Pui Tak Center is located in the former On Leong Merchants Association Building. This 36,000 square foot building is Chinatown’s only Chicago Landmark building.

 

Constructed from 1926 to 1928, the building was originally built for the On Leong Merchants Association. The building was originally used for the association’s activities including small business development, after school Chinese language school, community and cultural celebrations and an informal court that resolved disputes among community members. The building was referred to as Chinatown’s “city hall.”

 

The building was designed by two Norwegian-American architects, Christian S. Michaelsen and Siguard A. Rognstad. When plans for the building were announced in the Chicago Tribune of July 4, 1926, it was called, “One of the most expensive and elaborate buildings ever erected in America by the Chinese.” The Chicago Landmark Commission’s report is available here.

 

In 2007, the Pui Tak building was selected as one of 25 Chicagoland historic sites to be a part of the Partners in Preservation program sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and funded by American Express. As the building which received the most votes by the public, Pui Tak Center received a grant that covered some of the cost to preserve the building’s terra cotta.

 

In 2022 and 2023, additional preservation work was completed including additional terra cotta preservation, tuck-pointing and restoring the front canopy. Pui Tak Center is in the process of getting the building listed on the National Register for Historic Places and is hoping to receive this designation prior to the building’s centennial in 2028.