European Heritage Days: Modernist Happy Valley
Docomomo Hong Kong was invited by the Consulate General of France to design a self-guided tour focusing on the modern architecture in Happy Valley as part of a series of activities celebrating the European Heritage Days. Originated in France, Heritage Days take place every year on the third weekend of September to allow the public to discover exceptional public and private buildings in the city. This year, two self-guided tours have been organized for the event by Docomomo Hong Kong and the F11 Foto Museum.
Self-Guided Tour
Click to view a map of the sites.
Itinerary: From the top of Blue Pool Road to the bottom of Ventris Road.
The History of Blue Pool Road and Its Modern Residential Architecture
The development of Wong Nei Chung village started in 1923, when the Hong Kong government embarked on a program of developing Happy Valley into an upper middle class residential neighbourhood. A decade later, with the construction of Blue Pool Road, a series of 3-storey houses featuring modern architectural style appeared along the road. The development continued after the Second World War, with many well-to-do families who used to live in the Mid-levels moving to the area. By the 1960s, some of the earlier houses were replaced by low-rise apartments. Today, we can still see a number of these different building types in the neighbourhood.
