthetics.
272

The firm itself was organized traditionally, with Wong as the president. The head of
design and the head of planning worked under him.
273
They overlooked the production,

267
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview; Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive
Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
268
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview. They did tender approval
and interior work for one of the tenants.
269
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
270
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
271
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
272
Berges, “Home Q&A.”
273
Kenneth Lee, (former Project Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview by author, Personal Interview,
February 2, 2022.

88
design, and administrative departments. Whenever GWA started a new project, Gin
prioritized understanding the client’s needs and putting together the right people to work on
the project.
274
He first selected the lead architect, and they put together the rest of the team.
The team translated the clients’ needs into sketches. Considering efficiency (cost and
planning) and simplicity, the team would draw these into designs and models for review.
Gin’s fingerprints were seen all over the project, from conception to design. However, he
would hand off the fine-tuning of designs and production drawings to his senior staff. Given
his age, it was difficult for him to visit sites frequently, but he made sure to visit them during
essential stages.

Nevertheless, his love for design was evident in the many rolls of drawings kept beside
his desk that he sketched during his free time. Some of these were ideas for his own home or
restaurants for his friends and family living in San Diego; not all were realized.
275
(Figure 4.2)
The office was scattered with countless drawings, sketches, and models of completed and
ongoing projects. His peers described him as humble and polite, and his office was no bigger
than his associates.’ He stated in an interview, "Everyone in the firm works hard to (create)
good designs and their successful construction. Therefore, everyone in the firm is responsible
for its success."
276

Figure 4.2: Wong's designs for his friends’ restaurants.
From left: Design for fellow immigrant Sun Woo and her husband Gim Hong Lee’s Lotus Garden Restaurant in
Downey, 1957; Design for a friend’s Great Wall Restaurant, 1965. Image Downloaded from Gom Benn
(https://gombenn.org/my-father-gin-wong/ ) Downloaded on 25 July 2022.

274
“Ageless Elegance.”
275
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
276
“Ageless Elegance.”

89
Wong’s designs over the course of GWA were minimal and straightforward
aesthetically, yet they still retained the efficiency and strong planning sense of his previous
work. An appreciation for nature and the focus on the indoor-outdoor relationship was
especially evident in his work. Cusumano Plaza in Burbank (1989) and The Center in Beverly
Hills (1985) are good examples. (Figure 4.3) His ideology that a building must be flexible to
withstand future artistic style and technological changes was still evident in his designs at
GWA. Commenting about the types of projects that GWA worked on, “Most of the projects
commissioned to GWA were straightforward, lacking any gimmicks,” says Bailey, “There were
no hardcore design projects that needed to stand out.” In his interview with Transpacific
Magazine, Wong said he was lucky to be a part of the post-war building boom, calling it
“…a time when men with deep pockets wanted to create buildings to enhance their own
images, unique structures that would define them and stand as their mark.”

Figure 4.3: GWA rendering for Cusumano Plaza.
Image courtesy Mr. Kenneth Lee.
Comparing the post-war boom period with the post-1970s, Gin explained the lack of
opportunities to create unique designs because most clients needed approval from a board of

90
directors whose values and priorities did not always align with good architecture.
277
Wong
envisioned a better environment for office complexes: wide open spaces, two-story high glass
windows, and structures cut at distinct angles.
278
Another exciting project GWA worked on
was the Crean Tower at the Crystal Cathedral. GWA constructed the tower (and produced
construction drawings), which another team of architects designed. (Figure 4.4) The following
narrative discusses some of his notable projects at GWA and tries to compare these with his
earlier designs.

Figure 4.4: Rendering of Crean Tower at the Crystal Cathedral.
Image from Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980). Los Angeles: Los
Angeles: Chinese American Museum, 2012.

277
“Ageless Elegance.”
278
“Ageless Elegance.”

91
1. ARCO CENTER (now 1055 W 7
th
)
1055 W 7
th
STREET, LOS ANGELES, 1989
One of the recognizable buildings in the Los Angeles cityscape stands as the second
tallest building in the Westlake area and the thirty-eighth in Los Angeles. The development of
this building west of the harbor freeway, then undeveloped land, was a gamble for
Transpacific Development Co. (TDC).
279
Developers were pulling out of downtown projects
due to congestion and overbuilding. By buying real estate at a low price, TDC saw an
opportunity for the future. At the time, Shurl Curci of TDC commissioned GWA to design the
office tower.
280
The gamble paid off as the area soon developed as an extension of
downtown.
281

Wong designed the building as a thirty-three-story six-sided office skyscraper. The
building was named after its biggest tenant (then), Arco Petroleum Products Co. (ARCO). The
name was changed to 1055 W 7
th
in 1998 when ARCO relocated. GWA designed this
modernist high-rise with 660,000 sqft of office spaces. Constructed in steel and enveloped in
a carmine red granite and bronze solar window façade, giving the building its distinct
reddish-brown look. (Figure 4.5)

279
Evelyn De Wolfe, “Daring Leap Into City’s West Bank : Developer of Arco Center, Which Opens Thursday,
Defied Conventional Wisdom.,” Los Angeles Times, May 7, 1989, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-
1989-05-07-re-3796-story.html.
280
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
281
Christopher Hawthorne, “Credit Where It’s Due: Why Gin Wong Never Quite Became One of L.A.
Architecture’s Household Names,” Los Angeles Times, September 8, 2017,
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-gin-wong-appreciation-20170908-story.html.; Wolfe,
“Daring Leap Into City’s West Bank.” The Floor area ratio was zoned down to 13:1 while TDC buying the land
to 6:1 within a year.

92

Figure 4.5: ARCO Center when constructed.
Image courtesy Mr. Kenneth Lee.

93
Like his past projects, Gin focused on planning circulation within and around the site,
foreseeing future density challenges. For a building close to the city’s business core and a
freeway, Wong focused on access to freeways and the movement of vehicular traffic. To solve
this problem, he added a separate 1200-space parking structure attached to the building
and situated it such that east-flowing traffic (towards the freeway) moved smoothly.
282
The
garage design ensured that the structure did not take away from the main tower. The garage
provided easy access to the lobby, allowing smooth pedestrian circulation. The lobby itself
has twenty-four-foot-high ceilings. Granite-clad interiors and alternating high windows allow
for an open, bright, and luxurious interior near the entrance. Green plants and nature
accented the interiors. Wong used his modernist sensibilities to provide a transition from
public to private spaces. Emphasizing the indoor-outdoor relationships, he added a broad
stepped fountain with a palm-lined entrance court. The court guides one into a forty-foot-
long colonnade that leads into the lobby. (Figure 4.6)

Figure 4.6: Rendering of the Plaza.
Image from Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980). Los Angeles: Los
Angeles: Chinese American Museum, 2012.

282
Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980).

94
Clean and minimal aesthetics with efficient planning, a key feature of all Wong’s
designs, is seen in the design for 1055 W 7
th
. The building being a developer-driven
corporate office, the design was straightforward, lacking any groundbreaking design.
Nevertheless, it was well-planned and designed. It offered 20,000 sqft of office space and
fourteen corner offices on each level.
283
The idea to plan pedestrian and vehicular movement
within the building to improve circulation efficiency is another feature of Wong, seen since his
earliest office designs like the Union Oil Center. (Figure 4.7) Density and parking are major
problem areas in downtown Los Angeles. The addition of the garage allowed twice the
amount of parking generally found in downtown offices.
284
(Figure 4.7) Like his previous
work, he used local plants to contrast with the design’s hard edges in both the lobby and
plaza. Like the design, the interiors, too, were kept muted and simple. In his previous designs,
Wong often played with the colors and textures of the interior material. (figure 4.8)

283
Wolfe, “Daring Leap Into City’s West Bank.”
284
Wolfe, “Daring Leap Into City’s West Bank.”

95

Figure 4.7: Section through the parking and tower.
Image from Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980). Los Angeles: Los
Angeles: Chinese American Museum, 2012.

96

Figure 4.8: Photograph of the lobby.
Image downloaded from Titan Offices (https://titanoffices.com/1055-west-7th-street-office-space/)). Image
downloaded on April 2, 2022.

2. THE CENTER (UNITED TALENT AGENCY HEADQUARTERS)
9336 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE, BEVERLY HILLS, 1985
According to the GWA staff interviews, the Center was one of the few projects at GWA
with a developer that allowed the architects to experiment with the design.
285
The
development, located at Alpine Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard intersection, was planned
by Irwin Daniels of Daniels Services Inc./ Culver City.
286
(Figure 4.9) Wong and Daniels knew
each other, with Wong having worked on a few of his projects. Hilton Hotel Corps. was the
primary tenant using it as their corporate headquarters. The design brief for this office
complex demanded a four-story building, but the city of Beverly Hills had a height restriction
of forty-five feet or three stories.
287
To overcome this challenge, the team designed the bottom

285
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview; Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive
Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
286
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.; Terence M. Green, “Project Can’t Go Up
So Goes Down,” Los Angeles Times, November 11, 1984.
287
Green, “Project Can’t Go Up So Goes Down.”

97
floor of offices below the street level, allowing the building to meet the height restrictions.
These offices opened into walled patios that allowed natural light into the office spaces.

Figure 4.9: Satellite view of the original complex.
Image downloaded from Google Earth, 2007.
The office complex was divided into two buildings connected by a bridge at the
second level. To meet the requirements of a corporate office building, Wong decided to
serrate the floor plans increasing the number of corner offices.
288
In addition to the
subterranean patios, floors are staggered back to provide landscaped terraces at each level.
(Figure 4.10) The façade was a play of alternating granite and bronze solar window lines.
(Figure 4.10) The twin buildings house about 180,000 sqft of office spaces combined.
289

Softscape played a vital role throughout the complex. Taking inspiration from the Southern
Californian plants, Wong added a series of interconnected courts lined with trees, shrubs,
and sculptures surrounding the buildings. (Figure 4.10) The landscape and terraces
contrasted the minimal, modern language of the architecture. A three-story, 550-capacity

288
Kenneth Lee, (former Project Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
289
Green, “Project Can’t Go Up So Goes Down.”

98
underground garage met the parking needs of the complex. The interiors were kept open with
fewer columns to adapt in the future.

Figure 4.10: Rendering of The Center by GWA.
Image courtesy Mr. Kenneth Lee.
The Center was the first building to use this technique in Los Angeles.
290
The Beverly
Hills city urban planning guidelines emphasized open spaces and human-centric design. The
proposal was approved. According to Wong, ‘The project received enthusiastic approval of
the city’s Architectural Review Board.’
291
GWA had offices in this complex for a few years.
292

Around the early 2010s, United Talent Agency brought the buildings for their headquarters.
New construction significantly changed the original building and plaza in 2013. (Figure 4.11,
Figure 4.12).

290
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.; Green, “Project Can’t Go Up So Goes
Down.”
291
Green, “Project Can’t Go Up So Goes Down.”
292
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.

99

Figure 4.11: View of the original buildings.
Image downloaded from The Hollywood reporter (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-
news/uta-move-beverly-hills-headquarters-real-estate-259515/) Image downloaded on June 23, 2022.

Figure 4.12: Present-day views of the Complex.
From left: View showing the subterranean patio; View from the entrance showing new additions. Image
downloaded from The Location Portal (https://thelocationportal.com/uta-plaza/). Downloaded on June 23,
2022.
Gin’s colleagues described him as an ‘incubator of talent.’
293
For Gin, design
sensibility came first, and he hired architects who were talented designers over heritage or
standing. A few of his hires, like Scott Beck (Scott Beck Architects, past director of
architecture, GWA), would go out and establish their firms, and many would go out and work
for big named firms like AC Martin (Millard Lee) after the dissolution of the firm.
294
According
to Kenneth Lee, a former project architect at GWA, despite the traditional hierarchy of the
firm, the office atmosphere was friendly and inspiring. He recounts the frequent dinners and
picnics the team held together, with respective families also participating. Wong was not

293
Interviews by author.
294
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.; Millard Lee, (former
Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.

100
always a part of these outings; however, Bailey described them as excellent team-building
exercises. Known to keep calm under pressure, Wong believed patience (to stay till the end) is
the key to any successful project.
In 1979 Gin was elected to the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Chamber of
Commerce (for a year).
295
He was known to golf on weekends to relax. Although his wife
firmly believed he was always thinking ahead and planning his projects, even while golfing.
Learning from his time in the Army Air Force, where one had to be careful of fuel quantity and
gauging the amount and time to make a trip, Wong believed in planning ahead.
296
In the
interview with Marshall Berges, when asked about his way of finding peace in the hustle and
chaos of life, the master architect explained, "A little planning produces a lot of serenity."
297

Wong also maintained a strong relationship with his alma mater, USC. His AIA
membership files indicate that he was on the Board of Councilors of the Andrus Gerontology
Center at USC and a member of the USC General Alumni Association Board. During the
1961 master planning of the University Park Campus, he was responsible for designing
various buildings such as Olin Hall of Engineering and Stauffer Hall of Science. Gin restored
the original USC building, Widney Alumni House (rededicated), in 1977.
298
In 1983 he was
elected to the USC Board of Trustees.
299
As a part of his duties as a Trustee, he oversaw and
considered various architectural and design proposals for the USC campus. It was common
for Gin to bring these proposals to his office and oversee them with his staff.
300
Wong’s
association with the university inspired the school to dedicate his namesake auditorium at the
School of Architecture, the Gin D. Wong, FAIA Conference Center.
301
USC School of
Architecture also has a Gin Wong Scholarship fund that supports fourth- and fifth-year
architecture students.
302

295
Wong, Gin Dan, Membership Files, The American Institute of Architects Archives, The AIA Historical Directory
of American Architects, s.v. “Wong, Gin Dan,” (ahd1049376).
296
Berges, “Home Q&A.”
297
Berges, “Home Q&A.”
298
37926515, “Annual Guild Dinner,” Issuu.AA/V
299
“Gin Wong Elected to USC Bd. of Trustees,” Asian Week (1983-1989), July 28, 1983,
http://search.proquest.com/docview/371370262/abstract/A2178BE2EC944DB4PQ/5. It must be noted that
he was a USC Life Trustee.
300
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
301
The 60th Anniversary Architectural Guild Dinner, “Annual Guild Dinner.” Issuu.
302
Lipinski, “In Memoriam.”

101
Adding to the long list of merit and awards, Gin was honored with the USC Alumni
Association’s Merit Award in 1986, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Area
Chamber of Commerce in 2007, and the Judge Ronald S.W. Lew Visionary Award at the
Chinese American Museum’s 15
th
annual Historymakers Awards ceremony in 2011.
303
The
Los Angeles Conservancy, an organization advocating for preserving historic and cultural
resources in Los Angeles, honored Wong with a Modern Masters award in 2013.
304
(Figure
4.13) An exhibition, "Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-
1980)," at the Chinese American Museum in Los Angeles opened in early 2012.
305
The
exhibition celebrated the contributions of four largely unknown architects, including Gin
Wong, and brought forward the challenges faced in the field.
306
The exhibition showcases the
architect’s technical and design skills and the hope for a progressive future.

303
Lipinski, “In Memoriam.”
304
Los Angeles Conservancy, “Gin Wong - 2013 Modern Masters Award,” Los Angeles Conservancy, accessed
September 17, 2021, https://www.laconservancy.org/node/1389.; Los Angeles Conservancy, “Modern Masters
Awards,” Los Angeles Conservancy, accessed September 17, 2021, https://www.laconservancy.org/explore-
la/curating-city/modern-architecture/saving-modern-places/modern-committee/modern-masters.
305
Breaking Ground: Chinese American Architects in Los Angeles (1945-1980); Karen Wada, “CULTURE
MONSTER; L.A. Influence; ‘Breaking Ground’ Exhibition at the Chinese American Museum Highlights Four
Architects Who Helped Shape the Postwar Landscape.,” Los Angeles Times, February 1, 2012, sec. Calendar;
Part D; Entertainment Desk,
http://search.proquest.com/docview/918903723/abstract/A2178BE2EC944DB4PQ/117.
306
The exhibition was a part of Pacific Standard Time Shows funded by Getty Museum. Eugene Choy, Gilbert
Leong, and Helen Liu Fong were the other architects a part of the exhibition. Gin was the only one alive at the
time.

102

Figure 4.13: Gin Wong with other recipients of the Modern Masters Award.
From left: Don Gibbs, Gin Wong, and Jerome Ackerman with previous Modern Masters recipient Dion Neutra.
Image downloaded from Los Angeles Conservancy (https://www.laconservancy.org/explore-la/curating-
city/modern-architecture/saving-modern-places/modern-committee/modern-masters: downloaded on August
24, 2021), crediting "Larry Underhill."

Many senior architects, like Wong, face the risk that their design sensibilities appear
dated. Wong’s designs evolved to keep up with the times, from modern hotels to high-rise
corporate-styled offices. His projects featured state-of-the-art security and fire systems.
Although involved in designing, as a proprietor, Wong dedicated much of his time and efforts
at GWA to marketing.
307
A vast majority of the clients were corporate organizations or
recurring contracts. The projects were also not local and spread across the U.S. and the Asia-
Pacific region. (Figure 4.14) Given his age, it was difficult for Gin to travel as much. Owing
to these factors, much of GWA’s later workflow slowed.

307
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.

103

Figure 4.14: Renderings of offices designed by GWA.
Image courtesy Mr. Kenneth Lee.
Around the late 1990s, there were talks within the firm if Wong would make someone
a senior partner, but these talks never went beyond discussion.
308
The interviews conducted
with the firm members indicate they convinced Wong and collectively worked with him to
close the doors (on GWA) without leaving any clients hanging. During the dissolution, on-call
contract-based projects were transferred to other firms that would hire employees working on
those projects. Millard Lee, who overlooked the aviation projects at GWA, explained that AC
Martin, who did not have the necessary credentials to work on LAX, hired him and the staff
working on the project. With Millard as a part of the team, the client was happy to give the
project to the firm (AC Martin); at the same, it cushioned the former GWA staff from the
dissolution.
After a career spanning more than six decades, Wong retired in 2015. With no
named successor or plans to transfer the proprietorship, Gin Wong Associates closed its
doors. Two years later, on September 01, 2017, he died in his Beverly Hills home, leaving

308
Bruce A. Bailey, (former VP, Executive Architect, Gin Wong Associates), interview.

104
behind a legacy of excellent projects.
309
His peers described him as dedicated to his work,
working till the last day in the office.
310
He was awarded the inaugural Lifetime Achievement
Award by the USC Architectural Guild posthumously in 2019. His wife of sixty-nine years,
Louise Wong, accepted the award on his behalf.
311
He would always look toward the future.
When asked which is his favorite project from all his work, he replied, “The next one.”
312

309
Richard Sandomir, “Gin Wong, Who Designed Futuristic Buildings in Los Angeles, Dies at 94,” The New York
Times, September 17, 2017, sec. Arts, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/17/us/gin-wong-dead-los-angeles-
architect.html.
310
Millard Lee, (former Principal, Gin Wong Associates), interview.
311
USC School of Architecture, “Alumni Announced for 60th Annual USC Architectural Guild Dinner Awards,”
USC School of Architecture, accessed September 16, 2021, https://arch.usc.edu/news/alumni-announced-for-
60th-annual-usc-architectural-guild-dinner-awards.
312
Gin D. Wong, interview by Steven Y. Wong, September 19, 2011.

105
CONCLUSION
Wong died in 2017, leaving behind a legacy of some of the most recognized
buildings in Los Angles (and Asia-Pacific) shaping its skylines. His designs gather praise from
peers and clients alike. The range of his works demonstrates his love of design. In an
interview, he described how it is easy as an architect to get "…carried away by the big picture
and forget that people are going to live in those (spaces)…."
313
He involved himself with the
tiniest details, from colors and materials to everyday functional details, stating, "It is impressive
to announce you are the architect of a two-million square-foot building, but you are not
successful unless the person who sits inside a little cubicle in that building, is comfortable in
the environment you have created."
314
He reveled in designing large projects like production
studios, office complexes, and military bases to modest single-family homes.
This research endeavor aimed to shed light on Gin Wong's work, identify the factors
that influenced Wong’s design ideology and evaluate his work over the years. It concentrated
on two lenses to determine this –Wong’s history as a Chinese American architect and the
authorship of an individual in a big corporate architecture practice.
To speak about Wong’s work and not his history of immigration and the socio-political
events that led to his joining architecture, falls short in its understanding as they reflect the
intermingled lives of immigrants and their influence on his work and life. A direct influence of
Gin’s Chinese heritage is evident in all his simple yet well-planned designs. As a child
educated in China, Wong learned to visualize a three-dimensional picture on a two-
dimensional plane, a trait that would prove helpful during his architecture schooling. He once
compared his minimalist ideology to traditional Chinese paintings, where the artist uses a few
precise strokes and dots in minimal colors over a white canvas.
315
He combined this
understanding with the post-war modern technological advancements to create utilitarian
buildings that maintained an artistic flair. Los Angeles became a center for the aerospace and
entertainment industry. A rapid increase in population coupled with the advent of highways
and automobiles added to this growth. His work captured the zeal and energy of changing

313
Berges, “Home Q&A.”
314
Berges, “Home Q&A.”
315
Berges, “Home Q&A.”

106
Los Angeles. Union 76 Gas Station is an excellent example that shows his minimal yet precise
design. As an immigrant growing up in Los Angeles, Wong was pragmatic and eager to
learn. His design always allowed for expansion or future change due to the rapidly changing
architectural, cultural, and technological climate post-war, something many contemporary
architects aim for in their work.
Starting his career as a designer at Pereira & Luckman, Wong quickly rose to a
prominent position. He later helped set up Pereira’s firm, William L Pereira & Associates,
becoming the partner in charge. Both the firms were corporate big-business firms with a
structured hierarchy. In such a practice, most work is divided amongst various specialized
departments, with a team lead spearheading and supervising the design work. Wong took the
lead on countless projects in both firms. However, most projects credit the firms or their
namesake architects. After going through the various archives (Pereira & Luckman and
William L Pereira & Associates), newspaper reports, Wong’s AIA files, and interviews, this
thesis could find and name at least some of his works.
Recently, professional architecture organizations have mandated that all architecture
practices name the team members with significant contributions to the design. However,
questions about crediting employees who left the practice and authorship in a highly
collaborative design process remain unanswered. Further research is needed to determine its
implications in the contemporary world and relook at how assignment of credits.
The archives of Gin Wong Associates are stored at the University of Southern
California Fine Arts Library but are yet to be processed and cannot be accessed. Additionally,
all interviewees worked with Wong at Gin Wong Associates. Architects and employees
working at Pereira & Luckman and William L Pereira & Associates were hard to locate as
many of them are deceased or have worked with them for a very brief period. Hence this
thesis had to rely on archives from both firms.
Wong’s work combined the aesthetics of modernism and futurism with the sensibilities
of contemporary architecture. Nevertheless, his work cannot be associated with a single
distinct style. One can say that Los Angeles was Gin’s laboratory, and he experimented with
various styles. While working with Pereira & Luckman, his designs broke new ground by
utilizing ultramodern technologies, materials, and aesthetics. They were well-planned at their

107
core. Over the years, especially at Gin Wong Associates, his design language evolved to
meet the demands of corporate clients and developers. However, his buildings maintained
their strong planning and future-focused designs. Even though the public did not recognize
his name as readily as Pereira’s, Gin was well known amongst people within the industry with
multiple repeat clients. Always planning for the future, his buildings met with tremendous
success. Gray Driggs, the former mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, and the owner of Western
Financial Corporation, quotes this nicely in an interview,
…I’ll never forget a remark by the chief designer of William Pereira,
who was working on a high-rise building on Central Avenue that we never
built. I asked Gin Wong if he was going to make a mistake that we heard he
made in a particular building, and he said, “No, in your building, we are
going to make new mistakes.” It was a very honest and appropriate answer, for
when you are trying to break new ground in architectural design, as we try to
do in our buildings, mistakes will crop up.
316

Wong’s contributions to the city reflect a thorough understanding and interpretation of
two intermingled worlds. His vast portfolio of works stands as a silent testament to the many
political and economic forces that shaped the post-war modern movement and forever
changed the built landscape of Los Angeles.

316
“Western Savings and Architecture: An Interview with Gary Driggs,” in Triglyph, vol. 9 (Arizona State
University, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, 1988), 7.

108
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Yee, George, and Elsie Yee. “The Chinese and the Los Angeles Produce Market – Gum Saan Journal.”
Accessed December 16, 2021. https://gumsaanjournal.com/vol9-1986-french-hospital-produce-
market/the-chinese-and-the-los-angeles-produce-market/.

118
APPENDICES
APPENDIX I : AWARDS*
NAME PROJECT YEAR
Producer’s Council Award in Design (First Place) Studio Project 1949
Elected to SCARAB, USC 1950
Member AIA, Southern California Chapters 1955
La Cienega Lanes Team Bowling (First Place) - 1956
Merit Award, AIA, Southern California Chapter Union Oil Center (P&L) 1960
Honor Award, AIA, Southern California Chapter
Hunt Food and
Industries Inc.
1963
Santa Fe Springs Library
Astropower, Inc.
Hoffman Electronics
Honor Award, Asian Pacific American Support Group,
USC
1985
Fellow, AIA 1966
Merit Award, USC Alumni Association 1986
Business & Industry Award, Los Angeles Beautiful
Hotel Meridien, Newport
Beach
1986
Honor Award, 10th Annual Asian Pacific Heritage Week 1988
Businessman of the Year Award, Asian Business League
of Southern California
1989
Architecture Design Award (1991-1992)
Lawry’s The Prime Rib
(restaurant), La Cienega
Blvd.
1993
Architecture Design Leadership Award, Asian Business
Association
1999
Construction Lifetime Achievement Award, Los Angeles
Chamber of Commerce
2007
Judge Ronald S.W. Lew Visionary Award, 15th annual
Historymakers Awards Banquet, Chinese American
Museum
2011
Modern Masters Award, Los Angeles Conservancy 2013
Lifetime Achievement Award (posthumously), USC School
of Architecture
2019
*To be noted, the list is by no means exhaustive.

119
APPENDIX II : IMPORTANT EVENT TIMELINE*
EVENT YEAR
Born in Guangzhou, China 1922
Immigrated to the United States 1931
Graduated from John H. Francis Polytechnic High School, Los Angeles 1942
Joined the Army Air Corps as a navigator 1942
Naturalized in Tampa, Florida 1942
Attended J. Milkin University, Illinois 1943
Joined USC School of Architecture 1945
Worked at A B Gardner and Associates 1946-1948
Married Louise Y. Tom 1948
Worked at Daniel, Mann, Johnson, and Mendenhall 1948-1950
Graduated from USC 1950
Elected to SCARAB 1950
Joined Pereira & Luckman 1950
Daughters Janna, Terrina, and Kimberlee born The 1950s
Became Director of Design for LAX
Became Vice President at P & L 1958
Helped set up WLPA / Partner of planning and design/ President 1958
Become a Policy board member at WLPA
Elected as a member of the newly formed Urban Advisory Unit by California 1965-1970
Member of Membership Committee, AIA 1968
Chairman of Triennial Awards Committee 1969
Rice University – Seminar Director
Member of NCARB
USC School of Architecture Guild President 1971-1972
Founded Gin Wong and Associates 1974
Interview in the L.A. Times, 1974
Opened SF Branch 1978
Board of Councilors for Andrus Gerontology Center at USC
L.A. Chamber of Commerce- urban advisory council 1979
Elected to the USC Board of Trustees 1983
Gin Wong Scholarship set up at USC SOA after donation
Name Commemorated at USC SOA Conference Center 1986
Article in the Sunday Today 1987
Interview in the Transpacific magazine 1996
Breaking Ground 2012
Retired and Closed Firm 2015
*To be noted, the list is by no means exhaustive.

120
APPENDIX III : LIST OF BUILDINGS AT PEREIRA & LUCKMAN*
PROJECT NAME INVOLVEMENT
Beverly Hills Hotel Addition, 1952 Design Sketches/Model
CBS Television City, 1952 Chief Designer/ Project Coordinator
Electronic and Radio Propagation Research Laboratories
Camp Pendleton, CA, 1954

Marineland of the Pacific, Palos Verdes, 1954
Jet Production and Testing Center, Palmdale, 1955
U.S. Air and Naval Bases, Spain, 1956
Bullock’s Fashion Square, Santa Ana, 1958 Design
Grossmont District Hospital, 1958
Union Oil Center, Los Angeles, 1958 Design/Overseeing
Signal Oil Headquarters, 1958
Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Van Nuys, 1958 Designing
Los Angeles International Airport, 1958 Design/Overseeing
Prudential Tower, Boston Early Designs (before split)
Mountain Park Development Design Sketches
*To be noted, the list is by no means complete. These buildings have been located in archives/ Wong’s AIA
application with written evidence to show involvement by Wong in some capacity.

121
APPENDIX IV : WILLIAM PEREIRA & ASSOCIATES*
NAME INVOLVEMENT
Lockheed Basic Science Laboratory, Saugus (First official
project for WLPA)
Design
Hunt Food and Industries Inc. Headquarters, Fullerton Design
City of Santa Fe Springs Civic Center/ Santa Fe Springs
Library, Santa Fe Springs
Design
Astropower, Inc., Orange County Design
Hoffman Electronics, Santa Barbara Design
Ventura Saving & Loan Association, Ventura Design
Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco
USC Master Planning
Occidental Life Insurance Co. Headquarters, Los Angles Design
USC Olin Hall of Engineering, Los Angles Design
USC Ahmanson Center, Los Angeles Design
Security Pacific National Bank, Los Angeles (Crocker-
Citizens National Bank)
Design
Union 67 Gas Station, Beverly Hills Competition bid/ Design
Central Library, UC San Diego, La Jolla Design
Mutual Benefit Life Plaza
Mahaka Valley Inn and Country Club Design
Los Angeles International Airport
*To be noted, the list is by no means complete. These buildings have been located in archives/ Wong’s AIA
application with written evidence to show involvement by Wong in some capacity.

122
APPENDIX V : GIN WONG ASSOCIATES*
NAME YEAR
CBS Television City (Annex and other minor construction) 1976, 1992, 1996
Occidental Center Tower, Los Angeles (now South Park
Center)
1977
333 Market Street, San Francisco 1979
LAX 1984 expansion, Continuous contract
South Coast Metro Center (Costa Mesa Office Towers),
Orange County
1985
Meridien Newport Beach Hotel (now Renaissance
Newport Beach Hotel), Newport Beach
1985
The Center, Beverly Hills (now United Talent Agency
Headquarters)
1985
Stouffer Concourse Hotel (now Westin Hotel) 1986
Central Engineering Building at the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL), Flintridge-La Cañada.
1986
2600 Michelson (Citicorp Tower), Irvine 1986
Four Seasons Hotel at Beverly Hills 1987
Cusumano Plaza, Burbank 1989
ARCO Tower, Los Angeles (now 1055 W Seventh) 1989
Beverly Hilton, (Renovating Interior Spaces) 1989
Pacific Park Plaza, Honolulu 1989
Beverly Place (9242 Beverly Blvd), Beverly Hills 1990
Crean Tower at Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove
(production drawings and construction only)
Early 1990s
Mary Hood Chapel Crystal Cathedral Complex, Garden
Grove (production drawings and construction only)
Early 1990s
Pan Pacific Plaza (1132 Bishop Street), Honolulu 1991
University Research Library, Inha University, Incheon,
South Korea

Hyatt Regency, Incheon International Airport, Seoul,
South Korea
2003
Theme Building, LAX 2007
Tom K. Lai Residence (Wong’s Father-In-Law)
United Brotherhood of Carpenters International Training
Center, Las Vegas

Automobile Club of Southern California, Orange County
*To be noted, the list is by no means complete. These buildings have been identified by employees of GWA that
were interviewed (GWA archives were inaccessible at the time this thesis was written) or in historic newspapers.
Additional research needs to be conducted for a comprehensive list.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract Gin D. Wong, FAIA, is a Chinese American architect whose work influenced the architecture of Los Angeles in the late twentieth century, yet his name remains largely unknown. Wong was born into a modest housebound in Guangzhou, China, in 1922. He moved to Los Angeles soon after. Gin received his architecture degree from the University of Southern California School of Architecture in 1950. After graduation, he worked under his mentor William Pereira, first at Pereira & Luckman (where he became the Vice President of design) and later at William L. Pereira & Associates (which he helped found). There he became the president and partner-in-charge of design. Both firms were corporate big-business architectural practices. In 1974 he founded his own firm, Gin Wong Associates. Over his career, spanning over sixty years, he worked on numerous well-known buildings, including the Los Angeles International Airport and Union 67 Gas Station in Beverly Hills. He served as a USC Board of Trustees member from 1983 till his death, and his name is commemorated on a classroom at the USC School of Architecture, now known as the Gin D. Wong conference center. He received many awards and was one of the youngest architects (at the time) to be granted a fellowship by the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Despite many contributions, his name is little known beyond a select few due to the fact that he worked under a firm of a different name for most of his career. This thesis examines Gin Wong’s life and career and maps out his work’s significance and influence on Los Angeles’ built environment.

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Creator Sheth, Nirali (author)

Core Title A silent legacy: the influence of Gin D. Wong's work on the Los Angeles built environment

School School of Architecture

Degree Master of Heritage Conservation

Degree Program Heritage Conservation

Degree Conferral Date 2022-12

Publication Date 11/02/2022

Defense Date 11/02/2022

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Asian architects,Asian-American architects,attributing credit,authorship in architecture,big business architecture firms,chain migration,Charles Luckman,Chinese American architects,Chinese immigration,City Market,corporate architecture,corporate architecture firms,dual heritage,Gin Wing,Gin Wong Associates,GWA,Los Angeles,OAI-PMH Harvest,Old Chinatown,P&L,paper relationships,Pereira & Luckman,post-war Los Angeles,post-war modernism,University of Southern California,William L. Pereira and Associates,William Pereira,WLPA,World War II

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Language English

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