Public forum on heritage value of Ho Tung Gardens

Members of the public are invited to take part in a public forum on the heritage value of Ho Tung Gardens from 10am to 11.30am on October 15 (Saturday) at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre, Kowloon Park, Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

A spokesman for the Development Bureau today (October 11) said, "Ho Tung Gardens was declared a proposed monument on January 28, 2011 for a 12-month statutory protection while allowing time for the Antiquities Authority to carefully consider whether Ho Tung Gardens warrants declaration as a monument."

To facilitate the Antiquities Authority to make a decision, the consultants commissioned by the Antiquities and Monuments Office have just completed their studies on the historical and architectural values of Ho Tung Gardens. Dr Victor Zheng, who was the Research Assistant Professor of the Hong Kong Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong, as well as Dr Lee Ho-yin and Dr Lynne DiStefano, who are the Director and Adjunct Professor of the Architectural Conservation Programme of the University of Hong Kong, will present their findings on the historical and architectural values of Ho Tung Gardens at the public forum.

"We hope that the public forum will provide an occasion for the public to discuss the heritage value and conservation of Ho Tung Gardens," the spokesman added.

The consultants' reports have established that the Ho Tung Gardens has high historical and architectural value. Ho Tung Gardens was the only remaining Peak residence directly related to Sir Robert Ho Tung, who was a prominent community leader and the first non-European to receive permission from the then Hong Kong Government to reside in the Peak area. According to the consultants, Ho Tung Gardens exemplifies a mixture of Chinese and Western architectural elements, also known as Chinese Renaissance architecture. Apart form being the only building with Chinese architectural elements built in the Peak area at that time, Ho Tung Gardens also appears to be the earliest surviving example of Chinese Renaissance architecture in Hong Kong.

No enrolment is required for the public forum and seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis.  Details of the public forum are available at the Antiquities and Monuments Office's website (www.amo.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the Commissioner for Heritage's Office (2848 6189) or e-mail (cho@devb.gov.hk).

Ends/Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Issued at HKT 20:14

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