Construction of MacDonnell Road started in 1891 and its first section was completed the following year. The road was extended eastward in 1899, where it formed a junction with
Bowen Road at its eastern end.
Crown land lots at MacDonnell Road were let by public auction for
999-year leases as early as 1896. The colonial government ceased offering such long leases after May 1898, and only a limited number of plots on
Hong Kong Island and in
Kowloon have a lease term of 999 years. In 1903, parts of MacDonnell Road were infested with
anopheles, and
malaria was rife there.
Nullahs in the area were cleared as a preventive measure. Before World War II, the area below
Victoria Peak was home to people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Wealthy
Japanese were living as high up as MacDonnell Road. During the
Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941, the headquarters of the
2/14th Battalion, Punjab Regiment was located on MacDonnell Road. The 2/14 Punjab were part of the West Brigade, and their tactical area of responsibility stretched along the northwestern shore of Hong Kong Island from
Causeway Bay to
Belcher's Point, including the defence of the
Governor's House and of
Major General Maltby's headquarters. In April 1957, the Chinese name of the road was changed from "" to "", likely because of the negative connotation of "" meaning "slave". Since 2023, it became a point of interest for Chinese tourists, posing in front of the street sign with food purchased from
McDonald's, as both share the same Chinese name. ==Features==