Hong Kong City Hall

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This article is about the building "Hong Kong City Hall" offering municipal services. For the building housing the Hong Kong legislature, see Legislative Council Complex. For the building housing Hong Kong government offices, see Central Government Complex. For the government of Hong Kong, see Government of Hong Kong.

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City Hall High Block north façade
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City Hall High Block south façade, from Statue Square
File:HK TST HKHDC 香港文物探知館 Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre - exhibit building model City Hall Aug-2013.JPG
Model of City Hall, with High Block, Lower Block and Garden.
File:Old City Hall HK.jpg
The 1869 City Hall, southern aspect
File:HK Cityhall1875.jpg
City Hall c.1875, oblique view of eastern façade

Hong Kong City Hall (Chinese: 香港大會堂) is a building located at Edinburgh Place, Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.

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 halls 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. The Urban Council managed the City Hall (through the Urban Services Department) 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

Hong Kong's first City Hall, which existed from 1869 to 1933, occupied the current sites of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building (partly) and the Bank of China Building.[1] The current site of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building was occupied in part by the old City Hall, and in part by the first and second generations of the HSBC building.

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 Me A. Hermite, a French architect,[1][2] in a Renaissance style, with cupolae, colonnades and arches. The facilities available for use by the local community included a theatre, library, museum and assembly rooms.[1] A fountain, sponsored by Dent & 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 third generation headquarters, 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.[1]

Second generation

The City Hall and its surroundings.
File:Hong Kong City Hall View 2014.jpg
City Hall Lower Block
File:Hong Kong City Hall Lobby 201411.jpg
Lower Block Lobby
File:Hong Kong City Hall Theatre 201205.jpg
Theatre in High Block
File:The City Hall Memorial Garden Overview 2014.jpg
The memorial garden in the City Hall
File:The City Hall Memorial Garden Memorial Shrine 2012.jpg
Shrine to the war dead in the memorial garden
File:The City Hall Memorial Garden View 2012.jpg
The memorial garden in the City Hall
File:-HK CityHall SeaView 51217 3.jpg
Sea view from the City Hall High Block, in 2005, with Edinburgh Place Ferry Pier still standing.

The second and current City Hall complex was built in the late 1950s on a 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft) plot of land on the newly reclaimed seafront, about 200 metres (660 ft) from the first generation building. It officially opened on 2 March 1962 by then Governor Robert Brown Black. It was placed under the responsibility of the Urban Council. The City Hall has been listed as a Grade I historic building since 2009.[3]

Design

It was designed in 1956, by British architects Ron Phillips and Alan Fitch.[4] With its clean lines and stark geometric forms, the new Hall is an example of 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.[1]

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 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".[4]

Function

The most important civic function performed by City Hall was as a ceremonial location for the swearing in of successive Governors following their inauguration.[5]

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 in 1973, Asian Arts Festival in 1976, the Hong Kong International Film Festival 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, until a new Central library 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 relocated in 1975, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art also moved out of City Hall in 1991.

The City Hall Memorial Garden at the north-western quadrant is a walled garden (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 World War II (1941–1945).

Summary of facilities

The complex has two buildings and a garden.
The High Block, a 12-storey building, is in the south-western end and houses a number of government facilities, including:

  • City Hall Library, an eight-storey facility, which in the past served as the central library of Hong Kong (on the 9th – 11th floors)
  • Exhibition Gallery, 260 square feet (24 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, managed by Maxim's Catering: 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 Handicapped/disabled access Reference Library / Business and Industry Library
Multimedia Resource Centre
10th floor Handicapped/disabled access Reference Library (Entrance)
Creativity and Innovation Resource Centre
9th floor Handicapped/disabled access Newspapers and Periodicals Reading Room
8th floor Handicapped/disabled access Recital Hall
Extension Activities Room
7th floor Handicapped/disabled access Exhibition Gallery
Committee Room South/North
6th floor Handicapped/disabled access Computer and Information Centre
Office of Computerization Unit Hong Kong Public Libraries
5th floor Handicapped/disabled access Basic Law Library
Adult Lending Library
4th floor Handicapped/disabled access Adult Lending Library
3rd floor Handicapped/disabled access Adult Lending Library (Entrance)
Circulation Counter
2nd floor Handicapped/disabled access Junior Library
1st floor Handicapped/disabled access Marriage Registry
Ground floor Handicapped/disabled access Library Cloakroom

See also

Other civic centres in Hong Kong:

Nearby sites:

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 EIA: A survey report of Historical Buildings and Structures within the Project Area of the Central Reclamation Phase III, Chan Sui San Peter for the HK Government, February 2001
  2. ↑ "Building Together: 160 Years of Hong Kong – French Common Heritage and Perspectives" Exhibition leaflet
  3. ↑ List of the 1,444 Historic Buildings in Building Assessment (as of 27 December 2013)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Annexe B3, EIA: A survey report of Historical Buildings and Structures within the Project Area of the Central Reclamation Phase III, Chan Sui San Peter for the HK Government, February 2001
Further reading
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External links

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