Letters | Iconic Hong Kong theatre and Singapore’s Golden Mile: mixing business sense with heritage
- May the conservation of State Theatre, a historic landmark in North Point, be the start of a new socially responsible business approach to Hong Kong heritage
Given that the North Point site set was acquired at what was a record sale for a compulsory auction, it was reasonable to expect that the developer would maximise investment returns by filling up the lot with new high-rises. But not this time.
By placing conservation at the heart of the redevelopment project, rather than as a weak afterthought, the developer is making a statement that this is not business as usual.
Besides bringing back to life a historic landmark – the iconic arch-beam roof of State Theatre is a design feature which, once seen, is hard to forget – the commitment to conservation is corporate social responsibility in action. It should also hugely raise the company’s brand value. The progressive move by the Harvard-educated Cheng has highlighted the business case for heritage.
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Hong Kong’s iconic State Theatre to be preserved under multibillion-dollar redevelopment plan
First, they fit a worldwide trend to celebrate this genre of architecture. Second, the State Theatre and Golden Mile Complex are massive, multi-owner residential and commercial ensembles and yet, a commercial case has been made to conserve them.
In promoting the conservation of Hong Kong’s architectural heritage, a delicate balance has to be struck between the preservation of historic buildings and respect for private property rights. The government should play a more active role by finding the right economic incentives to encourage and help individuals to preserve historic buildings in their ownership. Otherwise, the conservation of the State Theatre will be just an exception, rather than the start of a new real-estate approach to heritage conservation.
Chan Shek Kwong, Ma On Shan
