21 Oct photographic study of on leong merchants association building’s richly colored terra cotta
on leong merchants association building was designed in 1928 by the architectural firm of michaelson and sigurd. when the building opened in 1928 at a cost of a million dollars, it was the finest large chinese-style structure in any north american chinatown.
the on leong association allowed the chinese consolidated benevolent association to put its headquarters in the new building and also used it as an immigrant assistance center, a school, a shrine, a meeting hall, and office space for the association itself. it was often informally referred to as chinatown’s “city hall.
in 1928, michaelsen and rognstad designed two other buildings in the area—won kow restaurant, chinatown’s oldest restaurant, and the moy shee d.k association building, the former receiving a two-story addition in 1932. the brilliantly colored terra cotta was executed by the american terra cotta company.
