14 Conduit Road [????- ]

Thank you for the information.  Is the building labeled "1887" in the 1958 photo, Victoria Lodge?

Annelisec,

In response to your query of 10-28.

He owned the house from the 1920's until the 1960's.  It would have been linked him, Herbert To, or the previous owner.  He had a sizeable household of 8 children with associated domestic help where he entertained large gatherings of family and friends.   After he passed away in the late 1960's it was demolished and the property developed by Stanley Ho and Willam To into the condominium that is on that site today.

Thank you for your efforts to find some documentation or photos.

Alfred Wen

annelisec,

Yes, those are the people.  I have the Life and Times book, but I did not find a reference to "Benfica" or 5 Robinson Road in the index.

Will these references lead to better sources of photos or plans for the house in question?

Thank you

I have forwarded the 1901 map and the house names to a relative who lived in the house to see if he can confirm it by name or identify the footprint on the map.

I will try to draw a floor plan from memory and have asked the relative to share his recollection of the room layout with me. 

The buildings between Robinson and Conduit on the 1901 map appear to be set back quite a distance from what I assume is Conduit Road.   Did the house for the French consul exist at the time of the 1901 map? 

I remember the front of the house on the Conduit Road property line with a large terrace behind the building overlooking Robinson. 

Thank you again.

I examined the photo and suspect that the house in obsured by the trees in the foreground.  I also could not make out the terraces that overlook Robinson Road.

I have not heard from the relative confirming Benfica.

Is Benfica also the former Victoria Lodge and former French counsel's residence?

I am not sure if I confirmed an early post that the current Emerald Court built in 1966 at the current #14 is probably the site. 

I also have some old newspaper clippings from the 1950's describing the house that I can email to you.  Apparently there was a major renovation when it was purchased in the mid-1920's.  The article also references the former French counsel having built it 70 years ago which would have been in the mid 1880's (my guess based on the undated article).

I hope this helps. 

As for annelisec's lunch offer, I would be happy to oblige, but from NY?

Thank you for your continued help and patience.

Alfred

That clearly looks like the plot.  Perhaps the original building did not back onto Robinson (as I imagined) and relied on that flight of steps to reach the kitchen area under the former terrace. 

In any event, is it likely there is any publicly available information on the former house - plans especially - or have we exhausted the leads?

I really appreciate your and David's efforts. 

As for your lunch...I have used PayPal, so infrequently, I have to familiarize myself with it again.  Where do I send your lunch tab?

Terrific!

Will there be a floor plan(s) or just the footprint on the lot?  Does the Public Works Department also have photos?

I don't know if he purchased both the Conduit Road and Robinson Road halves.  I remember that exiting from the rear of the house below the terrace lead to Robinson.  However, it could have been via that stepped path I saw on one of the earlier maps you sent.  In any event, I am more interested in the Conduit Road half.

I will email David to get your email.  It there is a delay, it is because I do not check the site everyday.

Thank you for pursuing this with slim leads.   It is much appreciated.  I hope it produces some useful images - plans, photos or both - of the house.

Great detective work!  Would there be any record of the late 1920's alteration with the Buildings Department?  Old drawings or microfilm?  I know Annelise offered to check there for another lunch, which I am happy to do, but I don't want to frustrate anyone if you think it will be a dead end.

Are there are any street views from the period?  Did the property show up in 1954 or 1958 panoramas looking at Midlevels that you posted at the beginning of our search?  I could not find it.

Thank you again for your interest and persistence on my behalf.

I received more information about the house from relatives who were also interested it getting photos and plans.  I was off by a decade as to its acquisition - it was 1934.  Immediately thereafter the existing building was rebuilt over a two year period and finally occupied in 1936.  They guess the property was 75' x 100' or 150'.  The property was only the portion numbered 14.   No. 12 was owned by the Ho family. 

I suspect that this would not change any of the sources of information that you or your volunteers have offered to date.   But if there are other photos of that area from the late 1930's through the 1950's that have not been posted, I would appreciate posts or links inorder to continue my search.

We are using the 1922 map that Annelise located - thank her - to scale the remembered building plan onto the No. 14 side of the plot.

No. 29 was its address from the Robinson Road side if that is of any use in locating additional information.

Thanks.

Alfred

Thank you for the Architectural Services Department lead.  I've emailed them and am waiting to hear back.

From what I have learned from relatives who lived in the house longer than me, it was a total redo in 1934-36 turning a traditional house into an Art Deco structure.  I was given a facade drawing and some very schematic plans.  However, I need to adjust the plans to the dimensions of the lot which I cannot find.

I went to the geomap site which has a measuring tool, but that gave me numbers very different from other's recollections.  Are there lot dimensions listed somewhere for IL 712 S.D?

You and your volunteers provide wonderful resources.  I would be happy to help with the jurors list but probably after the New Year when I have a block of time to figure it out.

Thanks.

Interesting...any way to get the lot dimensions of the D and B portions of 712?  Were they on any of the documents that you retrieved?

BTW, the Architectural Services Department lead that David provided only has records of buildings on government land.  They referred me to the Buildings Department where I remember you had already checked to no avail.

A house on 999 year leased land doesn't qualify as a building on government land according to them.

While I appreciate your offer, it may not be necessary since you got copies of IL 712 and IL 712 S.D for the earlier lunch.   Could you just email or post the information that are on the leases?  I just need one dimension to work from with the 1922 map.

Thanks.

I understand.  Don't trouble yourself any further for that level of detail at this point.  But thank you for the offer.  I am surprised lot dimensions are not online public information somewhere.

I will get some proximate dimensions based on the 1922 map and fit my schematic 1936 plans on the lot.  Use that map as a guide, I am now told that the 1936 house was built out to the property lines on four sides and the rear terrace wall was built on the retaining wall separating the Conduit Road property from the Benfica house and property, so I have a very good start for my recreation of the floor plan.

Is there an online source of information to get the street elevations of 29 Robinson Road and 14 Conduit Road?

I will use the measuring tool on the map site.  It is undoubtedly more accurate than people's memory.

Yes, I was referring to the street height above sea level for Robinson and Conduit in order to develop the cross section through the site. 

I will post the drawings when I have them drawn.