Gilbert Lester Leong was a pioneering Chinese-American architect who made significant contributions to Los Angeles architecture and the Chinese-American community. Born to Chinese immigrant parents, he became the first Chinese-American to graduate from USC with a degree in architecture in 1936. Prior to his architectural studies, Leong studied painting and sculpture at the Chouinard Art Institute under Millard Sheets. After graduation, he worked with notable architects Paul Williams and Harwell Hamilton Harris before establishing his own practice.
Leong served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later became a prominent figure in both architecture and business, co-founding East West Bank in 1973 to serve the Chinese-American community in Southern California. He married Florence 'Sissee' See in 1942, connecting him to the prominent See family documented in Lisa See's memoir 'On Gold Mountain.' Beyond architecture, the Leong family owned the Soochow Restaurant in Los Angeles. He passed away in Pasadena, California at age 85.