Terry Tong (1921-2016)

Terry Tong was born in San Francisco in 1921. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, where his architecture studies were interrupted by serving in World War II. While in school, he worked for Campbell & Wong during summer breaks and they recruited him when he graduated in 1949. He also attended the Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design in San Francisco, “where he learned about color.” He established his own Bay Area practice primarily designing residences. Notable projects include the On Lok Senior Center in San Francisco and the winning entry in the Governor’s Mansion competition (unbuilt) for Governor Pat Brown, on which he collaborated with Allen Fong. Later in his career, Tong worked for Bechtel as head of their design unit before retiring.

The Terry Tong Collection (ca. 1943–1994) contains materials documenting his academic and architectural career. The collection is organized into three series: Personal Papers; Professional Papers; and, the largest series, Project Records comprising drawings, correspondence, photographs, reports, clippings, and ephemera that document projects Tong designed while working for Campbell & Wong and during the time he operated his private practice.