Pedder Building
Encyclopedia
Pedder Building located at No.12 Pedder Street
Pedder Street
Pedder Street is a major thoroughfare in the core of Hong Kong’s Central District. It runs south-north from Queen's Road Central, continues through Des Voeux Road Central, and ends at its intersection with Connaught Road Central.-History:...

, in Central, Hong Kong
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...

, is a historic commercial building. Built in 1923 (elsewhere noted as 1932), it is the last surviving pre-war building in Pedder Street.
It is listed as a "Grade II Historic Building".

History

Pedder Building was designed by Palmer and Turner Architects
P & T Architects & Engineers Ltd
P & T Architects & Engineers Ltd, . In short P&T, or otherwise known as Palmer and Turner. P & T has designed many landmark buildings in Hong Kong, Shanghai and elsewhere in SE Asia....

. It was completed in 1924, the same year as its neighbours, the China Building (華人行) and Queen's Theatre, and has always been let for commercial use. The building was originally owned by Mr. So Shek Chung, and passed to Mr. Ng Wah in 1926. In 1962 the property was sold to Tai Kee Leong Co. Ltd, owned by Fok Ying-tung. The building hosted the headquarters of Jebsen & Company from 1926 to 1992. This German import-export company was established in Hong Kong in 1895, since when it traded all kinds of foodstuffs and products in Asia, from duck feathers to the well-known Blue Girl beer.

Heritage value

Pedder Building is listed as a "Grade II Historic Building" by the Hong Kong Antiquities and Monuments Office
Antiquities and Monuments Office
Antiquities and Monuments Office was established when the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance was enacted in 1976, to preserve Hong Kong's monuments under appropriate protection....

 (grading awarded in 1981), and there are proposals to upgrade its status to Grade I.

The building occupies a narrow site of 14 by 50 metres with an arcade at the front entrance on Pedder Street. It consists of nine storeys plus one mezzanine floor and a basement, and stands 35m above the street level. The architectural design of the building is typical 1920s office building, with its stone cladding on the base and Neo-classical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

 elements such as arches, mouldings, triangular-shaped pediment, columns and sculpted medallions. The architecture of the building follows a vertical layout, distinguished by a ground-floor on two levels, a mezzanine and four office floors, adorned with an in relief portico, directly above the main entrance, and finally one floor encircled by a balcony surmounted by two neutral levels. It is the oldest commercial edifice in town, and has quietly and unpretentiously survived a world war and the better part of a century. There is an intermediate moulding above the three main entrance arches which used to be lined with a row of gargoyle masks flanked on the two ends by two giant bronze figures. However, in 1990, the gargoyles came loose and fell off, and the ornaments were susequently removed.

Pedder Building symbolises the colonial history of Hong Kong, the building is truly as valuable as the neighbouring modern architecture. Its existence also showcases Hong Kong as an international city, where western and eastern culture merge harmoniously. Yet owners Henry Fok Estates have shied from their custodial role of the heritage site, with managing director Ian Fok Chun-wan saying it was getting harder for owners to conserve heritage buildings because of tight regulations and a lack of incentives or benefits.

Occupants

Occupying the ground floor and basement area of the building, Shanghai Tang
Shanghai Tang
Shanghai Tang is an international clothing chain company, founded in 1994 by Hong Kong businessman David Tang Wing Cheung and now controlled by Richemont.David Tang claimed that Shanghai Tang is a Chinese label that set out to rejuvenate Chinese fashion...

 is one of the prominent tenants in the building. The shop was founded by a local businessman, David Tang
David Tang
Sir David Tang, KBE is a Hong Kong businessman and socialite best known as the founder of the Shanghai Tang fashion chain, which he sold in 2006 to Richemont.Tang's grandfather "founded the Kowloon bus company and became one of Hong Kong’s greatest philanthropists"...

, and it is famous for selling pre-war retro-styled Chinese fashion. Oriental Chinese restaurant China Tee Club, founded in 1986 by former Miss Hong Kong
Miss Hong Kong Pageant
The Miss Hong Kong Pageant , or MSHK for short, is a beauty pageant organized by the leading Hong Kong television station, Television Broadcasts ....

 Loletta Chu
Loletta Chu
Loletta Chu is a Chinese beauty pageant titleholder. She was the winner of the 1977 Miss Hong Kong Pageant.-Early life:Chu was born in Mandalay, Burma in 1958 into an ethnically Chinese family, with roots in Taishan, Guangdong, China. In 1968 she and her family moved to Hong Kong, where she...

 and her two sisters, is located on the first floor of the building. It used to be members-only but now it serves non-members for dinner. It has as an ambience far removed from the hectic urban pace of the city and offers both Eastern and Western cuisines. Tenants such as Shanghai Tang and the China Tee Club seem well suited to the vintage atmosphere of the Pedder Building.

On the first floor and above there are more than a dozen small stores selling garments, jewellery, fashion and similar. One floor houses a number of clinics.

In July 2011, it was announced that fashion clothing giant Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch is an American retailer that focuses on casual wear for consumers aged 18 to 22. It has over 300 locations in the United States, and is expanding internationally....

 would take over three main floors and the basement for a new store, ousting Shanghai Tang, the China Tee Club et al.

CBD context

Locating in the central business district, Pedder Building is surrounded by skyscrapers and modern architecture. Opposite the building is The Landmark
The Landmark (Hong Kong)
The Landmark is an office and shopping development owned by Hong Kong Land in Central, Hong Kong. It is commonly known as the home of numerous prestigious international brands and the gathering place of well-heeled shoppers.-History:...

, a mecca of high-street fashion brands and luxury shops. The passage next to the building is filled with local specialty booths including shoe repair, watch repair and a 'chop' maker. In addition, the Pedder Building is part of the Central and Western Heritage Trail
Central and Western Heritage Trail
The Central and Western Heritage Trail is a Heritage Trail in Hong Kong, that was designed by the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.It covers the Central and Western District of Hong Kong and consists of 3 parts:...

 in the Central Route, together with other historic buildings and sites such as the Steps and Gas Lamps on Duddell Street
Duddell Street
Duddell Street is a street in Central, Hong Kong, bounded by Ice House Street and Queen's Road Central.This short street includes at its southern end a flight of granite steps, built between 1875 and 1889, leading to Ice House Street...

 nearby.

The building is very accessible. The D2 exit of Central MTR Station leads to the main entrance of the building. Buses from Mid-levels
Mid-levels
Mid-levels is an expensive residential area on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is located halfway up Victoria Peak, directly above Central...

, Southern District
Southern District, Hong Kong
The Southern District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the southern part of Hong Kong Island. It had a population of 290,240 in 2001. This district has the fourth lowest population of Hong Kong.-Geography:...

 and Ma On Shan also reach the building. Besides taking MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...

 and buses, tram
Hong Kong Tramways
Hong Kong Tramways is a tram system in Hong Kong and one of the earliest forms of public transport in Hong Kong. Owned and operated by Veolia Transport, the tramway runs on Hong Kong Island between Shau Kei Wan and Kennedy Town, with a branch circulating Happy Valley...

 and minibus
Public light bus
A Public light bus is a common public mode of transport in Hong Kong. It mainly serves the area that standard Hong Kong bus lines cannot reach as efficiently. It is also colloquially known as a minibus or a van, defined as a kind of share taxi....

 are the other two possible options too. Many minibus routes pass along Pedder Street
Pedder Street
Pedder Street is a major thoroughfare in the core of Hong Kong’s Central District. It runs south-north from Queen's Road Central, continues through Des Voeux Road Central, and ends at its intersection with Connaught Road Central.-History:...

.
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