Car crash fells wall at Hong Kong’s historic Wan Chai police station, but compound’s heritage value survives
Preservation experts say compound’s heritage value unaffected by smash, caused by a truck trying to leave site’s forecourt
Hong Kong heritage enthusiasts could breathe a sigh of relief on Sunday evening after it was confirmed that the old Wan Chai police station compound would remain largely intact, its historical value undiminished, despite a truck smashing into and flattening part of its rear wall.
The accident happened at about 12.30pm when a medium-sized truck carrying office furniture rammed the wall as the driver, 53, tried to leave the 85-year-old police compound onto Jaffe Road.
Police said no one was hurt. But part of the brick wall, four metres tall and 10 metres long, collapsed along with the metal gate, exposing the forecourt inside the compound.
A police spokesman said it was investigating the accident and that the driver passed a breathalyser test.
The police station was built in 1932. It sat on the edge of Victoria Harbour until land reclamation in the 1970s. Now the only historic structure along the old Wan Chai waterfront, the four-storey building features a façade with verandahs on every floor.
It was declared a grade two historic building in 2009. That grading – whilst offering no specific protection against demolition or alteration – means it is of special merit and efforts should be made to preserve it, according to the Antiquities and Monuments Office.
