Roots

László Hudec (Hugyecz László) was born in Besztercebánya, in the territory of the Austro - Hungarian Monarchy (now Banská Bystrica, Slovakia) on the 8th of January 1893, as the eldest of six children. His mother was Paula Skultéty, the daughter of a priest from Kassa (now Kosice).

As a young man, his father (György Hugyecz), an architect who run a construction business, encouraged him to work in all aspects of the trade. His father did the construction works of the Millennium Subway in Budapest (which at that time was the first underground in continental Europe) in 1900.

From 1911 to 1914 Hudec studied architecture at the Budapest Royal University. He graduated in 1914. In 1916 he was elected to the Royal Institute of Hungarian Architects.

World War I.

After completing his degree, he was drawn to the Austro-Hungarian army as a lieutenant.
During a reconnaisence mission his unit was encircled by cossacks, knocked down and taken as a prisoner in May of 1916. He was sent to a prison camp in Siberia close to the Chinese border, Krasnaya Rechka near Khabarovsk. Two years later, in May 1918 he escaped with three of his fellow prisoners on a hand-drawn train cart (one of his mates died during the escape). He worked for a number of months on the Trans-Siberian Railway under a false Russian passport, trying to make enough money to return to Hungary, but when the Czech Legion revolted and the situation got unstable, he was forced to flee again and made his way to China. He took refuge in Harbin at the Danish Consulate for a few months.

Shanghai

Eventually arriving in Shanghai, Hudec rented a room in Hart Road (Hengshan Lu) and joined the American architectural firm, R.A. Curry in 1918 as a draftsmen, and quickly became a deputy, then a partner. For them he designed, among others, the American Club, the McTyeire School, the Joint Saving and Loan Society Building and several of the society's apartments, private residences.

In 1922 he married Gisele Meyer, the beautiful daughter of a welthy German businessman (who lived in Shanghai since the late 1800's). They had three children: Martin in 1923, Theo in 1925 and Alessa in 1928.
He kept close relationship with his family all the way from his captivity in Russia to his death in the USA, even invited one of his brothers and sister to Shanghai; his brother suddenly died in Shanghai at the tender age of 25. His sister worked here as a nurse.

By 1925 he had established his own practice and was one of the leading architects in the city, known for his innovative and elegant style. His first major work was the Margaret Williams Hospital, a very unique project. It was sponsored by a wealthy, anonymous businessman whose identity was to be kept secret. This hospital was the first in Shanghai to have high-tech equipment and central airconditioning (installed by Sulzer AG).

In 1933 he moved with his wife and three children to their new home, which he designed (House of Hudec, 57 Columbia Rd.).

A few years later, when their children went to study abroad in Germany and Canada in boarding school, he left the Columbia Road house with his wife and daughter and moved to the first floor of Hubertus Court Apartments on Great Western Road (today Dahua Hotel, Yanan West Road) which was designed and managed by his company.

In 1941 he became the Honorary Consul of Hungary, as the president of the Hungarian Association of Shanghai. With a short interruption in 1945 (after the II. World War) he remained Consul until 1947, when he left to Europe with his family for a lenghty trip due to the uncertain situation in China. He was planning to return, but finally ended up in California. 

Masterpieces

His legacy includes Paulun Hospital, the German Club, Park Hotel, Chapei (Zhabei) Power Station, Shanghai Leather Factory, Union Brewery, and the buildings of the China Baptist Publication Society and of the Christian Literature Society.

Hudec is responsible for numerous local landmarks, including the Park Hotel, facing the old race track on Bubbling Well Road (Nanjing Xi Lu); it was Asia's tallest building upon opening in 1934, with retractable roof over the 22nd floor nightclub. The Park Hotel is one of Shanghai's best-preserved art deco masterpieces. When completed in 1934, the 83.8-metre, 24-floor (22 floors above ground) building was the city's tallest. The record was unbroken for half a century until the early 1980s. Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei has written in a memoir that it was the Park Hotel that first inspired his passion for architecture. "The Park Hotel is the city's landmark, witness to events in old Shanghai and today's fast-paced development," said Peter Fu, chief architect at KFS Architects International Inc. "Despite the radical new skyscrapers that surround it, the hotel's architectural style isn't dated, and that is largely due to Hudec's marvelous design."

Of numerous dwellings Hudec designed, the ultra-modern House for D.V. Woo (Wu Tongwen) on Beijing Xilu (formerly Avenue Road) is outstanding.

In 1930 his office address was 24. Bund.

By 1935 his office moved to the 8th floor of the China Literature Society Building, which was designed by him. Office staff:

  • A.G. Marlev - draughtsman
  • C.H. Fong - draughtsman
  • Yin Ching Hsien - draughtsman
  • Mrs. H.O. Wegener - secretary

Hubertus Properties, his own real estate company (operating Hubertus Court Apartments) shared offices with his design firm at the same address. The two other directors:

  • Norwood F. Allman (71 Amherst Avenue)
  • Paul F. Kops (15 Columbia Avenue)

By 1941 he had built at least 37 buildings as well as numerous private residences.

Life after Shanghai

Europe

After leaving Shanghai in 1947 he lived with his wife in Lugano, Italy. Later he moved Rome for the invitation of Pope XII. Pius, to participate in the excavation works of Saint Peter's tomb.

USA

In 1950, after leaving the service of XII. Pius, they moved to Berkeley (California), where he was invited to became a professor at the university. His first lecture on the 8th of February, 1950 about the excavation works of St. Peter's tomb drew such an interest that even the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the US traveled to Berkeley to attend.

He died in 1958 in California, when he was pushed from the ladder by an earthquake while nailing a picture to the wall of their newly built home, and got an hearth-attack from the impeding shock.

Gisele, his beloved wife died at the age of 103 in 2005 in Vancouver, Canada. Their children live in Canada and California.