East Kong Yick Building

Wing Luke Museum Collection 1991.100.691

Here's a photo of the museum's current home, the East Kong Yick Building not long after it was built in 1910. With no financial backing from a bank, a group of 170 Chinese American pioneers pooled their money to form the Kong Yick Investment Company and build two twin buildings, the East Kong Yick Building and our neighbor the West Kong Yick. In addition to the businesses on the ground level that you can see in the photo including the shops of Quong Tuck Co., Wa Chong Co., and Shin Chong and Co., the top two floors of the East Kong Yick served as the Freeman Hotel, a single room occupancy hotel that provided affordable and convenient places to stay for laborers and new immigrants. Learn more about the history of our building on our historic hotel tour.