1953 Nathan Road

Where: We're looking south along Nathan Road. Over on the left, just behind that big tree, is the junction with Kimberley Road.

What: What would you say is the main item in this photo? The photographer has titled it: "Telephone Building Kowloon"

It doesn't look much today, but when this photo was taken it was less than five years old, and considered Kowloon's landmark building [1]. If we look at it from the opposite direction we get a better idea of how it towered over the older buildings:

And here's how the newspaper described it in February, 1948 [2]:

Kowloon will see the beginnings of its first skyscraper when the first piles are driven this week for a twelve storey office building at the corner of Nathan and Cameron roads.

To be built by the Hongkong Telephone Company, the finished building will stand 192 feet high, just 24 feet lower than the Hongkong Shanghai Bank, the tallest building in the Colony.

Constructed to house a new telephone exchange which will serve the southern area of Kowloon, the skyscraper will provide space for shops on the ground floor. The first and second storeys will be occupied by offices, in addition to the Telephone exchange, and the remaining floors will be made into flats for Telephone Company employees.

So it was a big deal, not just because of the size of the building, but also as a sign that Hong Kong was moving ahead again after the war years.

Moving back towards the photographer we can see a couple of shop names at the junction with Granville Road:

I haven't noticed the Lucky Bakery before, but this isn't the first time we've seen the Blue Peter:

Who can resist "A Homely Public House Atmosphere" !

Then in the left foreground is the the Princess Theatre, less than a year old [3]. It was a concert venue as well as a cinema, with The Beatles performing there in 1964 [4].

When: The sign advertising the film makes it easy to date the photo:

According to the newspapers, Salome hit the local screens in August 1953 [5]

Who: A rickshaw puller is running towards us, about to be overtaken by the bus. The man on the right waits to let them pass, but the lady in the foreground has as much right to be here as anyone, thankyou very much:

Trivia: One more licence plate for the collection [6]:

References:

1. Telephone Building: http://gwulo.com/node/2828
2. 192-Foot Skyscraper for Kowloon: http://gwulo.com/atom/13269
3. The Princess Theatre: http://gwulo.com/node/3048
4. The Beatles in Hong Kong: http://gwulo.com/atom/17853
5. Salome in Hong Kong: The Gala Premiere is advertised on page 2 of The China Mail, 1953-08-19 
6. Car licence plates: http://gwulo.com/hong-kong-car-registration-licence