A Hong Kong charity founded by a former city leader has relocated its headquarters to a 104-year-old historic site at a nominal premium of HK$1,000 (US$128), with the organisation saying it hopes to inherit the location’s “spirit of philanthropy”.
The GX Foundation announced on Friday that it had moved to No 4 Hospital Road in the Mid-Levels. The site was built in the late 19th century in response to a plague outbreak, before serving as a residence for cleaners and later as a shelter for street sleepers.
“This building … has its character, its history and is quite prominent in the neighbourhood. And more importantly, it has its spirit of philanthropy behind it,” the foundation’s chairman, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, said.
“We’d like to inherit and extend this spirit through our work, and hopefully spread this message to others in Hong Kong, particularly young students.”
The space in Sai Ying Pun has a five-storey main building and a single-storey annexe, surrounded by medical institutions and former facilities turned into heritage sites, such as the Government Civil Hospital, Hong Kong’s first public hospital.
With an area of about 1,047 square metres (11,270 sq ft), the site also enjoys grade two historic status under the city’s three-tier system, meaning it is deemed to have special merit and should be “selectively preserved”.
