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East Kong Yick Building

Keeping Spirits Alive

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BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES

Empty, eerie, the upper floors of the East Kong Yick Building house pigeons, peeling plaster and the spirits of Asian immigrants who worked the canneries, logging camps, fields and orchards before the world wars.

Now, Seattle's Wing Luke Asian Museum is raising $24.7 million to turn the 1910 hotel into an "immersion museum" akin to Amsterdam's Anne Frank House. It will also have a community heritage center, learning studio, library, art gallery and place for people to drink tea and play mah-jongg.

The Wing Luke museum plans to move in in 2007 and continue to curate "living history" exhibits.

A conversation with museum executive director Ron Chew:

Q: Are there ghosts in this building?

A: You can sense a presence. Most other construction projects have a ground-breaking ceremony, but we're having a blessing ceremony Sept. 10 to acknowledge the spirits of the men who walked these corridors and lived difficult lives. You sort of embrace the past and use their stories, certain lessons, to direct you to the future. It's part of the strong ancestor worship that's in Asian cultures.

Q: Who are these spirits?

A: The men who built this region, an unacknowledged generation, forgotten. Like my grandfather. He came in 1911 seeking a better life, and stayed in the building. He . . . was 13, 14. That's when boys finished school and went to work.

Q: So you had guys as young as 13 working adult jobs, living alone, far from home.What were the emotions?

A: There was loneliness, prostitution, gambling, all the elements of what a bachelor society is. They relied on each other for companionship, translation services, job referrals. They didn't migrate into the rest of society as much as we do now. There were severe class and racial boundaries.

Q: You've had a challenging year: divorce, single parenthood, the death of your mother — all while raising $24.7 million and renovating a historic building. Are the spirits a comfort?

A: I lived in the International District for about 10 years. I'm no ghost-seeker type, but when I first moved in, I'd go to sleep, wake up in the middle of the night, sense a presence, turn on the light and not see anybody. Later on, I realized it was the spirit of my grandfather . . . My uncle, who was killed in World War II (is buried nearby). My father worked in the old Hong Kong restaurant here for 30 years. My mom worked in Seattle Glove, a sewing factory on 12th Avenue. She wanted to be around to see the opening of the museum, but you know, her body gave out. Anyway, I'm comforted that I have four spirits watching over me, watching over this project.