Demolition work begins on historic Hong Kong pawn shop slated to become commercial tower

An iconic, 80-year-old pawn shop building in Wan Chai appears to be nearing its end, as work begins on a plan to tear it down and build a new commercial tower in its place.

Located on the corner of Hennessy Road and Marsh Road in Wan Chai, the building in which Tung Tak Pawn Shop operates was rated a Grade III historic building by the government in 2010. The building is known for its representative verandah and neon signs written from right to left.

But in 2013 the Buildings Department approved the landlord’s plan to tear down the building and erect a 23-storey commercial tower on the site. Now, demolition work has begun.

The Antiquities and Monuments Office said the landlord had wanted to demolish the building since 2008. There had been three negotiations to discuss preservation plans. In the end, the landlord insisted on demolishing the building, agreeing to provide photos and architectural records of the building for the office for its archives.

Neither building landlord Tak Shing Investment nor the Tung Tak Pawn Shop, which has moved next door, would comment on the situation. 

When asked why the building could not be saved like the Woo Cheong Pawn Shop on Johnston Road in Wan Chai, now the site of The Pawn restaurant, a spokesperson for the monuments office said the situations were different.