
SHON YEE BUILDING
1982

PARKING LOT
1954
Shon Yee Association purchased this empty lot in 1954, which was being used as a parking lot.
Interview
with Fred Louie (President of the Shon Yee Association) & Dick Lam (Association Member)
+ When was this building constructed?
It was built in the early 1980s, in 1982 — our association built it itself.
+ Who are the current tenants and users of this building?
There are four stories, and all are rented out now:
Basement — flower shop
2nd level – Tang Dynasty restaurant
3rd level – Calgary Jiang Zhe Shanghai Association / Chinese Medical Association
4th level – 4 Units of apartments (the tenants are of all different races)
+ What was on this land before this building was built? How was the land acquired?
It was a parking lot…. Shon Yee owned it. We bought it in 1954.
+ Who is the architect for this building?
An architect named Kapel (?) (They were based out of Winnipeg, though they’re no longer in business.)
They built a couple of buildings in Chinatown, and that’s how we found them.
+ Can you tell me about the history behind the building’s design development and about the construction process?
The architect designed it… we were rookies, so we didn’t have experience. After the building was finished; we changed the entrance area.
The building has Chinese character through the red brick. At the top are the four residential units, and there are Chinese green tiles/shingles on the roof.
Dick Lam helped to coordinate getting the bank loan to build the buildings.
The original tenants downstairs since 1982 have been:
– A different bakery (not Tang Dynasty Restaurant)
– Electronics shop
– Unicorn Restaurant was where the association is now.
We’ve always been renting it out. We built the building thinking about rental income. 1982 was a booming period.
+ Do you know of any major renovations or changes to the building since it was first constructed?
We extended the entrance of the Tang Dynasty restaurant around 12 feet forward into the sidewalk.
BUILDING PHOTOGRAPHS
Photographs taken in 2020.