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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • General
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content
  • Existence and Location of Copies
  • Arrangement

  • Contributing Institution: The Huntington Library
    Title: Roger S. Hong Collection
    Identifier/Call Number: archHong
    Physical Description: 77 Linear Feet (10 flat boxes, 8 rolled-tube boxes, and 16 oversize folders)
    Date (inclusive): 1936-2001
    Date (bulk): 1960-1995
    Abstract: Roger S. Hong was an architect who worked primarily on commercial projects in California from the 1960s-2001. Hong was actively involved in efforts to revitalize Chinatown in Los Angeles, and the collection features early drawings of the building of "New Chinatown" in the late 1930s, and proposals by Hong for renovations and improvements in the 1980s-2000s. The collection also includes samples of Hong's other professional projects, as well as his childhood artwork, student work, and Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity scrapbooks (1960-1962) from the University of Southern California.
    Language of Material: The records are in English.

    General

    Finding aid last updated on August 29, 2022.

    Conditions Governing Access

    Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

    Publication Rights

    The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Roger S. Hong Collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Acquisition Information

    Gift of Roger S. Hong, June 2006.

    Biographical Note

    Roger S. Hong (September 23, 1941 - October 27, 2006) was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest son of You Chung Hong (Y. C. Hong) and Mabel Hong. He earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Southern California in 1965, followed by a Master of Science degree in City and Regional Planning in 1968. He was certified in many states, including California, to practice as a licensed architect. Some of his notable architectural projects include: the Thomas & Mack Center arena at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the United Bank headquarters (Los Angeles, CA); Kun Lun Hotel (Beijing, China); Hotel Nikko (Beverly Hills, CA); the Y. C. Hong residence (Los Angeles, CA); Chieh Shou Sports Park (Taipei, Taiwan); Kaiser Richmond Medical Center (Richmond, CA); Froedtert Memorial Hospital (University of Milwaukee, WI); KCET Public Television headquarters (Los Angeles, CA); and various buildings and facilities in and around the Los Angeles Chinatown area. After working at several firms, he co-founded the architectural firm Arechaederra/Hong/Treiman Architects in 1981. Hong retired from his firm in 1993 and devoted himself to preserving the Hong family history, the restoration and preservation of Los Angeles' Chinatown, and various charitable and community causes.
    Hong's father, You Chung Hong (May 4, 1898 - November 8, 1977), was a prominent Chinese American immigration lawyer based in Los Angeles, California. He is reputed to be the first Chinese American to pass, in 1923, the California State Bar exam. Y. C. Hong was also one of the founders of Los Angeles' New Chinatown (1938).

    Scope and Content

    The Roger S. Hong Collection spans the years 1936-2001 and consists primarily of architectural drawings by Los Angeles architect Roger Hong dating from the 1960s to 2001, as well as earlier drawings of Los Angeles' New Chinatown (1936-40s) by architects Erle Webster and Adrian Wilson. In the mid-1930s, all of Old Chinatown was demolished to make way for Union Station. Many of the displaced families and businesses went to the nearby 900 block of North Broadway and developed New Chinatown. The drawings by Webster & Wilson show the development of this historic area of Los Angeles through survey records, street plans and drawings for buildings for You Chung Hong.
    The collection also includes Roger Hong's proposed revitalization plans for Chinatown, 1979-2001. These drawings and Hong's other professional work in this collection are primarily for commercial projects. One exception is the Y. C. Hong residence, a modern home designed while Hong was starting his professional career at Buff & Hensman and Associates, and constructed in 1969. The collection also includes samplings of Hong's professional work done while at various firms and in his capacity as private architectural consultant in the 1990s.
    Hong's childhood artwork and work done while he was a student at the University of Southern California are also part of the collection, including his Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity scrapbooks, 1960-1962.

    Existence and Location of Copies

    Visit the Huntington Digital Library: You Chung Hong Family Collection   to view digitized items from this collection.

    Arrangement

    The collection is arranged in the following two series:
    1. I. Personal papers, approximately 1950-2001
    2. II. Project plans and drawings, 1936-2001

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Architects – California
    Architecture -- California -- Los Angeles
    Architecture -- Designs and plans.
    Chinese Americans -- California -- Los Angeles -- History
    Chinese Americans -- Societies, etc.
    Chinatown (Los Angeles, Calif.)
    Architectural drawings
    Color transparencies
    Color photographs
    Ephemera