Mr. Hudec's plan when he arrived in boomtown Shanghai was to make some money, and then go home.

WSJ: Architect László Ede Hudec Designed Shanghai's Art Deco Landmarks

On the top floor, Mr. Hudec placed a row of seven white-marble-arched Palladian windows to form a decorative arcade.

WSJ: Architect László Ede Hudec Designed Shanghai's Art Deco Landmarks

Two years ago he approached Hudec, his parents' neighbor, about converting part of his 300-acre ranch into a truffle orchard.

FORBES: Entrepreneurs

"His enthusiasm and motivation to succeed is very contagious, " says Hudec.

FORBES: Magazine Article

In Shanghai, architects from Britain, France and elsewhere -- Mr. Hudec was Hungarian, trained in Budapest -- mixed with the first generation of Western-trained professional Chinese architects.

WSJ: Touring Asia's Art Deco Gems in Shanghai and Napier, New Zealand

"When he'd get a shipment, he'd have it set up in his garage with his scale and his FedEx boxes, " says Wayne Hudec, a neighbor who later became a business partner.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Sir Robert Ho Tung, a powerful half-English magnate whose commercial empire straddled Shanghai and Hong Kong, commissioned a Shanghai home from Mr. Hudec, who gave it a south-facing porch with graceful Ionic columns.

WSJ: Architect László Ede Hudec Designed Shanghai's Art Deco Landmarks

Mr. Hudec was particularly fond of his work on a building commissioned by the American Club in China that housed offices for the American Chamber of Commerce and space for the LaSalle Extension University.

WSJ: Architect László Ede Hudec Designed Shanghai's Art Deco Landmarks

Mr. Hudec decided to stay on in Shanghai.

WSJ: Architect László Ede Hudec Designed Shanghai's Art Deco Landmarks