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Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers
Finding aid prepared by Gina C Giang. The Huntington Library 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Fax: (626) 449-5720 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org © June 2019 The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 1 Descriptive Summary Title: Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers Inclusive Dates: 1883-2007 Bulk Dates: 1923-1945 Collection Number: mssSooHoo Collector: SooHoo, Peter Francis, Sr. Extent: 15 boxes and 4 oversize folders (8 linear feet) Repository: The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens 1151 Oxford Road San Marino, California 91108 Phone: (626) 405-2191 Fax: (626) 449-5720 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.huntington.org Abstract: This collection relates to Peter SooHoo, Sr.'s role in creating New Chinatown in Los Angeles, California, as well as his involvement with the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and other professional and community activities from 1883 through 2007. Language of Material: The material is in English and Chinese. Access The collection is open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, please go to the following web site . Four fragile photographs have been removed from oversize folder 3. These photographs may not be viewed without prior approval from Preservation. Related Material The Los Angeles Public Libraryhosts some digitized photographs of items owned by Peter SooHoo, Jr. from the El Pueblo Monument Photo Collection . Publication Rights The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher. Preferred Citation [Identification of item] Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers. The Huntington Library, San Marino, California. Acquisition Information Gift of SooHoo Family Trust, January 2019 and April 2019. Biography Peter Francis SooHoo, Sr. (1899-1945) was a Chinese American engineer born in Los Angeles, California. SooHoo graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science in engineering in June 1923. In September 1925, he married Lillie Leung at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles; the couple had two children. SooHoo was employed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, where he worked in the Underground Engineering section from 1925 until his death from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1945. SooHoo's was active in the Los Angeles Chinese community and a member of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Chinese Laundryowners Association of Southern California, China Society of Southern California, and the director of the Los Angeles Chinese Band. He was also the captain and commanding officer of the first company of the California State Guard composed entirely of Chinese members. He was affiliated with various Masonic chapters and was the first Chinese member of Al Malaikah Temple of the Shrine. As the unofficial "Mayor of Chinatown" and member of the Chinatown Project Association, SooHoo directed the design and financing of the New Chinatown on North Broadway in anticipation of the completion of Union Station in the late 1930s. Scope and Content The collection contains materials relating to Peter SooHoo, Sr.'s role in creating New Chinatown in Los Angeles, California, involvement with Chinese professional and community activities, and personal life from 1883 through 2007. The first series
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 2 consists primarily of albums, blueprints, correspondence, ephemera, financial records, and photographs; this material relates to community activities and the construction and opening of New Chinatown in Los Angeles, California. Included is material related to Patricia Herman’s “Chinese Village Project” and Christine Sterling’s "China City,” two tourist destinations conceived in the 1930s. Also included are copies of two lengthy letters written in August 1937 by SooHoo to Los Angeles mayor Frank Shaw, where he explains the importance of New Chinatown. Material related to the Bandini Estate Company is also present because New Chinatown was located on Bandini Estate property. The albums include photographs and clippings related to the SooHoo's participation in various organizations and the Chinese American community in Los Angeles. The second series consists primarily of albums, correspondence, ephemera, and photographs related to SooHoo's family, education, personal investments, and work at LADWP. The bulk of the correspondence is from Peter SooHoo to Lillie SooHoo written from Fresno, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. about his activities. Included in the second series are clippings, statements, and sympathy letters related to SooHoo's death in 1945. The albums include photographs and clippings related to SooHoo's wedding, funeral, and ephemera collected by Peter and Lillie. Note: Although the albums are separated in two series, there may be a small amount of community or personal photographs within either series. Arrangement Arranged in two series: Series 1: New Chinatown and community, 1883-2007 Series 2: Personal, 1915-2002 Personal Names SooHoo family Chiang, May-ling Soong, 1897-2003 SooHoo, Peter Francis, Sr. Corporate Names Chinese American Citizens Alliance Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association Los Angeles (Calif.). Department of Water and Power Subjects Chinese Americans -- Societies, etc. Chinese Americans -- California -- Los Angeles Chinese Americans -- California -- Los Angeles -- Social life and customs Geographic Areas Chinatown (Los Angeles, Calif.) Los Angeles (Calif.) Genre Blueprints Correspondence Scrapbooks Photograph albums Photographs Printed ephemera
New Chinatown and community 1883-2007
Box 1, Folder 1 Attendance records, 1929 Chinese First Presbyterian Church Cathay band and choir.
Box 1, Folder 2 Blueprints and maps, 1939 Includes data and descriptions related to New Chinatown.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 3 New Chinatown and community 1883-2007
Box 1, Folder 3 Booklets, 1910-1925 Two booklets and one book related to Freemasonry.
Box 1, Folder 4 Books, 1941 The Soldier and the Law by John A. McComsey and Morris O. Edwards.
Box 1, Folder 5 Bylaws, 1922, undated Includes Chinese American Citizens Alliance and Los Angeles Chinatown Corporation.
Box 1, Folder 6 Certificates, 1920-1932 Miscellaneous. Includes Ancient and Accepted Scottis Rite card; Chinese American Citizens Alliance; Freemasonry; Los Angeles Parlor Native Sons of the Golden State; and Peter SooHoo certificates book. Includes letter from Los Angeles Police Department.
Oversize folder 1 Certificates, 1925-1942 Includes Boy Scouts of America; California State Militia; Chinese American Citizens Alliance; Imperial Council of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Removed from frames.
Box 1, Folder 7 Clippings, 1937-1941 "New Chinatown" and "China City." Includes Publicity Record First Anniversary Celebration of New Chinatown & Press Luncheon and flier for "China City" by Christine Sterling.
Box 7, Folder 1 Commemorative plaques -- Los Angeles Chinatown Corporation, 1988 Honoring the Founding Families.
Correspondence Box 2, Folder 1 1930-1940 Thank you letters from various organizations and a school related to New Chinatown.
Box 2, Folder 2 1935-1937 Related to Patricia Herman and Chinese Village Project. Includes folder with outline and financial details.
Box 2, Folder 3 1937-1950 Includes letters related to "China City."
Box 2, Folder 4 1938 Related to New Chinatown grand opening.
Box 2, Folder 5 1938-1939 Related to Joe Shoong and property in New Chinatown. Includes "Option to Purchase" (copy), Proposed Addition to Los Angeles Chinatown, and Extension of Los Angeles Chinatown for Mr. Joe Shoong.
Box 2, Folder 6 1941 Related to China Nite sponsored by Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 4 New Chinatown and community 1883-2007
Box 2, Folder 7 Descriptions, undated Related to jade, Chinatown and New Chinatown. Includes "Chinatown Traditions," "The New Los Angeles Chinatown," "Facts About the New Chinatown," and "Los Angeles Chinatown."
Box 7, Folder 2 Descriptions -- The Los Angeles China Town, undated Related to parcels of land.
Ephemera Oversize folder 2 Cathay Musical Society, undated Band rehearsal "Please Do Not Disturb" sign.
Box 2, Folder 8 Chinese American Citizens Alliance, 1923-1956 Includes a flier, invitations, membership lists, programs, and 1931 Convention Souvenir Yearbook.
Box 2, Folder 9 Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, 1938-1942 Includes Chinese Moon Festival program, China Nite program, and a map.
Box 2, Folder 10 Chinese First Presbyterian Church and Chinese Congregational Church, Los Angeles, 1929-1938 Includes Christmas programs; Los Angeles Beacon; official publication of The Chinese First Presbyterian Church Choir; and The Young People's News.
Box 2, Folder 11 Los Angeles Chinese Girls' Glee Club, 1935 Includes a list and China Day programs.
Box 2, Folder 12 Miscellaneous, 1939-1981 Includes 33rd Anniversary of Chinese Independence program; Bowl of Rice Party program; The Central Idea newsletter; Chinese Clubs of Los Angeles bulletin; Federation of China's War for Freedom program; Kung Hay Fot Choy on KNX/CBS radio editorial, and Mei Wah Club Golden Anniversary program.
Box 2, Folder 13 New Chinatown, 1938-2007 Related to grand openings, anniversaries, and remembrance. Includes fliers, invitations, programs, postcards, and renditions.
Financial records Box 2, Folder 14 Chinese American Citizens Alliance, 1923
Box 2, Folder 15 Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, 1938, undated
Box 3, Folder 1 The Los Angeles Chinatown Association, 1938 Balance sheets.
Box 7, Folder 3 The Los Angeles Chinatown Association, 1939 Balance sheets.
Box 8 Gavels, 1940 Chinese American Citizens Alliance.
Box 7, Folder 4 Legal documents, 1938-1941 Includes agreement, corporation grant deed, notice of non-responsibility, and resolution.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 5 New Chinatown and community 1883-2007
Box 3, Folder 2 Legal documents, 1940 Includes agreements, grant deed, and blank rental agreement forms related to New Chinatown.
Box 3, Folder 3 Negatives, undated
Photograph albums Box 9, Album 1 California State Militia, 1942
Box 9, Album 2 May-ling Soong Chiang, 1897-2003 (Madame Chiang Kai-shek), 1943
Box 10, Album 1 "Old Photographs of Chinatown," 1889-1904
Box 10, Album 2 New Chinatown, 1938-1939 Includes construction, grand opening, and anniversary.
Box 15 Oversize photographs, 1941 Includes California State Militia at a parade.
Oversize folder 3 Panoramic photographs, 1921-1929 Includes Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Chinese First Presbyterian Church, and Chinese Moon Festival engagements. Note: Four photographs have been removed from this folder. Please contact Preservation for permission for access.
Oversize folder 4 Photographs on board, 1931, undated Includes Los Angeles Lodge: officers, women's executive committee, committee chairmen, board of directors, and delegates.
Scrapbooks Box 9, Album 3 "China City" and New Chinatown, 1937 Includes correspondence with Los Angeles and state officials related to New Chinatown.
Box 10, Album 3 "China City" and New Chinatown, 1937-1938 Extremely brittle.
Box 11, Albums China Nite and Chinese Moon Festival, 1920s-1940s 1-2
Box 11, Album 3 Madame Chiang Kai-shek, 1943
Box 9, Album 4 Peter SooHoo, Sr. and family, 1904-1940s Includes Boy Scouts, California State Militia, Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Glee Club, music events, and small amount of family photographs.
Box 3, Folder 4 Photographs, 1883-2005 Includes Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association; Mei Wah Girls Drum Corps; Chinese Moon Festival; Glee club; and Chinatown and New Chinatown.
Box 12 Plates, undated Two souvenir plates of New Chinatown.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 6 New Chinatown and community 1883-2007
Box 3, Folder 5 Speeches, 1937, undated Miscellaneous. Includes Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Luncheon and Chinese Chinatown Project Association.
Oversize folder 2 Sketches, undated Erle Webster & Adrian Wilson Architects view in courtyard. Rendition in color.
Box 3, Folder 6 Stationery, undated The Los Angeles Chinatown letterhead and envelope. Blank.
Personal 1915-2002
Box 3, Folder 7 Booklets, 1926-1994 Miscellaneous. Includes The History of the Admission of Wives of American Citizens of Oriental Ancestry; Kuramoto Incident; Memories of Grandpa Leung; and The Tanaka Memorial.
Books Box 3, Folder 8 Down by the Station: Los Angeles Chinatown by Roberta S. Greenwood, 1996
Box 3, Folder 9 Sweet Bamboo: A Memoir of a Chinese American Family by Louise Leung Larson, 1989
Box 3, Folder 10 Sweet Bamboo: A Saga of a Chinese American Family by Louise Leung Larson, 1989
Oversize folder 2 Blueprints, 1937, undated Peter SooHoo's floor plan and Los Angeles (Calif.). Department of Water and Power conduit connections.
Box 9, Album 5 Calligraphy, undated 50th anniversary commemoration.
Box 3, Folder 11 Certificates, 1942-1944 The First California Engineers and Los Angeles (Calif.). Department of Water and Power.
Oversize folder 1 Certificates, 1925 Includes Sigma Pi Alpha. Removed from frames.
Box 4, Folder 1 Clippings, 1945 Peter SooHoo's funeral. Includes public statements.
Correspondence Box 4, Folder 2 1925, 1992-2002 Miscellaneous. Includes correspondence from Pamela Lindell about the SooHoo family and Norine Dresser's manuscript related to the Chinese Militia.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 7 Personal 1915-2002
Box 4, Folders 3-5 1926-1933 From Peter SooHoo to Lillie SooHoo, San Francisco, Washington (D.C.), Fresno (Calif.), and Portland (Or.).
Box 4, Folder 6 1935-1970 The City Market of Los Angeles, A Corporation. Includes Report to Stockholders, 1960, City Market Dividends, 1951-1960; proxies; and 25th Anniversary program.
Box 4, Folder 7 1945 Sympathy letters. Includes a greeting card and a notebook.
Ephemera Box 4, Folder 8 Chinese restaurants, 1925-1940 Includes Golden Pagoda; Mandarin Cafe, San Francisco (Calif.); and Joy Yoeng Restaurant, New York (N.Y.).
Box 4, Folder 9 Miscellaneous, 1925, undated Includes Martin Art Shops catalogue; Philharmonic Auditorium presents Pieces of China flier; and a postcard.
Box 13 Rolled material, 1964, undated Two items: Civil Air Transport calendar and reproduction of an unidentified object.
Box 4, Folder 10 Travels, 1925, undated Includes Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company pamphlet; New Guide and Key to Niagara Falls and Toronto; and Views of Peiping and Environs in China postcards.
Box 4, Folder 11 Financial records, 1945-1950 Ginling Gift Shop and Pioneer Roof Company invoice. Includes photographs and clippings.
Box 4, Folder 12 Licenses, 1942 California. Executive Department. License to Drill and Bear Arms. Removed from frame.
Box 4, Folder 13 Minutes, 1921-1922 University of Southern California Chinese Students' Club.
Box 4, Folder 14 Negatives, undated
Box 5, Folder 1 Objects, undated Includes a set of keys and rubber stamps.
Box 5, Folder 2 Paintings, undated Painted on foil and paper. Fragile.
Photographs Box 5, Folder 3 Family and miscellaneous, 1921-1983 Includes "Christmas, 1944," "Grandpa's birthday, 1946," Chinese Joss House, Lillie, Li Hong Chong, Nana, Eleanor, Mamie, and Betty.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 8 Personal 1915-2002
Box 5, Folder 4 Peter SooHoo, 1915-1935, undated Includes Custer Intermediate School, University of Southern California, Sigma Pi Alpha group photograph.
Box 5, Folder 5 Peter SooHoo's funeral, 1945
Box 15 Oversize photographs, 1925, undated Peter SooHoo and Lillie SooHoo's wedding, 1925; Peter SooHoo band director portrait; Y.C. and Mabel Hong; and Grandfather SooHoo's family portrait.
Oversize folder 3 Panoramic photographs, 1928-1935 Includes wedding anniversary and engagement dinners.
Oversize folder 4 Photographs on board, undated SooHoo family and friends.
Box 5, Folder 6 Programs, 1923 University of Southern California Program of Commencement Exercises.
Box 5, Folder 7 Resumes, before 1945
Box 5, Folder 8 School yearbooks, 1915-1917 Custer Intermediate School and Polytechnic High School.
Scrapbooks Box 14 Ephemera, 1925-1931 Primarily ephemera collected by Peter and Lillie SooHoo. Extremely brittle.
Box 9, Album 6 Peter SooHoo's funeral, 1945
Box 5, Folder 9 Speeches, before 1980 Related to Peter SooHoo, Sr. by Peter SooHoo, Jr.
Box 6, Folder 1 Stationery, undated Ginling Gift Shop, Peter SooHoo letterheads, and fillers. Blank.
Box 6, Folder 2 Textbooks, 1928 Textbook of One Thousand Characters for Townspeople, volumes 1-4.
Box 6, Folder 3 Thesis, 1942 May The Saga of the Los Angeles Chinese by Edwin R. Bingham.
Box 10, Album 4 Wedding albums, 1925 Peter and Lillie SooHoo's list of dowry and wedding gifts in Chinese.
Box 6, Folder 4 Wills, 1929 Peter ShooHoo's last will and testament.
Peter SooHoo, Sr. papers mssSooHoo 9