Hong Kong’s iconic State Theatre to be preserved under New World’s multibillion-dollar redevelopment plan
- The 68-year-old State Theatre will be retained as New World Development agreed to preserve it as part of its multibillion-dollar redevelopment plan
- Developer wins approval to launch compulsory acquisition of property in North Point after buying up more than 80 per cent of the site
The 68-year old theatre on 277-291 King’s Road in North Point was classified as a Grade 1 historic building in 2017.
01:22
Hong Kong’s iconic State Theatre to be preserved under multibillion-dollar redevelopment plan
The Hong Kong developer, controlled by Hong Kong’s third-richest family of Henry Cheng Kar-shun, has won the government’s approval to launch a compulsory acquisition of the rest of the property it does not already own, after building up more than 80 per cent of the property over the past five years.
“In the redevelopment of the State Theatre Building, the group will closely communicate with stakeholders and community members on how to preserve the essence of the former State Theatre after the group has successfully unified the ownership,” NWD said in a statement.
The news comes as a relief for historians and local community members, who in 2015 raised concerns about the fate of the 1,400-seat State Theatre, with its unique “parabola-like” concrete arches above its roof, when news began circulating that NWD was buying up ground-floor shops of the property.
The State Theatre, which showed its last reel of films in 1997, has since evolved into a neighbourhood shopping centre. A company spokesperson has allayed those worries, saying the group has a long-standing interest in promoting arts and culture.
