City Hall, Hong Kong

The Hong Kong City Hall is a building located at Edinburgh Place, , Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong does not designate itself or any part of itself as a city, there is no mayor or city council; therefore, the City Hall does not hold the offices of a city government, unlike most city halls around the world. Instead, it is a complex providing municipal services, including performing venues and libraries.

The City Hall is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. The Urban Council managed the City Hall and held its meetings there prior to its dissolution in December 1999.

History

First generation

The first City Hall of Hong Kong, which existed from 1869 to 1933, was located at the current site of the HSBC Hong Kong headquarters building.

Design and function

The City Hall was built on Government land, and funds were raised for its construction, which started in 1866, from public subscriptions. The two-storey hall was designed by ''Ma?tre'' Hermite, a French architect.

Function

The most important civic function performed by City Hall was as the ceremonial location for swearing in of successive since it was inaugurated.

City Hall's Concert hall and theatre have been an important home to the performing arts in Hong Kong since its inauguration. A number of culture events, including the Hong Kong Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival in 1973, Asian Arts Festival in 1976, the Hong Kong International Film Festival in 1977, and the International Arts Carnival in 1982 were hosted there. The conference room of the former Urban Council was also at the lower building of the City Hall.

The High block once housed Hong Kong's principal public library, until a new was opened in 2001; the Hong Kong art gallery began life there on the tenth and eleventh floors. The Hong Kong Museum of History relocated in 1975, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art also moved out of City Hall in 1991.

The City Hall Memorial Garden at the north-western quadrant is a walled garden. It is a popular spot and obligatory backdrop for photographs of couples who celebrate their marriage in the City Hall Registry. Within the garden is a regular dodecagon shrine with an embedded memorial to those killed in Hong Kong during the World War II .

Summary of facilities

The complex has two buildings and a garden.


The High Block, a 12-storey building, is in the south-western end and houses a number of government facilities, including:

* City Hall Library, an eight-storey building., which in the past served as the of Hong Kong
* Exhibition Gallery, 260-square feet.
* Recital Hall with 111-seats.
* Committee Rooms: two 40-seat committee rooms
* Marriage Registry

The 3-storey Low Block is at the eastern end, with the following facilities:

* Concert Hall, with 1,434 seats and 60 standees at the mezzanine level.
* Restaurants and a cafe - continental , Chinese and European cuisines
* The URBTIX Box Office
* Exhibition Hall, 590-square metres.
* Theatre with 463 seats.
* Performing Arts Shop
*an enquiry counter

Gallery