20 FEATURE
BUILDING ON A LEGACY T
his year marks the 145th anniversary of one of the longest-running architectural practices in Hong Kong. From 1874, the founders of Leigh & Orange (L&O) brought their design talent and skills to bear on the early urban development of Hong Kong shaping the city through infrastructure, public and civil works that addressed the needs of the community. L&O’s early projects include Hong Kong’s first reclamation project located at Belchers Bay in Kennedy Town in 1877, Hong Kong’s first large-scale clean water supply construction project, Tai Tam Reservoir, in 1898, and the Star Ferry Pier and the adjacent harbourside piers and warehouses serving Hong Kong’s main cross-harbour transport link. L&O also participated in many commercial projects, including on the west side of Statue Square in Central Queen’s Building and The Prince’s Building in 1899 and 1904 respectively, with the site of the former now occupied by the famous Mandarin Oriental Hotel, also designed by L&O. Indeed, all these works quickly became the youthful city’s iconic landmarks. For nearly a century and a half, L&O, as an architect and urban planner, have been committed to resolving the challenging problems encountered in the City’s
urban development process. Through its architecture, L&O helped to drive the transformation of what was once known as a ‘barren rock’ into a world class city, both reflecting and shaping its culture with striking buildings for business, living, hospitality, worship, sport and leisure.
Reshaping the Mindset As one of the principal architectural practices in early 20th century in Hong Kong, L&O introduced a new concept for office buildings that embraced entire city blocks with arcaded footpaths and soaring stone façades, while fronting onto broad thoroughfares served by electric trams. From 1892 the Dairy Farm Building above Central was developed to supply Hong Kong residents with fresh milk using newly developed refrigeration technology and today the building houses the Foreign Correspondents’ Club and the Fringe Club. L&O’s architects also took part in shaping the culture of the city, from horseracing at Happy Valley and Shatin, to Ocean Park and religious buildings to cater to the needs of many faiths.
