Plan to preserve part of Bauhaus structure
The Urban Renewal Authority is looking into the possibility of preserving the facade of Wan Chai Market, according to a source close to the issue.
A residential block will be built on top of the three-storey market because of a requirement set down by the deed of mutual covenant, the source said.
'The covenant states the four buildings [of the Zenith development] must share the management fee together. If no building is to be built on the Wan Chai Market site, it will be unfair to the residents of the other three buildings,' the source said.
The plan is one of the two options being considered by the authority. The other is to build a residential block on the hill next to the site, but this requires a change in land use which would have to be approved by the Town Planning Board.
Wan Chai Market, built in 1937, is believed to be one of only two well preserved markets in Bauhaus style left in the world. The other is in Phnom Penh. Architects and conservationists have urged the authority to preserve the block.
In 1997, property developer Chinese Estates Holdings formed a joint venture with the Land Development Corporation, the authority's predecessor, to redevelop the area. The project includes the Zenith development, which is supposed to comprise four blocks, including the one built at the Wan Chai Market site.