Murray Building near Peak Tram

This is Murray Building of course. Opened in 1969 and originally housed the Public Works Dept. Now empty pending proposed upgrade to an hotel I believe.

I studied in a school not far from this building many years back.  There was a canteen inside which might only be for government staff.  However, sometimes a group of us would just walk in, football in hand, and eat there.  Nobody asked us to leave.  

And one particular floor housed a showroom selling government maps and published material on the geography of Hong Kong.  Apologies I don't even know the name of that department.  I spent many afternoons drooling over the maps showing rock formations and old coast lines in my school days, but only ever had the money to buy one of them.    

Now, of course, all this information is available from the resident experts on Gwulo.

breskvar

This thread has reminded me of the breakup of the PWD in 1982. I suppose PWD just got too big and unmanageable. In my own little corner we went from the Architectural Office, PWD, to AO of the Buildings Development Department. BDD comprised the AO and the Building Ordinance Office. This was not a match made in heaven, and in 1986 was broken up again. The AO became the Architectural Services Department, and BOO joined the Lands Department.

Breskvar, you visited the 5th floor of Murray Building where the Lands and Survey Office of PWD had their shop. One of the first things I did on arriving in HK to work for the AO, PWD, was to buy in that shop their then current (1978 edition) guide maps for HK.

Ian