St. John's Building is a skyscraper

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

 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...

 on 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...

 of 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...

. Owned and operated by Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels

Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels

The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited , , is an investment holding company based in Hong Kong. It is the owner of Hong Kong's famous Peninsula Hotel and its sister hotels, the Peak Tram and many other residential and commercial properties and other businesses...

, it is built on the slope beside Garden Road

Garden Road, Hong Kong

Garden Road is a major road on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, connecting the Central and Mid-levels areas.At its lower end, Garden Road forms a grade-separated intersection with Queensway. For most of its length, Garden Road carries traffic only in the downhill direction. Uphill traffic is carried...

 and Cotton Tree Drive

Cotton Tree Drive

Cotton Tree Drive is a road in Central to Mid-levels on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. The road is famous because of the Cotton Tree Drive Marriage Registry, a hotspot for marriage registration in Hong Kong Park....

. The ground floor serves as the Garden Road terminus

Garden Road (Peak Tram)

Garden Road is the lower terminus of the Peak Tram line. It is located on the bottom floor of the St. John's Building on Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, 28m above sea level....

 of the Peak Tram

Peak Tram

The Peak Tramway is a funicular railway in Hong Kong, which carries both tourists and residents to the upper levels of Hong Kong Island. Running from Central district to Victoria Peak via the Mid-Levels, it provides the most direct route and offers good views over the harbour and skyscrapers of...

.

History

In 1889 the Garden Road Station for the Peak Tram opened. In 1935 a new lower terminus was built along with the St John's Apartments: a reinforced concrete building, with eight studio flats and a two-bedroom penthouse. In 1964 the apartments were demolished and a modern 14-storey commercial and residential building was erected in its place. This was in turn replaced by the current 21-storey building. This building won the Silver Medal of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects

Hong Kong Institute of Architects

Hong Kong Institute of Architects is a professional body for architects in Hong Kong with approximately 1500 full members ,300 associates members and graduate members...

in 1983.