Development The site was purchased by
Amoy Canning in the 1920s for use as a factory. Amoy put the site of approximately up for auction in March 1977, intending to move their manufacturing operations elsewhere in stages. The auction failed as the reserve price was not reached. Subsequently,
Hang Lung Development signed an agreement to purchase the site in April 1977 for about HK$200 million. Under the agreement, Amoy would take a share of the profits from the site's redevelopment. The estate was built in four phases. The construction contract for the estate's first phase, comprising seven residential blocks (blocks A-G) and retail space, was awarded to Hong Kong contractor Shui On Construction on 18 October 1979. The first phase was completed in 1981, while the final phase was completed in 1987.
SARS outbreak Toward the end of March 2003, an outbreak of SARS occurred among residents of Amoy Gardens. By 15 April 2003, there had been a total of 321 cases of SARS in the estate. A concentration of cases was recorded in block E, accounting for 41% of the cumulative total. Block C (15%), block B (13%) and block D (13%) recorded the second, third and fourth highest incidence of SARS infections. The other cases (18%) were scattered in 11 other blocks. Most of the initial 107 patients from Block E lived in flats that were vertically arranged. All residents were subsequently moved to
Lei Yue Mun and for isolation. In mid-2003, authorities found that the design of bathroom floor drains lacked a replenishment system to keep the water traps filled, allowing virus-laden aerosols to seep into bathrooms, exacerbated by the draw of bathroom exhaust fans. These were among the factors that contributed to the rapid spread of SARS in that complex. The estate was decontaminated and the residents were able to return. Later, the complex was retrofitted with an auxiliary floor drainage system that included fresh water interlocks to prevent regurgitation of sewer gases. ==Demographics==