La Hacienda from two aspects,
LA HACIENDA
Photographs by Gainsborough, Vargassoff and “Builder"
Two views of entrance way.
Owing to the acute shortage of accommodation in the Colony following the war, seven of the leading firms were faced with the necessity of proceeding with a building programme in order to house their staff returning for duty. Rather than provide individual blocks for their staff it was proposed to pool their resources available for the purpose and erect in one building the accommodation required. As a result of the agreement reached amongst the various parties, it was decided to proceed with the project for which Messrs. Palmer & Turner were appointed architects and the Hong Kong Land Investment Company as managing agents.
The ground chosen for the scheme is one of the finest sites in the Colony, being situated on a spur of Mount Kellett near the top of the Aberdeen valley, facing south and south-east. The steep tree-covered slopes of the bill- side run directly down from the grounds of the house giving a feeling of great seclusion, and providing a view over this unspoilt valley overlooking the south-eastern end of the Island with the fishing village of Aberdeen in the middle foreground and extending in a glorious panorama to embrace the islands dotting the China Sea south of the Colony, which is superb.
In order to provide for thirty-six flats, the greater number containing five rooms together with lawns, children's area, parking space and separate garages, a design consisting of two connected ten-storey buildings was proposed and carried out in reinforced concrete frame construction with 9" brick panel walls and concrete floors.
The approach from Mount Kellett Road is to the rear of the building. One's first impression of the main entrance is that it is small, in reality it is of ample proportions, the impression being given by the great height of the building towering straight up above the entrance. The feature of the main entrance hall is the
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