Preserve the General Post Office!

Environmental Petition

Preserve the General Post Office!

1565 Signatures Obtained, This Campaign Ended on December 31, 2018

1565

Signatures
obtained

435

Target: 2000

Description

Reclamation and reconstruction at Central have been propelled in the recent years, resulting in many valuable historical landmarks being under threat. Located at the centre of Central, the General Post Office witnessed the history of postal service and reclamation development, and has since then become a collective memory of the public. Furthermore, if the Bank of China Building and the Former Central Government Complex are the masterpieces of the 1950’s architectures, and architectures of the 1960’s are represented by the Hong Kong City Hall and the Murray, then the General Post Office, which construction preparation had begun since the 1960’s and construction completed in 1976, is an indispensable part of the post-war modern Hong Kong architectural history. It manifests the leading construction and design capabilities of Hong Kong at the time among other Asian districts. The Hong Kong Government is duty-bounded to conserve this important public building. The demolish of the General Post Office was not mentioned in the consultation document of the Urban Design Study For The New Central Harbourfront a decade ago, such that it was not consulted with the public. However, just two years ago, it was suddenly planned to be demolished. In order to maintain just in protocols and emphasize the importance of the General Post Office, we list in below the reasons for conserving the building.

Organisers of petition:

Central & Western Concern Group

oldhkphoto.com

Petition Letter

To Secretary for Development, Director of Planning,

We urge you to preserve the General Post Office (GPO) in Central Hong Kong!

The General Post Office has witnessed the history of the postal service and is part of the public’s collective memory since its completion in 1976, due to being adjacent to the former Central ‘Star’ Ferry building.

The former Central Government Offices, Hong Kong City Hall and the original Bank of China building represent the best modernist architecture of the 1950s. Architecture from the late 1960s and 1970s is best represented in the Central Business District by the Murray Building and the GPO – both these buildings are excellent examples of modernism with elements of Brutalism which are rare in Hong Kong. Your government has wisely preserved the successfully repurposed Murray Building and we urge you to also preserve the architecturally significant GPO.

The demolition of the GPO was not mentioned in the consultation document of the Urban Design Study for the New Central Harbourfront a decade ago. Two years ago it was announced that the land would be sold and the GPO to be demolished. This decision was made with no public consultation and is unacceptable because:

The General Post Office embodies important social, economic and cultural value. Over the past 40 years and despite the recent surge in usage of the Internet, the GPO has served and continues to connect Hong Kong to the world, promoting social, economic and cultural development and trade.
Historical Value: The GPO building is the only remaining public building which marks the coastline of the 1960s Central reclamation. Former iconic buildings, including the Central ‘Star’ Ferry building and pier, Queen’s Pier, Blake Pier, and the United Pier have all been knocked-down. The current GPO building represents the three previous generations of General Post Offices on Hong Kong Island – the current building, the fourth, is the last remaining GPO building in Hong Kong.
Architectural Value: The simple and elegant General Post Office is an excellent modernist building designed by local architects. The design of each floor is closely related to postal functions with the entire design emphasizing the principle of “form follows function”, making the building an exceptional example of modernist architecture. The international conservation organization, Docomomo International, has listed the Hong Kong General Post Office as being “heritage in danger”, appealing to the Hong Kong government for its preservation.
Preservation: The government has ignored the preservation of the GPO over commercial considerations in the development of Site 3 of the new Central Reclamation. The GPO building can easily be repurposed for all kinds of public uses. If preserved, the government will be honoured with its foresight in future years – just like it has been honoured for its vision to preserve Central Police Station, Central Market, PMQ and the remarkable modernist complex of the former Central Government Offices.

We urge the government to withdraw the decision to demolish the General Post Office, to re-evaluate the building, and conduct a public consultation!

Thank you!

Petition Creator

This petition was started by Central and Western Concern Group 中西區關注組 on October 4, 2018, with an end date of December 31, 2018.

We are heritage conservation and better urban planning advocacy group based in Central, Hong Kong.

The Central & Western Concern Group advocates good urban planning and better heritage conservation in Hong Kong and is specifically involved in information- giving to the public; organizing our own community initiatives and activities; meeting government officials; making strongly-researched submissions to government and statutory planning authorities; and, initiating applications to the Town Planning Board under the provisions of the Town Planning Ordinance.

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