Architects say the building is not Bauhaus style, but a rarer Streamlined Moderne
Controversy over the planned demolition of Wan Chai Market has deepened with the discovery that the building has more architectural significance than previously thought.
Two University of Hong Kong architecture professors have revealed the building is not of the Bauhaus style, as commonly believed, but is in fact of the rarer Streamlined Moderne genre.
Lee Ho-yin and Lynne DiStefano, of the university's architectural conservation programme, said the market building may be one of a kind not only in Hong Kong, but throughout the mainland.
Streamlined Moderne took its inspiration from the designs of ocean liners, aircraft and trains in the 1930s. It was also partly inspired by science fiction comic strips.
After being commissioned to study the 67-year-old structure on Queen's Road East, the academics urged the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) to consider the market building's 'enormous architectural significance'.
The pair called for a review of plans by real-estate developer Chinese Estates Holdings to demolish the market next year to make way for a 40-storey residential block, a move that was approved by the government in 1996.