The three bays of balcony type tenement buildings form a continuous façade verandah facing Queen's Road East.
The buildings lie on land reclaimed before 1887.
The buildings were identified by Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) as Grade II Historical Buildings.
Architectural attributes
The 3 pre-war residential blocks are unique Chinese-styled tenement houses, Tong lau, that were occupied exclusively by Chinese and predominantly seen all over southern Chinese cities and town in the nineteen centuries.
Tong lau's existence was a culmination of a series of historic forces from economic development of Hong Kong, Second World War as well as the influx of Chinese migrants to Hong Kong.
The shophouses were a mixture of Chinese and Western architectural features. They were built in contiguous blocks in elongated layout and characterised by their narrow frontage. The shophouses have 4 storeys with verandahs facing Queen's Road East.
Every unit is about 450 ¡V 700 square feet with high ceiling and French windows to the balconies. Light wells are located between the living space and the kitchen at the back.
The shophouses did not have toilet provisions. The "nightsoil" from the pail latrine was collected by government scavengers at night.
Ground floor was devoted to family business whereas upper levels were for residential purpose.
Covered pedestrian arcade formed by the projected balconies and the columns on ground floor provides a sheltered area.
