East Kong Yick Building, Mixed-use museum building in Chinatown-International District, Seattle, United States.
East Kong Yick Building is a four-story structure in Seattle's Chinatown-International District with retail spaces on the ground floor and former hotel rooms upstairs. The upper levels feature small bedrooms while the ground level originally housed shops and businesses serving the community.
In 1910, 170 Chinese pioneers collectively funded the construction after the previous Chinatown was destroyed in the Great Seattle Fire. The rebuilding represented the community's determination to restore its neighborhood from the devastation.
The Wing Luke Museum presents exhibitions about Asian American history and keeps the original immigrant living spaces intact for visitors to experience. Walking through the upper floors, you can see the small bedrooms and understand how residents lived in tight quarters during that era.
The building is accessible through guided tours included with museum admission, and public transit stops are located nearby at 8th Avenue South. Plan extra time to explore both the ground floor shops and the residential spaces upstairs thoroughly.
The structure preserves original elements from 1910 including a functioning shop with goods and a top floor meeting room with tin ceilings where the community gathered. These rare preserved spaces give visitors an authentic glimpse into the daily lives of the residents who once lived and worked here.
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