Home » Metro » Entertainment and Culture
Recognition for a Huaihai gem
By Michelle Zhang |
December 15, 2009, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
HUAI Hai Lu 796, a historical property on Huaihai Road M., has won the Award of Merit in the 2009 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation.
An award ceremony was held in the city yesterday.
Built in the 1920s, the group of elegant neo-classic mansions had been the residence of a Shanghai foreign-commerce agent and were later adapted to be the offices of many state-owned companies.
In 2007, Richemont Group, working with the architectural firm Kokaistudios, renovated the buildings into retail stores of British fashion house Alfred Dunhill and Swiss high-end watchmaker Vacheron Constantin, as well as a membership-only club, KEE, and Shanghai's leading contemporary art gallery, ShanghART.
With such tenants, the site has become one of the city's luxurious landmarks.
"As a heritage landmark in one of Shanghai's main commercial districts, the neoclassical villas of Huai Hai Lu 796 are an excellent example of a historic building complex transforming and adjusting to modern uses and finding a way to have an ongoing life in the community," said Beatrice Kaldun, program specialist for culture at UNESCO's Beijing office.
Each year, five kinds of awards are given to one or several sites in recognition of efforts in preserving and restoring historical architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, Kaldun said. Forty-eight entries from 14 countries and regions applied for the awards this year.
Bund 18, another piece of Shanghai history along the Bund, won the Award of Distinction in 2006.
An award ceremony was held in the city yesterday.
Built in the 1920s, the group of elegant neo-classic mansions had been the residence of a Shanghai foreign-commerce agent and were later adapted to be the offices of many state-owned companies.
In 2007, Richemont Group, working with the architectural firm Kokaistudios, renovated the buildings into retail stores of British fashion house Alfred Dunhill and Swiss high-end watchmaker Vacheron Constantin, as well as a membership-only club, KEE, and Shanghai's leading contemporary art gallery, ShanghART.
With such tenants, the site has become one of the city's luxurious landmarks.
"As a heritage landmark in one of Shanghai's main commercial districts, the neoclassical villas of Huai Hai Lu 796 are an excellent example of a historic building complex transforming and adjusting to modern uses and finding a way to have an ongoing life in the community," said Beatrice Kaldun, program specialist for culture at UNESCO's Beijing office.
Each year, five kinds of awards are given to one or several sites in recognition of efforts in preserving and restoring historical architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, Kaldun said. Forty-eight entries from 14 countries and regions applied for the awards this year.
Bund 18, another piece of Shanghai history along the Bund, won the Award of Distinction in 2006.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
