Hong Kong conservationists urge rule change to save historic theatre
Call comes on the 65th anniversary of the opening of Empire Theatre, which is now used as a snooker hall
Conservationists on Sunday renewed their fight to save a historic theatre in North Point from demolition by calling for renovation rules to be relaxed as a lengthy acquisition of the property is expected to be completed soon.
The appeal was made on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the opening of the Empire Theatre, on December 11, 1952. The 1,400-seat complex, now called the State Theatre but used as a snooker parlour, is one of the last post-war stand-alone theatre structures in the city and the only building with an iconic flying buttress.
Concerns have been raised over its fate since news about its acquisition broke in 2015, prompting conservationists to press the Antiquities Advisory Board a year later to upgrade the block from a Category 3 historic building to Category 1.
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This raised status requires the owner to make “every effort” to preserve it, but it is still one rank below a declared monument, meaning the owner is free to tear it down.
The co-founder of heritage tour agency Walk In Hong Kong and leader of the preservation campaign, Paul Chan Chi-yuen, said they believed 75 per cent of the 450 property rights in the building complex – 50 of the theatre, 181 of the shops and 219 of flats atop the theatre – had been acquired through three or four agencies.
“This means the critical moment will arrive soon,” Chan said, referring to the rule that as soon as a buyer has acquired 80 per cent of total property rights, the whole building could be redeveloped.
There were rumours, never confirmed, that New World Development was the major buyer.