Born in Guangdong, China, Eugene Kinn Choy immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1898. They settled in Bakersfield, where the family made a living selling blue jeans to the farm hands working the fields of California's Central Valley. He enrolled in the University of Southern California School of Architecture, following in the path of Gilbert Leong. He was politically active on campus, serving in the Architecture School Student Senate and Alpha Lambda, a Chinese American student group.
After graduation in 1939, he put his career ambitions on hold due to World War II; he went to work for Hughes Aircraft until the war was over. Resuming his architectural career, he became the first Chinese American in California to join the AIA; second only to New York-based I.M. Pei. He launched his own architectural practice with a small staff; designing a wide range of projects. He collaborated with his younger brother, Allan Kinn Choy, also a practicing architect, on several projects, including the FBI Office Building in Las Vegas,
Choy built his personal residence in the Silver Lake community of Los Angeles at 3027 Castle Street in the Primrose Hill section. Constructed on a 50'-wide lot, the house sits back from the street, creating privacy. Inside, the house features floor-to-ceiling windows, creating a connection between the living area and the garden terrace.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Eugene Kinn Choy Residence, Eugene Kinn Choy, Architect 1949
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Himrod House, Paul R. Williams. Architect 1928
Himrod House "Casa Romantica", Paul R. Williams, Architect 1928. Williams designed the Spanish Revival style house for William Himrod, an attorney, his wife Ada and their two children, Robert and Dorothy in 1928. Located at 4100 Dundee Drive in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Captain Harry M. Rubey Residence, H.H. Whitely Architect 1920
Architect Henry Harwood Whiteley designed the Spanish Revival style residence for Captain Harry M. Rubey in 1920. Actress Kaen Black lived here in the 1980s. Located at 2400 N. Commonwealth Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Via@designmilk, Techentin Buckingham Architecture 2008
The AIA/Los Feliz Home Tour of 2008 provided the opportunity to visit this recent addition to the architectural heritage of Los Feliz. Via @designmilk, a house in Los Feliz, California built on the foundation of a pre-existing home. "The spatial relationships between the rooms helps induce and orchestrate air flows, while concurrently organizing the display and conservation of an art collection." The house is located on the northwest corner of Edgemont Street and Ambrose Avenue.
1829 North Kenmore Avenue c.1914
Colonial Revival residence c.1914. The formal, columned porch, eyebrow arch in the roof line and symmetrical composition add a sense of great dignity. Located at 1829 N. Kenmore Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Johnnie Cochran Residence c.1971
The stylish residence of celebrity lawyer Johnnie Cochran, best known for his role in the defense and acquittal of O. J. Simpson for the alleged murder of his former wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Cochran also represented Michael Jackson, rapper Tupac Shakur, actor Todd Bridges, football player Jim Brown, rapper Snoop Dogg, former heavyweight Champion Riddick Bowe, He also represented athlete Marion Jones when she faced charges of doping during her high school track career. Cochran was known for his skill in the courtroom and his prominence as an early advocate for victims of police brutality. Located at 2373 N. Hobart Blvd. in the Los Feliz Oaks district of Los Angeles.