22°16′53″N 114°09′14″E / 22.2813°N 114.1540°E / 22.2813; 114.1540

Tai Kwun
大館
Map
Former namesCentral Police Station Compound
General information
StatusDeclared monument
Address10 Hollywood Road
Town or cityCentral, Hong Kong
Completed1925; 99 years ago (1925)
Renovated2018; 6 years ago (2018)
Renovation costHK$3.7 billion
OwnerHong Kong Jockey Club (conservation and revitalisation)
Design and construction
Architecture firm
Website
taikwun.hk
Tai Kwun
Traditional Chinese大館
Simplified Chinese大馆
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDàguǎn
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationDaaih-gún
JyutpingDaai6gun2
Tai Kwun Police Headquarters Block
Parade Ground
Prison Yard

Tai Kwun, or the Former Central Police Station Compound (CPS Compound) includes three declared monuments in Central, Hong Kong: the former Central Police Station, the Former Central Magistracy, and the Victoria Prison. Surrounded by Hollywood Road, Arbuthnot Road, Chancery Lane and Old Bailey Street, the compound underwent a heritage revitalisation and reopened to the public on 29 May 2018[1] as "Tai Kwun" (Chinese: 大館), a centre for heritage and arts.

History

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The Former Central Police Station Compound, built between 1841 and 1925, comprises 16 historic buildings grouped under the former Central Police Station, the Former Central Magistracy and the Victoria Prison.[2] Most of the city's historic colonial architecture had been bulldozed for development before the British government handed it back to China in 1997.[3]

The first building in the Former Central Police Station Compound is a Magistrate's House with jail blocks, which were built in 09Aug 1841. In the year of 1899, the Former Central Prison renamed into Victoria Prison (or Victoria Gaol). The site underwent numerous expansions and reconstruction over the next century. In the year of 1862, the number of prisoners increased to 650, therefore the government decided to develop the land nearby.[4] The series of compound hence formed 'Tai Kwun'. When Victoria Prison was decommissioned in 2006, the compound accomplished its mission as a law enforcement organization for Hong Kong.

In December 1867, Guo Songtao, a Chinese diplomat and statesman during the Qing dynasty, passed by Hong Kong with his team while on their way to Great Britain. During their stay in Hong Kong, they made a visit to the Central Police Station, and Guo had written about the prison in his journal.[5] In his journal, he mentioned that in Victoria Prison, a 3-storey building, a prisoner, who committed a most serious crime, would be locked at the top level of the building.

In 2008, the Hong Kong SAR Government partnered with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to conserve and revitalise the complex.[6]

The revitalisation project is one of the most significant and most expensive revitalisation projects in Hong Kong. It has been led by the Hong Kong Jockey Club in partnership with the Government of the Hong Kong SAR. [7] The HK$1.8 billion project was conceptualised in 2007 and conservation work started in 2011. [6] The Hong Kong Jockey Club's charities trust has spent over HK$3.7 billion so far since 2011 as of May 2018.[3][8]

The conversion was completed in phases. Work faced a setback when a wall and roof collapsed in 2016.[9][10] The Buildings Department prosecuted a sub-contractor it deemed responsible for the accident, which was reportedly triggered by the failure of a brick pier that had been structurally undermined.[11] Tai Kwun partially reopened to the public in May 2018.[6]

Tai Kwun

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JC Contemporary stairs became an iconic spot for visitors

A Former Central Police Station (CPS) Revitalisation Project was established to conserve and revitalise the heritage site for reuse. The project was operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and took eight years and HK$3.8 billion or about US$480M in 2018.[2]

Tai Kwun, named after the historical colloquial name of the compound, is a mix of heritage and contemporary architecture. 16 heritage buildings have been restored for reuse. An additional two new buildings have been constructed, featuring designs inspired by the site's historic brickwork.[12]

The remodelled compound was opened to the public in three phases, beginning with the inaugural exhibition "100 Faces of Tai Kwun" on 29 May 2018.

As early as the 1880s, the name Tai Kwun has been recorded in news articles in reference to the Former Central Police Station.[3][7]

In 2018, Time listed Tai Kwun in its "World's Greatest Places 2018" list.[13]

In 2019, Tai Kwun was awarded "Award of Excellence" from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.[14]

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Awards

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Year Award Organiser
2021 Quality Building Award 2020 – Hong Kong Building (Renovation / Revitalization) — Grand Award[15] Quality Building Award
ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK was awarded Award for Arts Promotion at The 15th HK Arts Development Awards Hong Kong Arts Development Council
ÉLAN Lost Child Project HK was awarded Featured Work of IATC(HK) Critics Awards 2020 International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong)
RIBA International Awards for Excellence 2021[16] The Royal Institute of British Architects
2020 MURAKAMI vs MURAKAMI was awarded Excellence in Lifestyle & Entertainment Marketing – Gold Award, Marketing Excellence Awards 2020 Marketing Magazine
SHIFTING by Knowledge Transfer: An Edible Performance was awarded GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2020 (Category: Awareness improvement for individual and public) Japan Institute of Design Promotion
ICE Awards 2020: Brunel Medal – Highly Commended Institution of Civil Engineers
HKICON Conservation Award 2019 – Revitalisation Category The Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists (HKICON)
Projekt Berlin was awarded Best Event Production – Gold Award, Marketing Events Award 2020 Marketing Magazine
Projekt Berlin was awarded Best Culture Event – Bronze Award, Marketing Events Award 2020 Marketing Magazine
Manpower Developers of ERB Manpower Developer Award Scheme 2020-2022 Employees Retraining Board
2019 Award of Excellence, UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation[17] UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation
One of the Top 10 Museums and Cultural Venues of 2019 Designboom magazine
MURAKAMI vs MURAKAMI was named as one of the Top 10 Art Exhibitions in 2019 Designboom magazine
Marco Polo Club Members’ Choice Awards 2019 – Best Hong Kong Arts Venue Marco Polo Club
HKIA Annual Awards 2018/2019

Special Architectural Award: Heritage & Adaptive Re-use

Hong Kong Institute of Architects
HKIA Annual Awards 2018/2019

HKIA Merit Award of Hong Kong – Mixed Use(es) Building

Hong Kong Institute of Architects
HKICON Conservation Award 2018 - Interpretation Category The Hong Kong Institute

of Architectural Conservationists

Structural Excellence Award 2019 Grand Award The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
Fire Engineering Excellence Award 2019 The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
Tai Kwun Opening Season was awarded HKDA Global Design Awards 2018 — Excellence Award on Visual Identity System Hong Kong Designers Association
100 Faces of Tai Kwun was awarded 2019 FRAME Awards – Social Award (People's Choice) FRAME Awards
Prison Architect, a film commissioned by Tai Kwun was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival Berlinale 2019 (the 69th Berlin International Film Festival)
Tai Kwun Dance Season was awarded Outstanding Small Venue Production at 2019 Hong Kong Dance Awards (Tai Kwun and Joseph Lee, Rebecca Wong, KT Yau Ka-hei) Hong Kong Dance Alliance
Tai Kwun Dance Season was awarded Outstanding Services to Dance at 2019 Hong Kong Dance Awards Hong Kong Dance Alliance
2018 One of the World's 100 Greatest Places 2018 which span six continents and 48 countries and territories TIME Magazine
New Cultural Destination of the Year - APAC Leading Cultural Destinations Awards 2018
Grand Award, DFA Design for Asia Awards 2018 Hong Kong Design Centre
100 Faces of Tai Kwun was awarded Merit Award, DFA Design for Asia Awards 2018 Hong Kong Design Centre
AIA Hong Kong Citation 2018 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Hong Kong Chapter
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Anson Lo's 'Burn Out' music video is filmed at The Chinese Library, Tai Kwun.

References

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  1. ^ "Hong Kong's largest heritage conservation project opens to public". ARUP News. 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
  2. ^ a b Kao, Ernest (29 May 2018). "Central Police Station is now the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts, where fond Hong Kong tales live on". South China Morning Post.
  3. ^ a b c "Central Police Station complex reopening after 8-year restoration". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  4. ^ 明新, 何 (2016). 大館 : 中央警署, 跨世紀檔案 = Top Secret. 初版. ed., 中華書局(香港)有限公司, 2016 (初版 ed.). 中華書局(香港)有限公司. p. 192.
  5. ^ Guo, Songtao. "使西紀程". archieve. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  6. ^ a b c "Central Police Station heritage site to partially reopen in May". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  7. ^ a b "'Tai Kwun' offers platform for art". The Standard. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  8. ^ "Budget for Central Police Station conversion double HK$1.8b estimate". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  9. ^ Au-yeung, Allen; Cheung, Elizabeth (29 May 2016). "Wall and roof collapse at historic former Central Police Station raises safety and heritage preservation fears". South China Morning Post.
  10. ^ Cheng, Kris (30 May 2016). "Redevelopment work halted after wall collapses at former Central Police Station". Hong Kong Free Press.
  11. ^ Tong, Elson (1 June 2017). "Buildings Dept. prosecutes subcontractor after Central Police Station wall collapse". Hong Kong Free Press.
  12. ^ Heathcote, Edwin (2018-03-29). "From cop shop to culture hub: Hong Kong's Tai Kwun centre". Financial Times. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  13. ^ "Tai Kwun: The World's 100 Greatest Places of 2018". Time. Retrieved 2018-11-25.
  14. ^ "2019 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation - Winners announced". UNESCO Bangkok. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  15. ^ "Quality Building Award 2020 results announced" (PDF).
  16. ^ "Tai Kwun - The Centre for Heritage and Arts". www.architecture.com. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  17. ^ "Tai Kwun - Centre for Heritage and Arts wins Award of Excellence of UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation (with photo)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2021-08-06.

Further reading

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