Seattle, Washington story
A Community's Foundation
Imagine 170 Chinese American pioneers, all pooling their hard-earned resources for a single goal. In 1910, that collective ambition built the East and West Kong Yick Buildings, cr…
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Imagine 170 Chinese American pioneers, all pooling their hard-earned resources for a single goal. In 1910, that collective ambition built the East and West Kong Yick Buildings, creating the heart of a new Chinatown. The East Kong Yick Building wasn't just architecture; it was a cultural hub, serving as the Freeman Hotel and providing essential lodging and social meeting rooms for immigrant communities before World War II.
It’s a four-story space that once balanced retail on the ground floor with hotel rooms above. Today, the building has been reconstructed to serve a new purpose. Since May 2008, it has been the expanded home of the Wing Luke Asian Museum, a major institution for Asian American history.
Now designated as a National Heritage Site, it stands as one of the most significant Asian Pacific American historic sites in the entire country.
Updated June 2026