Hong Kong heritage officials reviewing some 6,000 buildings that ‘deserve another look’
- Authorities compiled a list of 8,800 structures potentially suitable for preservation more than 20 years ago, but thousands failed to make the cut
- Antiquities Advisory Board chairman Douglas So says some 200 of the structures under review could ultimately be earmarked for preservation
On Lugard Road, a popular morning exercise trail circling Hong Kong’s iconic Peak, a tile-roofed house lies abandoned behind the trees, graffiti covering its walls.
Some claim the structure is haunted, and rumour has it that it was built by a Chinese general 70 years ago.
A bird’s eye of the view of the site reveals that the Dragon Lodge, as it is known, boasts a stunning courtyard with panoramic views of Victoria Harbour. But while rumours about the abandoned house abound, there is no public record on it available from the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO).
The office says it has graded five mansions along the same road, but is unable to explain why it passed this one up when taking stock of the city’s architectural heritage two decades ago.
The Dragon Lodge at No 32 Lugard Road is just one of thousands of sites included in a citywide heritage survey that were ultimately not shortlisted for further historical appraisal and grading. The pioneer survey was only recently disclosed to the public.
Now, a review of some 6,000 of those sites has begun, according to the chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board, who expects more than 200 of them could ultimately be earmarked for preservation.