still standing.|thumb The second and current City Hall complex was built in the late 1950s following a public campaign led by the Sino-British Club for the re-establishment of a civic centre in Hong Kong. It was built on a plot of land on the newly
reclaimed seafront, about from the first generation building. The foundation stone laying ceremony took place on 25 February 1960 with
Sir Robert Brown Black, then
Governor of Hong Kong, who also presided over the official opening ceremony on 2 March 1962. The City Hall was placed under the responsibility of the
Urban Council. Since 2009, it had been listed as a
Grade I historic building. On 20 May 2022, the Hong Kong City Hall was
declared a monument under the
Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance. At the age of 60, it is the youngest as well as the first post-WW2 building in Hong Kong being declared as a monument.
Design The building complex erected at the present site based on the original design by Professor Gordon Brown, the first Head of Department of Architecture of Hong Kong University, together with his team including Patricia O'Reilly Mayne, was completed by British architects Ronald Phillips and Alan Fitch at the cost of HK$20 million. With its clean lines and stark geometric forms, the new Hall is an example of the
International style fashionable at the time. The structure was constructed using steel and concrete, and much of the equipment was of steel, glass and anodised aluminium. One major consideration was juxtaposing the city bustle whilst maximising public access to the surrounding area. Thus, the out-sized public areas of the
Memorial Gardens and the piazza in front were conceived as a natural extension to promote the "freedom of movement and a sense of unlimited space".
Function The most important civic function performed by City Hall was as a ceremonial location for the swearing in of successive
Governors following their inauguration: The 24th to 28th Governors all swore their oaths of office there. City Hall's Concert hall and theatre have been an important home to the performing arts in Hong Kong since its inauguration. A number of culture events, including the
Hong Kong Festival,
Hong Kong Arts Festival in 1973, Asian Arts Festival in 1976, the
Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1977, and the International Arts Carnival in 1982 were hosted there. The conference room of the former
Urban Council was also at the lower building of the City Hall. The High block once housed Hong Kong's principal
public library, until a new
Central library was opened in 2001; the Hong Kong art gallery (which became the
Hong Kong Art Museum in 1969) began life there on the tenth and eleventh floors. The
Hong Kong Museum of History relocated in 1975, and the
Hong Kong Museum of Art also moved out of City Hall in 1991. The
City Hall Memorial Garden, located at the north-western quadrant between the High Block and Low Block, is a
walled garden wherein a 12-sided
dodecagon Memorial Shrine commemorates soldiers and citizens who died in defence of Hong Kong during the Second World War. It is a popular spot and obligatory backdrop for photographs of couples who celebrate their marriage in the City Hall Registry. Within the Memorial Shrine are embedded memorial Roll of Honour and Plaques to combat units who fought in Hong Kong during
World War II (1941–1945). Inscribed on the walls of the Memorial Shrine are eight Chinese characters evoking the everlasting spirit of the Brave and the Dead. The entrance gates to the City Hall Memorial Garden bear the regimental emblems of the
Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps and
Royal Hong Kong Regiment. The complex also incorporates a three-storey car park, with 171 car park spaces, which was also designed by architects Ron Phillips and Alan Fitch. ==Facilities==