Hong Kong House

Hong Kong House, also known since 1995 as the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney, is a landmark heritage building and former hotel in the Sydney central business district, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Built in 1891 to a design by Ambrose Thornley, it is located on 80 Druitt Street, at the corner with York Street, and is adjacent to other prominent heritage landmarks, the Sydney Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building.[1] Formerly known as Gresham Hotel, the property was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[2]

Hong Kong House
Hong Kong House in 2007.
Hong Kong House
Former namesCentral Hotel
Gresham Hotel
General information
TypeCommercial hotel/offices
Architectural styleVictorian Free Classical
Address80 Druitt Street
Town or citySydney, New South Wales
CountryAustralia
Coordinates33°52′21″S 151°12′23″E
Completed1891
ClientExcelsior Land Investment and Building Company and Bank Limited
OwnerGovernment of Hong Kong
Design and construction
ArchitectAmbrose Thornley
Main contractorEdward Johnson
Official nameGresham Hotel; Hong Kong House
TypeState heritage (built)
Designated2 April 1999
Reference no.291
TypeHotel
CategoryCommercial

Hong Kong House houses the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the office of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in Australasia, Invest Hong Kong and the office of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council.

History

In 1888 the Excelsior Land, Building and Investment Company and Bank Limited held a competition for the design of a hotel and banking premises on the site. The competition was subsequently won by architect Ambrose Thornley, with his final design submitted in June 1890 and labelled "Central Hotel".[3] By the late 1900s, the hotel had been renamed the "Gresham Hotel" and in 1896 a branch of the City Bank of Sydney had been opened on the ground level of the building.[4] In 1925 the hotel was bought by Tooth and Co.[5] When the City Bank of Sydney was bought out, the bank became a branch of the Australian Bank of Commerce in 1918, and later a branch of the Bank of New South Wales when they bought the Bank of Commerce in 1931.[6] In the late 1980s the "Gresham Hotel" was converted to offices and since 1995 has housed the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.[7]

The building is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register[2] and the (now defunct) Register of the National Estate,[8] with its interior listed in the City of Sydney Local Environmental Plan.[9] A plaque commemorating the building's history and continuing association with Hong Kong was unveiled on 23 June 2011 by Governor of NSW, Marie Bashir, and Hong Kong Chief Executive, Donald Tsang.[7] In late 2014, during the "Umbrella" protests in Hong Kong, the street-level frontages of Hong Kong House were covered with yellow, pink and blue Post-it notes containing messages of solidarity with the protests.[10]

Heritage listing

As at 3 March 2005, Hong Kong House, formerly the Gresham Hotel and Central Hotel, is situated on a prominent site on the corner of York and Druitt Streets forming part of the Town Hall streetscape. It is a five-storey building of Victorian Free Classical Style. The erection of this building as a prestigious hotel in the early 1890s is historically significant in understanding the impact that the building of Centennial Hall and the Queen Victoria Building had on creating a focus for civic pride in Victorian Sydney. It is an important building in the professional career of architect Ambrose Thornley. The building has aesthetic significance as a rare intact original exterior of high quality with outstanding potential due to its successive restorations to continue in its restored state. It is particularly noted for its use of ornate stone decoration. The building is significant for its contribution as a component of the Town Hall Precinct Streetscape.[2]

Hong Kong House was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999.[2]

  • Hong Kong House York Street elevation, 2007.
  • "The Gresham" Hotel (far left) photographed circa 1900.

See also

References
  1. "Hong Kong House". Sydney Open. Sydney Living Museums. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  2. "Gresham Hotel". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00291. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  3. "The Central Hotel". The Newsletter: an Australian Paper for Australian People. 8 (13). New South Wales, Australia. 17 December 1904. p. 25. Retrieved 11 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "City Bank of Sydney". Evening News (9243). New South Wales, Australia. 19 January 1897. p. 5. Retrieved 12 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "GRESHAM HOTEL". The Sun (4694). New South Wales, Australia. 20 November 1925. p. 5 (FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 11 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "A.B.C. BANK". Daily Examiner. 6 (775). New South Wales, Australia. 21 February 1918. p. 4. Retrieved 12 July 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "About Hong Kong House". Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  8. "Gresham Hotel (former), 147-149 York St, Sydney, NSW, Australia". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  9. "Former "Gresham Hotel" Including Interiors". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
  10. Bagshaw, Eryk (2 October 2014). "Post-it note revolution hits Hong Kong House in Sydney's CBD". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2017.

Bibliography
  • Tanner Architects (2004). Hong Kong House 147-149 York Street, Sydney : Conservation management plan.

Attribution

This Wikipedia article contains material from Gresham Hotel, entry number 291 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 13 October 2018.

Further reading
  • Freeman, Peter; Metcalf, Andrew; Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney, Government of the HKSAR (2012), Hong Kong House, Sydney, Watermark Press for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Sydney, Government of the HKSAR, ISBN 978-0-949284-98-3CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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