Government Trade School / Hong Kong Technical College / Victoria Technical School / annexe of the Morrison Hill Technical Insitute / "Red Brick House" [1936-1988]

1935 - Construction begins of the new Government Trade School, Hong Kong's first government-run technical institution teaching post-secondary-school-age students. It will be a three-storey building, known locally as the 'Red Brick House'. [1][5]

109. Trade School—Wood Road, Wanchai:—This building consists of three stories and contains accommodation for the teaching of technical subjects and practical instruction in various trades.

The accommodation comprises the following rooms: — Ground Floor—machine and fitting shop, motor car repair shop, blacksmiths forge, power house, rooms for instruction in bricklayers and plumbers work, a large store and coolie quarters; First Floor—carpenters shop, laboratory, engineering and building drawing offices and lecture rooms and other rooms for instruction in electrical work and building trades, lavatory accommodation is provided on this floor in a separate annexe at the rear of the building; and Second Floor—class rooms and staff offices.

A contract was let to the Building Contractors Association on the 27th of May and at the end of the year the work was well advanced, the carcase of the building being erected to the level of the first floor.

1936 - Construction completed on 29th August, 1936. [2]

1937 - The first course opened in February 1937, for Wireless Telegraphy. In addition to a department of Wireless Telegraphy, the school also had departments of Building, and Engineering. [3]

1938 - The building was officially opened by Governor Northcote on 13 April 1938. [3]

1947 - The school was closed during the Japanese occupation and didn't re-open until 1947, when it was renamed to become the Hong Kong Technical College. [4] Also, the Junior Technical College, another government institution that taught younger students, moved into the building this year.

1953 - The building may have been extended this year. Dan Waters writes that "a third floor was added in 1953" [4], however the description of the building in 1935 said it already had three storeys. Comparing a couple of photos we have that show the building, the 1952 view shows it with a third floor covering part of the building, but in the 1957 view the third floor looks larger. I guess there was a partial third floor floor from day one, that was extended in 1953.

1957 - The Hong Kong Technical College moved out from Wood Road, across the harbour to their new campus at Hung Hom (it would later evolve into the Hong Kong Polytechnic). [4]

The Junior Technical College now had the whole building to themselves. They changed their name to become the Victoria Technical School. [5]

c.1979 - The Victoria Technical School moved out from this building. [5]

c.1981 - The building became an annexe of the Morrison Hill Technical Insitute. [4]

1988 - The building was demolished. [4]

Sources:

1. Item 109, The PWD Annual Report for 1935
2. Item 121, The PWD Annual Report for 1936
3. "Governor opens new local trade school", article on pages 1,2, & 7 of Hong Kong Daily Press, 1938-04-13
4. "A brief history of technical education in Hong Kong — with special reference to the Polytechnic University" by Dr D D Waters
5. "An Exploration of the History of Vocational Education in
   Hong Kong" by Leung Yung, Y. Liang, TSE Wai-chi, Vivian.

I've updated the name from "Red Brick House" - Hong Kong Technical College [1948-1980], based on the information in the timeline above.