11/25/2025
On September 2nd, the On Leong building (now known as the Pui Tak Center) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a site of national significance.
The National Register is the official Federal list of districts, sites and objects significant in American history and culture. There are currently more than 100,000 places listed on the register with 70% of the listings having local significance, 25% of the listings having statewide and 5% of the listings having national significance.
While the On Leong/Pui Tak building has been a Chicago Landmark since 1993, our building has never been nominated for the National Register. In 2021, Pui Tak Center received a "Telling the Full Story" grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation which funded the preparation of a nomination form. Ramsey Historic Consultants conducted research on the building and prepared the nomination. The Chinese American Museum of Chicago interviewed over 20 community members who shared their connection with the building as On Leong members, as students attending Chinese classes after school or as workers in one of the storefronts.
After the initial application was written to gain a locally significant designation, the consultants decided to expand their research so that the building might be considered for nationally significance. They compared our building with those in other Chinatowns including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Honolulu. The On Leong/Pui Tak building is one of the best example of how Chinese eclectic architecture was used to signify Chinatown's place.
The application was submitted to the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office in late 2024 for review and suggestions. The nomination was covered by the Chicago Sun-Times, NBC5 and ABC7.
The Chicago Landmark Commission unanimously endorsed the nomination in May and the Illinois National Register Advisory Council unanimously agreed to forward the nomination to the National Park District's Keeper of the Register in June.
We received letters of support from elected officials (US Senator Durbin, US Senator Duckworth, State Comptroller Mendoza, State Senator Villanueva, State Representative Mah and Alderwoman Lee), preservation organizations (National Trust for Historic Preservation, Asian and Pacific Islanders Americans in Historic Preservation, Landmarks Illinois, and Preservation Chicago), preservation architects and general contractors, Chinatown organizations and individuals.
The importance of National Register listing includes greater awareness of the histories of Chinese Americans and Asian Americans, highlights how Pui Tak Center and Chinese Christian Union Church are using the building to serve and outreach to the community, and qualifies the building for federal preservation funding.
