Wing’s Restaurant Saved From Demolition

Preserve Phoenix worked to help save Wing’s Restaurant from demolition that would make way for a modular coffee shop. Big thanks to our partners in preservation and the community stepping up and supporting this piece of Phoenix history. For now, the future of the building is still uncertain, but the demolition permit has been withdrawn.

About the Building

In the heart of Post-War Phoenix, Wing F. Ong — a Chinese immigrant, community leader, and legal trailblazer — opened Wing’s Restaurant here with his wife Rose in 1955. The restaurant served the community for two decades and was a cultural gathering spot during a time of intense racial and political change.

Upstairs? Ong’s law office — one of just eight Chinese American lawyers in the U.S. when he graduated law school in 1943. He fought for civil rights, served in the Arizona House (1946, 1948) and State Senate (1967), and encouraged Chinese American businesses to stand proudly alongside American values.

This building represents not just mid-century architecture — still visible in the geometric railings and form — but also the Asian American presence on 16th Street, a vibrant corridor of immigrant-owned businesses and organizations.

If you have questions or want to get involved, please email our team at hello@preservephx.org.