Historic Hong Kong post office HQ to be demolished as part of prime harbourfront development, but some architects want to save it
- General Post Office in Central to be knocked down with bids for prime site to be submitted by June 18
- Heritage enthusiasts want to save building and repurpose it for future use
After serving Hong Kong for almost half a century, the city’s post office headquarters standing in the heart of Central will be demolished to make way for a prime commercial development.
But some architects believe the iconic building can be saved while still being part of the development, and are suggesting various ways to repurpose it.
Built in 1976, the General Post Office could be lost under a land sale plan to transform the newly reclaimed harbourfront to provide upmarket office space, a sizeable public area, and a mix of hotel and retail facilities. Mail operations will be moved to Kowloon Bay by 2023.
Plans for the demolition have angered heritage enthusiasts, who argue that the GPO, a five-storey block which boasted modern mailing facilities when it first opened, is worth conserving because of its unique post-war modernist design, and its strong historical ties to the city’s postal service and reclamation development.
Developers are required to submit their bids for the prime site, known as New Central Harbourfront Commercial Site 3, by Friday. A “two-envelope” approach will be used to vet the bids based on both design merits and premium offers, giving both equal weighting. The proposal with the highest combined score will win.