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Should the nurses' quarters at Queen Mary Hospital be preserved?

It has been argued that the nurses' quarters at Queen Mary Hospital - which is classified as 'stripped classicism' - should only be retained if the particular style is found to be rare in Hong Kong.

Also, questions have been raised about whether or not the building is linked to any famous people or has important stories attached to it.

I am not sure if such criteria form part of the heritage assessment principle, but I frankly think this is a dubious rationale.

We should think carefully about what to do with this building.

There are many great buildings in the world that have been retained simply for their artistic and architectural value. They symbolise an innovative effort or are visually appealing.

With some buildings it might be difficult to track down important stories behind the facade, let alone find out if any famous people were attached to it.

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