City Hall, Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
Edinburgh Place
Edinburgh Place is a public square in Central, Hong Kong, adjacent to the Victoria Harbour. The Hong Kong City Hall is located in the square. In addition, the Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier and Queen's Pier were also located in the square before they were demolished in early 2007.-History:The...
, Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
, Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Since Hong Kong does not designate itself or any part of itself as a city, there is no mayor or city council; therefore, the City Hall does not hold the offices of a city government, unlike most city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
s around the world. Instead, it is a complex providing municipal services, including performing venues and libraries.
The City Hall is managed by the Government's Leisure and Cultural Services Department
Leisure and Cultural Services Department
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department , often abbreviated as LCSD, is a department in the Government of Hong Kong. It reports to the Home Affairs Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs. It provides leisure and cultural activities for the people of Hong Kong, which was also one of...
. The Urban Council managed the City Hall (through the Urban Services Department
Urban Services Department
Urban Services Department was a government department in Hong Kong. It carried out the policies and managed the facilities of the former Urban Council.After being abolished with the Urban Council in 1999, its functions were inherited by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure...
) and held its meetings there prior to its dissolution in December 1999. Prior to its dissolution the UrbCo served as the municipal council for Hong Kong Island and Kowloon (including New Kowloon). The UrbCo had its meeting chamber in the Low Block of the City Hall.
First generation
The first City Hall of Hong Kong, which existed from 1869 to 1933, was located at the current site of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters buildingHSBC Hong Kong headquarters building
The HSBC Main Building is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Central, Hong Kong. It is located along the southern side of Statue Square near the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong . The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and pulled down...
.
Design and function
The City Hall was built on Government land, and funds were raised for its construction, which started in 1866, from public subscriptions. The two-storey hall was designed by Maître Hermite, a French architect, in a magnificent renaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
style, with cupolae, colonnades and arches. The facilities available for use by the local community included a theatre, library, museum and assembly rooms. A fountain, sponsored by Dent & Co.
Dent & Co.
Dent & Co. or Dent's, was one of the wealthiest British merchant firms, or hongs, active in China during the 19th century. The company was a direct rival to Jardine, Matheson & Co...
was located at the front (south side) of the Hall. The building was inaugurated by HRH Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh on 28 June 1869 on his visit to the colony.
The land was acquired by the Hong Kong Bank in 1933 for its 3rd generation headquarters
HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building
The HSBC Main Building is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Central, Hong Kong. It is located along the southern side of Statue Square near the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong . The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and pulled down...
, so that the western part of City Hall was pulled down. The remaining part was demolished in 1947 to make way for the Bank of China Building.
Second generation
The City Hall complex was built in the late 1950s on a 10,000-square-metre plot of land on the newly reclaimed seafront, and was officially opened on 2 March 1962 by then Governor Robert Brown BlackRobert Brown Black
Sir Robert Brown Black GCMG, OBE was a British colonial administrator. He would spend three decades overseas and return to Britain in the 1960s: he was Governor of Hong Kong from 23 January 1958 to 1 April 1964, having been Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1952 – 1955...
. It was placed under the responsibility of the Urban Council.
Design
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
fashionable at the time. The structure was constructed using steel and concrete, and much of the equipment was of steel, glass and anodised aluminium.
The two separate blocks and gardens were laid out as a cohesive whole, along a central axis. The entrance to the lower block (exhibition hall) of the City Hall formed an axis with Queen's Pier
Queen's Pier
Queen's Pier, named after Queen Victoria, was a public pier in front of City Hall in Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong. For three generations it served not only as a public pier in day-to-day use but also as a major ceremonial arrival and departure point...
to lend a sense of occasion to visiting dignitaries. One major consideration was juxtaposing the city bustle whilst maximising public access to the surrounding area. Thus, the out-sized public areas of the Memorial Gardens and the piazza in front were conceived as a natural extension to promote the "freedom of movement and a sense of unlimited space".
Function
The most important civic function performed by City Hall was as the ceremonial location for swearing in of successive GovernorsGovernor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
since it was inaugurated.
City Hall's Concert hall and theatre have been an important home to the performing arts in Hong Kong since its inauguration. A number of culture events, including the Hong Kong Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival
Hong Kong Arts Festival
Hong Kong Arts Festival , founded in 1973, is a focus programmes for the Culture of Hong Kong, in order to provides a wide range of art programmes from all over the world....
in 1973, Asian Arts Festival in 1976, the Hong Kong International Film Festival
Hong Kong International Film Festival
The Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community...
in 1977, and the International Arts Carnival in 1982 were hosted there. The conference room of the former Urban Council was also at the lower building of the City Hall.
The High block once housed Hong Kong's principal public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, until a new Central library
Hong Kong Central Library
Hong Kong Central Library is the main library of Hong Kong. It is located at the intersection of Moreton Terrace and Causeway Road in Causeway Bay....
was opened in 2001; the Hong Kong art gallery (which became the Hong Kong Art Museum in 1969) began life there on the tenth and eleventh floors. The Hong Kong Museum of History
Hong Kong Museum of History
The Hong Kong Museum of History is a museum which preserves Hong Kong's historical and cultural heritage. It is located next to the Hong Kong Science Museum....
relocated in 1975, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art
Hong Kong Museum of Art
The Hong Kong Museum of Art is the main art museum of Hong Kong. The museum was established as the City Hall Museum and Art Gallery in the City Hall in Central by the Urban Council in 1962. In 1991, it was moved to the present premises at 10 Salisbury Road, near the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and...
also moved out of City Hall in 1991.
The City Hall Memorial Garden at the north-western quadrant is a walled garden
Walled garden
A walled garden is specifically a garden enclosed by high walls for horticultural rather than security purposes, though traditionally all gardens have been hedged about or walled for protection from animal or human intruders...
(for pictures see below). It is a popular spot and obligatory backdrop for photographs of couples who celebrate their marriage in the City Hall Registry. Within the garden is a regular dodecagon shrine with an embedded memorial (Roll of Honour and Plaque) to those killed in Hong Kong during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1941–1945).
Summary of facilities
The complex has two buildings and a garden.
- City Hall Library, an eight-storey facility, which in the past served as the central libraryHong Kong Central LibraryHong Kong Central Library is the main library of Hong Kong. It is located at the intersection of Moreton Terrace and Causeway Road in Causeway Bay....
of Hong Kong (on the 9th - 11th floors) - Exhibition Gallery, 260 square feet (24.2 m²).
- Recital Hall with 111-seats.
- Committee Rooms: two 40-seat committee rooms (on the 7th floor)
- Marriage Registry (on the 1st floor)
The 3-storey Low Block is at the eastern end, with the following facilities:
- Concert Hall, with 1,434 seats and 60 standees at the mezzanine level.
- Restaurants and a cafe - continental (Deli and Wine), Chinese (City Hall Maxim's Palace) and European (Maxim's Restaurant) cuisines
- The URBTIX Box Office
- Exhibition Hall, 590-square metres.
- Theatre with 463 seats.
- Performing Arts Shop
- an enquiry counter
High Block floor directory
| 11th floor | Reference Library / Business and Industry Library Multimedia Resource Centre |
|---|---|
| 10th floor | Reference Library (Entrance) Creativity and Innovation Resource Centre |
| 9th floor | Newspapers and Periodicals Reading Room |
| 8th floor | Recital Hall Extension Activities Room |
| 7th floor | Exhibition Gallery Committee Room South/North |
| 6th floor | Computer and Information Centre Office of Computerization Unit Hong Kong Public Libraries |
| 5th floor | Basic Law Library Adult Lending Library |
| 4th floor | Adult Lending Library |
| 3rd floor | Adult Lending Library (Entrance) Circulation Counter |
| 2nd floor | Junior Library |
| 1st floor | Marriage Registry |
| Ground floor | Library Cloakroom |
See also
Other civic centres in Hong Kong:
- Sai Wan Ho Civic CentreSai Wan Ho Civic CentreSai Wan Ho Civic Centre is a community arts centre in Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong and maintained by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, one of the successors to the territory's Urban Council....
- Sha Tin Town HallSha Tin Town HallSha Tin Town Hall is a town hall at the town centre of the Sha Tin District in Hong Kong. It is located near the Sha Tin Park and the New Town Plaza...
- Tsuen Wan Town HallTsuen Wan Town Hallright|thumb|250px|Tsuen Wan Town Hallright|thumb|250px|Tsuen Wan Town Hallright|thumb|250px|Lobby arearight|thumb|250pxTsuen Wan Town Hall is a town hall in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong. Its construction was part of Tsuen Wan New Town...
- Tuen Mun Town HallTuen Mun Town HallThe Tuen Mun Town Hall is a cultural complex managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Located in Tuen Mun Town Centre and effectively served by a motorway network connecting all parts of the district as well as Yuen Long, Tsuen Wan and Kowloon, the Town Hall is the centre for...
Nearby sites:
- HMS TamarHMS Tamar (shore station)HMS Tamar was the name for the Royal Navy's base in Hong Kong from 1897 to 1997. It took its name from HMS Tamar a ship that was used as the base until replaced by buildings ashore.-19th Century:...
- Chater GardenChater GardenChater Garden , located in the Central District of Hong Kong, is a public park directly east of the Legislative Council building. It is named after Sir Paul Chater, and one side of the garden is on Chater Road which is also named after him.-History:...
- Statue SquareStatue SquareStatue Square is a public pedestrian square in Central, Hong Kong.-History:The square was built at the end of the 19th century. The idea of a square of statues dedicated to royalty was conceived by Sir Catchick Paul Chater. It derives its name from the fact that it originally contained the statue...
- HSBC Hong Kong headquarters buildingHSBC Hong Kong headquarters buildingThe HSBC Main Building is a headquarters building of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited in Central, Hong Kong. It is located along the southern side of Statue Square near the location of the old City Hall, Hong Kong . The previous HSBC building was built in 1935 and pulled down...
- Government House, Hong KongGovernment House, Hong KongGovernment House , located on Government Hill in the Central District of Hong Kong Island, is the official residence of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong...
- Former Supreme Court Building