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Chinese Merchants Association Building

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1949–1951, Edwin Chin-Park; 1954 renovated, Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott. 20 Hudson St.

Erected following the defeat of the nationalist government in China, this building symbolizes the prosperity of the Chinese community in Boston after World War II. Unfortunately, its prominence as a local landmark did not prevent the removal of the east facade when the expressway was built in 1954. Nevertheless, its rooftop pagoda and building graphics dramatically define one boundary of the neighborhood. Across Kneeland Street, the Hudson Building (1928–1929, Krokyn and Browne, 75 Kneeland Street) housed garment manufacturing, a traditional source of jobs for immigrant groups. The functional exterior conceals one of the best preserved Art Deco lobbies in Boston.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Keith N. Morgan
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Data

Timeline

  • 1949

    Built
  • 1954

    Renovated

What's Nearby

Citation

Keith N. Morgan, "Chinese Merchants Association Building", [Boston, Massachusetts], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/MA-01-TD1.

Print Source

Cover: Buildings of Massachusetts

Buildings of Massachusetts: Metropolitan Boston, Keith N. Morgan, with Richard M. Candee, Naomi Miller, Roger G. Reed, and contributors. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009, 121-121.

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