1950s Fred Evans' photos | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

1950s Fred Evans' photos

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1950s Fred Evans' photos
Submitted by Admin
Tags: 
vehicle registration
Date picture taken (may be approximate): 
Thursday, January 1, 1959
Gallery: 
1950s Fred Evans' photos
Connections: 
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Comments

Submitted by Raymond Lo (not verified) on Mon, 2007-12-17 21:28.
The picture shows the car park in front of the Hong Kong Star Ferry.

Submitted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on Fri, 2010-07-02 23:50.

This is the car park that JJ Cowperthwaite refused to pay for out of Government funds, saying "If the private sector wants a car park, it can build one".

I'm pretty sure that car park was still there, unchanged, in the 1980's, by which time the cost of a days parking was considerably more than the cost of travelling into and out of Central by any other means.

 

Submitted by J (not verified) on Sat, 2010-07-03 11:44.

I thought this picture showed the multi-storey car park behind City Hall. Reason being this photo of the building only shows a ramp leading down from the upper levels. The car park in front of the old star ferry building (which will be pulled down from what I understand) is a longer building and has another ramp that leads up at the opposite end.

Submitted by annelisec on Sat, 2010-07-03 19:02.

see the Google Streetview Star Ferry carpark here

 

City Hall backstage car park here.  The City Hall low block is clearly visible.

Submitted by tngan on Sat, 2010-07-03 15:20.

Hi there,

Got to check out the stair case there.  I believe you were right about this.  The one next to the back stage of City Hall does not have a stair case next to the ramp.  The one in the west does.

Best Regards,

T

Submitted by moddsey on Sun, 2010-07-04 11:53.

I think J is right that the carpark is the one behind the City Hall Low Block. If one counts the number of pillars supporting the ramp in Fred's photo, it matches the same number from today's Google street view.

1961 photo of the construction of City Hall.

1960s City Hall Construction

 

 

 

Submitted by moddsey on Tue, 2018-07-17 23:37.

The Star Ferry Car Park opened to the public on 8 December 1957. China Mail 9 December 1957 refers. For reference, the the City Hall Car Park opened in 1961. a year before the City Hall was completed.

Submitted by eurasian_david on Tue, 2021-09-28 03:09.

Just some housekeeping of facts. Can admin please update/clarify the following two car parks? 

As noted by moddsey in post just above: 

Star ferry car park opened 8th December 1957

City Hall multi-storey car park opened 1961

...but link still says city hall multi-storey car park opened 1959

Thanks in advance!

Submitted by David on Wed, 2021-10-06 16:28.

I'll stick with 1959 for now, as Fred's photo shows the car park in use, and he left Hong Kong permanently in 1959.

Klaus also found a mention the car park was in use in 1959 (https://gwulo.com/comment/56815#comment-56815), but that note also suggests the car park was closed at some point that year while piling work was underway. So maybe it had an unofficial opening in 1959, closed during the piling works, then had its formal opening in 1961?

Submitted by moddsey on Wed, 2021-10-06 21:11.

Can disregard the 1961 date as information in the Hong Kong Annual Reports 1958/9 has superseded it. Although completed in 1958, the car park only became operational the following year. 

Submitted by OldTimer on Thu, 2021-10-07 09:32.

Apology for changing the subject - I thought it was a Ford, but this is Hong Kong.  That fuzzy four-letter word led me to the 1958 Opel 4-door Sedan.  Regards,  Peter