Western Market

Project Status

The building was altered in 1991 and refurbished in 2003.

Historical linkage

• The building was originally the old Western Market (North Block), which was identified by Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) as one of the Declared Monuments in 1990. At present, it is the oldest market building surviving in Hong Kong.
   
• Since the former Urban Council's market facilities came into operation in 1989, the market building became vacant.
   
• The former Land Development Corporation (LDC) converted the market into a centre of traditional traders, arts and crafts in 1991 and renamed it as "the Western Market".
   
• The URA refurbished the Western Market again in 2003. Adopting the concept of adaptive-reuse, the building has been brought back to their useful economic life by accommodating theme restaurant and boutique shops that turning the building and the vicinity into a place for lifestyle shopping and leisure activities.

Architectural attributes

• The building is in Edwardian style that was popular in England from 1901 to 1910.
• The market is a combination of exuberantly classical facades and planning in a logical and spacious manner as inspired by the axial, symmetrical planning.
• Combination use of red bricks and granite band on a granite base and the 'bandaged' brick work to the corner towers gives a polychromatic effect.
• The arcade at First Floor to the Morrison Street facade is richly sculpted with keystone and regular blocks interrupting the arch as well as large and handsome granite arch over the main entrance giving the building a decorative effect. Triangulated gable front below is an elegant venation window with the central round headed arch openings.
• Cast iron structural columns, steel roof truss and the large local quarried granite steps to the corner staircase towers demonstrate the excellence of constructional technique at the time.
• In response to the local climate and availability of material, a steep roof is used covered with Chinese pan and roll tiles. The roof displays the combination of oriental features into the early Western style of building in Hong Kong.
• The building consisted of two main floors originally and each floor measures approximately 1120m². To make use of its high ceilings, the ex-LDC built an additional floor in between the two original floors and removed the partial ceiling of the First Floor in order to expand the usable space. The mezzanine floor was built independently from the original structural system so as to retain the original design and structure.