No_5_May_and_June__1949 — Page 73

(Above) Photograph of Mount Cameron, taken from the west side, illustrating the nature of the project and the present stage of development.

CAMERON MANSIONS

EA BUILDING

PROPOSED

BUILDING.

EE BUILDING

The top of Mount Cameron is one of the most con- spicuous sites in the whole of the Colony of Hong Kong as it commands a view of practically the whole extent of the Harbour and can be seen from north, east and west for many miles. It was for this reason that this summit was chosen by the Japanese during their occupation of Hong Kong for the site of a war memorial. At the time of the re-occupation by British Forces, this war memorial, a huge reinforced concrete tower, was well on its way to completion, and its demolition became the subject of a great deal of agitation by the public who considered that this evidence of Japanese presumption should not be allowed to remain a moment longer than was necessary to remind the people of Hong Kong of the indignities to which they had been subjected. So strenuous was this agitation that the Public Works Department had to give priority to this project and demolition work was started in January 1947 and completed in March, three months later.

The site originally belonged to Cable & Wireless, Ltd.. but after the war it was sold and is now the scene of a very extensive development sponsored by Mr. W. H. Kwan, well-known architect in the Colony.

The Japanese in preparing this site for the war memorial altered the whole aspect of the district. They pulled down a number of private dwellings which occupied this area and circumscribed a very much more limited amount of ground with a huge stone masonry retaining

Els Arom

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The typical floor plan of the three smaller buildings which are all of identical design but differently orientated.

BALL

kung Ana

£20 Awan

M. AL

BAL CONT

ATM JAING

Plan of complete scheme described below placed at same angle as the photograph.

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LATALOG

wall which was designed to form a massive base of the monument proper. In building this wall the Japanese reduced the building area considerably, but raised the elevation to segregate it from the surrounding hillside. On this extensive upper terrace, Mr. Kwan is now proceeding with a project which, when completed, will become a monument of an entirely different kind.

The plan calls for the erection of a six-storied build- ing of most unusual shape and arrangement to occupy the centre portion of the site. This main building is to be flanked by three smaller and more conventional apartment blocks, one of which will occupy the extreme point at the north end of the lot and at a much lower level outside of the walled area.

The floor plan of these three buildings has been laid out so that the four main rooms occupy the entire frontage, the entrance hall, staircase and service rooms being dis- tributed in the rear section of the building. In this way the occupants of the flats will be able to enjoy the magni- ficent view obtainable from this position, no matter in which room they happen to be, each building having been so placed as to allow complete and uninterrupted vistas in the direction they are facing.

Each of these buildings are three-stories in height, each floor containing two bedrooms with attached bath, and a huge living dining room combination separated only by folding doors and opening on to a covered verandah which extends the full width of the two rooms.

This part of the project is practically completed and occupation of the quarters available is taking place.

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