Newsletter | Mar/Apr 2015


Julia Morgan Tour of Chinatown

by Northern California Chapter Society of Architectural Historians
Julia Morgan finally gets her due from the AIA which is giving her a posthumous Gold Medal. To celebrate, Northern California Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians is giving a tour, led by historian and architect Phil Choi, of Chinatown, specifically of Julia Morgan’s buildings there: the former Chinatown YWCA (now the Chinese Historical Society headquarters) the Gum Moon residence, and the YWCA residence. There are two tours offered. The information and the form (copied from a PDF of the NCCSAH) is below. The Society does not appear to have a website.


Gum Moon House. Photo: Don Andreini

“In observance of the AIA’s posthumous Gold Medal award to Bay Area architect Julia Morgan, in long-overdue recognition of her distinguished career, the NCCSAH will present a two part program of events. The first of these, taking place this spring, will recognize her works in San Francisco’s Chinatown. These are the Chinese YWCA, 965 Clay Street, now home to the Chinese Historical Society of America Museum; the YWCA Residence (940 Powell St.) and the Gum Moon Residence (940 Washington St.). We will view these within the context of a comprehensive tour of Chinatown’s historic architecture. We are pleased that San Francisco- born Philip Choy, who was raised in Chinatown, will lead our program. Mr. Choy, a retired architect and historian, is author of San Francisco Chinatown: A Guide to its History & Architecture (2012). After service during WW II, he earned a degree in architecture at UC Berkeley and in a fifty-year career did residential and commercial design. Mr. Choy has devoted much effort to the cause of researching, preserving and telling the history of Chinese Ameri- cans. In 1969, he co-taught the first college-level Chinese American history course in the nation, at San Francisco State. He vigorously advocated the preservation of Angel Island Immigration Station, the point of entry for thousands of Asians, be- tween 1910 and 1940, and produced the case report that resulted in its designation as a National Historic Landmark (1997). Mr. Choy has served five times as president of Chinese Historical Society of America and served on the San Francisco Landmarks Board and the California State Historical Resources Commission. Awards he has received include the Oscar Lewis Award for Western History (2011).

“We are offering identical programs on two successive Saturdays, May 30 and June 1, in order both to limit each group to a size that can be easily managed in a dense and busy neighborhood and meet what we expect will be a high level of interest. We are grateful to Philip Choy for generously agreeing to lead both tours.

"Morgan - Chinatown Tour Registration
The cost, $35 per person for NCCSAH members, includes an introductory overview by Mr. Choy, beginning at 9:30 a.m., at the CHSA Museum, and an approximately four-hour walking tour with time out for dim sum lunch at City View Restaurant, at 662 Street. A charge of $55 for nonmembers also includes a one-year NCCSAH membership. Driving and parking in and around Chinatown are challenging. We recommend taking public transportation. Muni lines 1, 8X, 10, 12, 30, 45, and the Powell and California Street cable cars all will take you within easy walking distance of our meeting point, at 965 Clay. If you do choose to drive, best choices for parking are the Sutter-Stockton Garage and the garage at Portsmouth Plaza. To register, print the form below and send with a check.




Former YWCA, Chinatown Photos: Don Andrieni

Name _______________________________
Affiliation ____________________________
Address _____________________________
City/State/Zip _________________________
Email address ________________________
Registration: $35 members / $55 nonmembers
Check preferred date:
____ May 30 ____ June 6
Total Enclosed ____________
Please make checks payable to NCCSAH and
mail to:
Ward Hill
NCCSAH Chinatown Tour
3124 Octavia Street, #102
San Francisco, CA 94123
For more information please contact Ward Hill
at whill@pacbell.net.
Nonmember cost also includes one year’s
membership in NCCSAH.
Space is limited; reserve your place now!
An e-mail notice around May 1 will provide registrants
with additional tour information.



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