Why Hong Kong’s 60-year-old City Hall will be its youngest structure declared as a monument
- Authorities and advisers take into account residents’ collective memories and place as symbol for social equality
- Multipurpose cultural complex houses a marriage registry, concert hall, exhibition venue, public library, among other premises
The 60-year-old City Hall in Hong Kong is set to become its first post-war monument in an unprecedented move by the government that takes into account residents’ shared history and the structure being a beacon for social equality.
Experts said it was rare for authorities and antiquities advisers to prioritise people’s collective memory over historical value when declaring a monument.
The proposal made by the Antiquities and Monuments Office obtained the green light from Antiquities Advisory Board members on Thursday, with two other grade one historical buildings Jamia Mosque in Central and Lui Seng Chun in Mong Kok.
An official declaration will be gazetted by the government in the coming months.
“Around 20 years ago, preservation was often about houses of the upper class or government premises but now times have changed,” said Dr Lee Ho-yin, associate professor of architectural conservation at the University of Hong Kong.
“It is a rare but also a right move to declare City Hall as a monument.”
