Hong Kong Club Building
Encyclopedia
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
香港會) is 25-storey office building located in between Chater Road
Chater Road
Chater Road is a three-lane road in Central, Hong Kong. It begins at its intersection with Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central in the west, and ends at Murray Road in the east. It is named after Sir Paul Chater.-Events:...
and Connaught Road Central at the junction of Jackson Road, in 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
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...
. The Hong Kong Club Building is currently in its third generation, in its second location. It is owned by the Hong Kong Club
Hong Kong Club
The Hong Kong Club is the first Gentlemen's club in Hong Kong. Opened on 26 May 1846, at 1 Jackson Road overlooking the Cenotaph, it is a private business and dining club in the heart of Central, Hong Kong. Its members were among the most influential people in the city, including such...
, which occupies 8 levels, while the other floors are leased for office use.
The Hong Kong Club Building, in its second incarnation, was one of the last examples of renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
remaining in Hong Kong. The building was completed in 1897, and demolished in June 1981. It was replaced by the current modern building.
First generation
D'Aguilar Street
D'Aguilar Street is a street in Central, Hong Kong. It is an L-shaped street starting from Queen's Road Central, at Entertainment Building. It runs uphill and meets various featured streets Stanley Street, Wellington Street, Wo On Lane and Lan Kwai Fong in the area...
and Queen's Road
Queen's Road
Queen's Road is the first road in Hong Kong built by the Government of Hong Kong between 1841 and 1843, spanning across Victoria City from Shek Tong Tsui to Wan Chai...
.
The three-storey building was designed in a classic style. The cost of construction and furniture of ₤
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
15,000 was raised through an issue of ₤100 shares.
A chronicle article from 1847 said:
- "It is a handsome three-storey building and with the out offices covers nearly the third of an acre of ground...
- "The interior arrangements are very elegant and reflect great credit on the architect (Mr. S. Strachan) for whose design for the building a premium was awarded.... The entrance hall and grand staircase in the centre supported on fluted columns with capitals in the Corinthian orderCorinthian orderThe Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
has a very noble effect..."
In 1897, the club moved to more spacious accommodation next to the war memorial, on a sea-front plot of land created by the Central Praya reclamation
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
. The existing building was sold to A. S. Watson & Company
Watson's
Watson's or Watson's is part of the Health and Beauty retail and consumer division of the Hong Kong-based A.S. Watson Group, which in turn is part of the world wide conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Ltd...
, who initially rented it out to the short-lived New Club, a club for master mariners.
Second generation
P & T Architects & Engineers Ltd
P & T Architects & Engineers Ltd, . In short P&T, or otherwise known as Palmer and Turner. P & T has designed many landmark buildings in Hong Kong, Shanghai and elsewhere in SE Asia....
, and was completed in July 1897.
The club held a referendum in around 1974, when the members voted to retain the building and not to redevelop. In 1977 and again in 1978, a demolition plan was rejected by members. The club committee became increasingly alarmist with arguments to redevelop, including the assertion in 1978 that the building was a fire safety hazard; that, in November 1979, it made inflated claims that it would cost HK$25 million to renovate, and eventually won the day.
In 1981, architects who designed the building but who lodged an application to demolish it were quoted as saying that the existing building was old, traditional and would fall to pieces if leaned on heavily. A spokesman said it would "come down like a pack of cards".
Preservation campaign
In order to update the club facilities, the members had opted to have the building renovated at a cost of HK$Hong Kong dollar
The Hong Kong dollar is the currency of the jurisdiction. It is the eighth most traded currency in the world. In English, it is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively HK$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
20 million. However, the parlous state of the club's finances tempted the club to explore options to redevelop the valuable site. In 1977, it was reportedly offered HK$200 million for the site by Wardley, part of the Hong Kong Bank.
In around 1978, a campaign at all levels was mounted to save the 82 year-old building.
The Heritage Society also mounted a campaign to stop the demolition of the building. The building was declared a monument
Declared monuments of Hong Kong
Declared monuments of Hong Kong are places, structures or buildings legally declared to be "protected". In Hong Kong, declaring a monument requires consulting the Antiquities Advisory Board, the approval of the Chief Executive as well as the publication of the notice in government gazette.As of 12...
by the Antiquities Advisory Board
Antiquities Advisory Board
The Antiquities Advisory Board is a statutory body of the Government of Hong Kong created in 1976 to evaluate old buildings in Hong Kong, and to recommend those with historical or architectural merit for listing as monuments. It is under the responsibility of the Home Affairs Bureau, directly...
late in 1980. A petition was sent to the Executive Council. On 16 September 1980, the Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
decided not to endorse the AAB's recommendation that the Club building be preserved as a monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
, citing "unjustified cost to the community" - the cost to taxpayers would be HK$500 million. The decision was denounced by conservationists as being influenced by "powerful vested interests" and against public opinion The Hong Kong Conservancy Association also appealed to the then Governor
Governor 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...
Murray MacLehose not to undervalue its cultural importance and not to allow the decision to be taken purely on economic grounds. "If even the Government appears to value nothing but money, Hong Kong's youth cannot be expected to have higher standards," said Dr. L. K. Ding, HKCA Chairman.
The General Committee of the club was called to task by members, who contested its decision to sign a deal with developers knock down the building and redevelop the site before members had a chance to debate the issue. An EGM was convened to vote on the proposals on 20 October 1980, and the Chairman was forced to concede the Heads of Agreement would be subject to members' ratification. Members voted overwhelmingly to proceed with redevelopment.
Hongkong Land
Hongkong Land
Hongkong Land is one of Asia’s leading property investment, management and development groups with premium commercial and residential property interests across the region. It owns and manages some five million square feet of commercial space in Hong Kong’s Central Business District serving...
was the appointed developer. The club occupied the 25th to 27th floors of World-Wide House
World-Wide House
World-Wide House is an office building in Central, Hong Kong. It is located between Connaught Road Central, Pedder Street and Des Voeux Road Central.-History:The site is situated on land reclaimed at the turn of the 20th century....
during redevelopment. The Victorian building was demolished in June 1981.
Third generation
The knocked-down building was replaced with a 21-storey building designed by Austrian-born Australian architect Harry SeidlerHarry Seidler
Harry Seidler, AC OBE was an Austrian-born Australian architect who is considered to be one of the leading exponents of Modernism's methodology in Australia and the first architect to fully express the principles of the Bauhaus in Australia.Harry Seidler designed more than 180 buildings and he...
, that was unveiled to the members in December 1980. Hongkong Land agreed to shoulder all demolition and rebuilding costs in exchange for the rental income of the upper storeys for 25 years. 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) of the new building was to be occupied by the Club - the four podium floors in the new tower would be kept as dining rooms and bars for the members - while the 17 upper floors would be leased for normal office use.
From 2009, the club took full ownership of the building and collect all revenues, estimated to be HK$100 million a year.
The building is occupied by a wide range of companies and organisations including Commerzbank Hong Kong, which occupies the top two floors. Others include online broker Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab may refer to:*Charles M. Schwab , American steel magnate*Charles R. Schwab , founder of the eponymous brokerage*Charles Schwab Corp., an American based brokerage firm...
and Rolls-Royce Motors
Rolls-Royce Motors
Rolls-Royce Motors was created from the de-merger of the Rolls-Royce car business from Rolls-Royce Limited in 1973. The original Rolls-Royce Limited had been nationalised in 1971 due to the financial collapse of the company, caused in part by the development of the RB211 jet engine...
which have space on the ground floor, Libertas Capital Asia Limited on the ninth floor, the Institute of Financial Planners on the eighth floor and some law and accounting firms.