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Written by: Zhang Jiamin and Liang Delun
2019-12-12 20:58
Last updated: 2019-12-12 21:03The Antiquities Advisory Board met today (12th) to appraise three of the buildings in the former Salvation Army Kwai Chung Girls' Home as a proposed second-class historic building and the Causeway Bay Kongsheng Lecture Hall as a first-class historic building.
In addition, the ancient consultation committee also discussed the renovation plan of the Married Police Quarters (Block 4) of the Central District Police Station Complex known as the Great Hall. The Jockey Club representative reiterated that the demolished brick wall will be kept as much as possible for reuse in the new building. The wooden ladder and granite stone ladder will be presented in the building in a new way after demolition. Construction is expected in the third quarter of next year and completion will be completed in 2023-24.
The Salvation Army Kwai Chung Girls' Hospital has been deserted since 1994. (Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Pond)
The former Salvation Army Kwai Chung Girl's Home on Lei Muk Road, Kwai Chung was built from the late 1930s to the early 1940s and is privately owned. The building was used as a girl's home from 1971 to 1994 and has since been emptied. The Salvation Army sold the property for 100 million yuan last year. The new owner, Huaxin Real Estate Finance, earlier applied to the Town Planning Board to convert the girl's home into a residential care home for the elderly. Only the main building and chapel of the girl's home were retained. The old home will provide 140 beds.
The Kong Sheng Lecture Hall was built in 1935 and is also privately owned by the building. The Confucius Lecture Hall is located in the Confucius Church Middle School. The building is modeled after the ancient temple of Confucius in Shandong and is used to promote Confucianism. Later, the Children's Health Center was opened in 1939, and then closed in 1941 due to World War II.
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The Jockey Club representative revealed that the restoration plan preserved the building's exterior wall, which can highlight the history of the building and other buildings, and preserve the original street atmosphere. Most of the members of the ancient advisory committee agreed with the new plan submitted by the Jockey Club. Some members pointed out that the situation at the scene was indeed bad and that the existing plan was more feasible.
Zhang Liang, executive director of charity and community affairs at the Jockey Club, pointed out that the new wall will be piled up in an unused way to identify it with the old wall. In the future, the building will be used as a visitor center, and the upper floor will be a performance venue for non-profit organizations. The next step of the restoration plan will be submitted to the government department for approval. Construction is expected in the third quarter of next year, and it is expected to take three years to complete in 2023/24.
Kwai Chung Girls' Home Facing Reconstruction
Heijiaotou Stone Carving, Wanxu Yuxu Palace, Sheung Shui Weifeng Hou Gong Ancestral Hall are listed as legal monuments
The ancient advisory committee agrees that the second floor of the Staunton Street tenement building is planned to hold a brainstorming session next year
In addition, the Antiquities Office also explained that the gas lamps and granite ladders in Dudeli Street, Central, which were blown down during the typhoon Mangkhut attack last year, indicate that one of the lampposts was broken into three because the lampposts were severely damaged. For more than 200 components, I hope to repair them with raw materials and technology as much as possible, so I contacted the original manufacturer for evaluation. The repairs have now been almost completed. It is expected to reopen before Christmas this year.
Office of Ancient Buildings and Historic Sites
