Yau Ma Tei multi-storey car park [1970-2021] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Yau Ma Tei multi-storey car park [1970-2021]

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Submitted by Klaus on Sun, 2021-01-03 02:04
Current condition: 
Demolished / No longer exists
Date Place completed: 
1970-01-01
Date Place demolished: 
2021-01-01

The Yau Ma Tei Car Park Building and the nearby Yau Ma Tei Government Office occupy the former site of an old market, after which the adjacent Market Street (街市街), considered one of the oldest streets in Kowloon, is named. The market was relocated to the Yau Ma Tei Market (油麻地街市), built in 1957 along Kansu Street.

The Yau Ma Tei Car Park Building was built in 1957 1970 (as referred to in the 1969 Annual Report). In 1977, the Gascoigne Road Flyover was built to bypass existing surface road and go through the building.

A contract for works including the demolition of the Yau Ma Tei Car Park Building was signed on March 6, 2018 between the Highways Department and Build King-SKEC Joint Venture. The car park was closed in phases starting on November 1st, 2020, and finally on January 1st, 2021.

From Wikipedia

The building will be torn down for the construction of the Central Kowloon Route by the Highways Department.

Tags: 
car park
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Photos that show this place

2009
2011
2011

Comments

Submitted by philk on Sun, 2021-01-03 06:45.

I know it's on wikipedia and other sites but I think the 1957 build date is wrong.

The Heritage impact assessment report, linked to by wiki, states (on page 14)

1957 „ The new Gansu Street Market was completed and the old market site was redeveloped as the present Yau Ma Tei Government Office and the Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building.

However, I have some movie footage shot in the area in 1967 that shows the car park (at least in this form) did not exist. Even the 1965 map on HKMapViewer shows the area with an open space just south of the toilets and what looks like a couple of tenement blocks with a dividing alleyway in the car park site. The blurry 1963 photo overlay appears to show the same tenements.

Perhaps it was built in 1967 and someone somewhere typed the wrong date? The demolition of the Kwong  Chee theatre, located at the southern end of the site, in 1968 seems to tie in better in terms of a build year.

Submitted by Klaus on Fri, 2021-01-08 17:15.

Thank you Phil for your hint on the incorrect opening date. I've checked the Hong Kong Annual Reports and found for the year 1969: 

Construction of the two multi-storey car parks at Rumsey Street and Yau Ma Tei, each of which will accomodate about 900 cars on completion, is expected to be completed in early 1970.

The report for 1970 lists both as operational.

P.S. The post by StephenKwan on Yau Ma Tei Carpark Building stated that already.

Submitted by philk on Sun, 2021-01-03 23:19.

Thanks for clearing that up Klaus. I hadn't seen the post by Stephen but I'm glad to know that I'm not going mad and the page on wiki is completely wrong. Phil

Submitted by philk on Fri, 2021-01-08 09:02.

Looking at the aerial photos of the area, it looks as though the carpark was originally developed at only half the current size, occupying the northern section of the current site. Then after the mid-70s, following the construction of the flyover, the southern section of the car park was then constructed around the road.

Submitted by Klaus on Fri, 2021-01-08 18:34.

David wrote about the Middle Road Car Park:

I've added a completion date, based on this mention in the 1964 Annual report:

The new multi-storey car park in Tsim Sha Tsui, the first in Kowloon and the largest so far in the Colony, was completed in December. .....

So I don't think the YMT car park was built earlier than 1970, the goverment would have proudly presented any earlier development.