2 York Road Kowloon Tong [c.1929- ] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

2 York Road Kowloon Tong [c.1929- ]

Current condition: 
In use
Date Place completed: 
c.1929-01-01 (Year, Month, Day are approximate)

This building has Grade 3 listing by the AMO. 

Estimated build date between 1927-1930.

Photos that show this place

Comments

A copy of the appraisal is available from the AAB website here:  http://www.aab.gov.hk/historicbuilding/en/1014_Appraisal_En.pdf

 

Photos of this building are also provided on the AAB website: http://www.aab.gov.hk/historicbuilding/photo/1014_Photo.pdf

 

I've added the tag, grade 3 listed building, so it's added to the map of those buildings:

http://gwulo.com/taxonomy/term/203/places-map

Regards, David

More information on this building, taken from the AAB Appraisal:

"No. 2 York Road (約道) on the corner of York Road and Waterloo Road is believed to have been constructed between 1927 and 1930 for a Portuguese gentleman, Eduardo Jose de Figueiredo, a director of Hughes and Hough Limited. Although many houses on the Kowloon Tong Estate were occupied by the army during the Japanese Occupation, No. 2 York Road was not, maybe because Portugal was a neutral country. Since its erection, the house was used as a staff quarters of Hughes and Hough Limited at least until late 1973. It is one of the few surviving original houses of the Kowloon Tong Garden Estate which was founded by Mr. Charles Montague Ede (義德) in 1922.

[…]

The two-storey building at No. 2 York Road is in fact two semi-detached houses with separated entrances. Walls are rendered and painted and the roof is flat with a plain parapet wall and projecting cornice all around the building. The use of classical style porches to the entrance doors, arched windows, balconies and shuttered windows give the building a Colonial Neo-Classical appearance.

The architectural style of the two-storey building is different to the other Kowloon Tong Garden Estate houses and in fact is now the only one of this type still remaining. Recently the villa has been renovated and embellished with additional architectural features. The low garden wall has been replaced with a high concrete wall with massive piers like buttresses between bays or recesses which are being used to display large advertising signs. It is rumoured that the villa has been acquired by film star Jackie Chan and this seems to be borne out by the advertising panels which are promoting his latest film."