Oriental

On Leong Merchants     This style is comprised of buildings whose appearances were influenced by Chinese or Japanese forms or decoration. In Chicago, this style is rare and found chiefly in such Asian-American areas as Chinatown (Armour Square community area), where it was used for buildings constructed between 1910 and 1930.

Common characteristics are:

  • pagoda-like eaves or towers
  • stone or terra cotta ornament based on Chinese or Japanese decorative motifs (dragons, dogs, alphabet symbols)

1.On Leong Merchants; Pagoda tower, photo by Johnson Lasky Architects