Poy Gum Lee

Poy Gum Lee (Chinese: 李錦沛; pinyin: Lǐ Jǐnpèi; 1900–1968) was a Chinese-American architect. Lee is known for his Art Deco buildings with Chinese architectural influence or "Chinese Deco" in Shanghai as well as in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City.

Poy Gum Lee
Born(1900-01-14)January 14, 1900
New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 24, 1968(1968-03-24) (aged 68)
Bakersfield, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican, Chinese
Other namesPoy Lee, Lee Poy Gum,
Jinpei Li
Alma materPratt Institute
OccupationArchitect
SpousePansy Choye Lee
Children3
PracticeYoung Men’s Christian Association’s China Building Bureau, New York City Housing Authority
BuildingsChinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
ProjectsSun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

Early life and education

On January 14, 1900, Lee was born at 13 Mott Street in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City.[1][2]: 10  Lee's parents were Lee Yick Dep and Ng Lan Yin (also known as Ng She); Lee was the eldest son of 11 children from his father's third marriage, but one of 16 siblings total. [3][4][5][6] He grew up at 32 Mott Street above the family store in the Chinatown neighborhood in New York City.[7][6]

In 1920, Lee earned a degree in Architecture from Pratt Institute. Lee took architecture extension classes at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1921 and later at Columbia University in 1922.[1]

Career

During World War I, he served in the United States Army.[8] By 1923, Lee and his family moved to China where he worked on various architecture projects and earned him admiration for his work.[1] He worked as an architect in China for 25 years.[8] Hired by the Young Men’s Christian Association’s China Building Bureau, he worked on 11 buildings for the YMCA and YWCA in China and also working on the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum (1926-1929) and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (1929-1931).[1][8]

During World War II, Lee and his family lived in the French Concession neighborhood in Shanghai, China, where his home was confiscated by the Japanese. After World War II, Lee and his family returned to New York City in the United States.[3]

Lee worked primarily in Manhattan's Chinatown after his return to the U.S. and worked with the New York City Housing Authority.[3] Some of the postwar projects he worked on included the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association building in New York City (1959), On Leong Tong Merchant’s Association building (1948–1950), Kimlau War Memorial in Kimlau Square (1962),[2]: 1 [9] and Pagoda Theatre (1963).[10][4]

Personal life

In 1926, Lee married Pansy Choye in Shanghai, China. They have three daughters.[1]

On March 24, 1968, Lee died in Bakersfield, California. He was 68 years old. Lee is buried at Greenlawn Cemetery in Bakersfield, California.[8]

See also

References
  1. Nellist, George Ferguson Mitchell (1935). Men of Shanghai and North China: A Standard Biographical Reference Work. The University Press.
  2. "Kimlau War Memorial" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. June 22, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  3. Kahn, Eve M. (September 10, 2015). "The Architect Poy Gum Lee Finally Has a Retrospective". nytimes.com. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  4. "Poy Gum Lee Walking Tour". urbanarchive.org. May 7, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  5. Prengel, Kate (March 2, 2016). "The Architect Who Melded Tradition and Modernism in New York's Chinatown". Hyperallergic Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  6. Chinese Style: Rediscovering the Architecture of Poy Gum Lee 1923–1968, September 24 2015 - January 31, 2016 (PDF). New York: Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  7. Van Norden, Warner M. (1918). Who's Who of the Chinese in New York. University of Michigan. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  8. "Funeral Scheduled for China Architect Poy Lee". Bakersfield Californian News. March 26, 1968.
  9. Small, Zachary (June 23, 2021). "City Approves Landmarks Honoring Chinese Americans and Native Americans". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  10. "Chinese Style: Rediscovering the Architecture of Poy Gum Lee, 1923-1968". Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
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