Three HKU Buildings To Be Declared As Monuments

The Antiquities Advisory Board has recommended that three historic buildings at the University of Hong Kong be declared as monuments.

They are the Fung Ping Shan Building, Eliot Hall and May Hall, which were all granted Grade 1 historic building status in 2009.

The Fung Ping Shan Building, built in 1931, is a three-storey museum with a red brick facade, located next to the university's main entrance on Bonham Road.

Both the Eliot and May halls are over a century old. Eliot Hall served as a relief hospital during World War II, while May Hall was a residence for the university's staff and students who helped the Japanese vaccinate Hong Kong residents against cholera, smallpox and typhoid.

The government said earlier that the exteriors of the three buildings reach the “high threshold” to be declared as monuments, so they can be protected permanently under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance.

The Antiquities Authority will be able to declare the buildings monuments, via a notice in the Gazette, once it has gained the approval of the Chief Executive.