Conservation of Korean American Architecture and Architectural Archives

Abstract: Preliminary studies of the most significant architects and designers of Asian descent in the United States have opened the doors to fully explore the neglected contributions of Korean diasporic architects and landscape architects to the built environment. This article calls for scholarly attention to the lives and work of Korean American architects and designers, emphasizing urgent conservation issues relating to built works and architectural archives. By avoiding reductive categorizations of Asian Americanness in favor of foregrounding the broader historical and cultural contexts of the Korean diaspora in North America, this project engages critically with the complex identities and transnational careers of architects of Korean descent. The effects of Japanese colonialism, shifts in US immigration policy, and Cold War geopolitics have shaped the development of Korean diasporic architectural history. We point out how this complex, transnational history raises ethical and practical issues for the conservation of Korean American architectural works and architectural archives.