Home » Sunday » City Scene
Gems around People's Square
By Yang Di |
September 5, 2010, Sunday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SHANGHAI may ever-changing with sleek new architecture, but the distinctive buildings from the vibrant 1920s and 30s make the city come alive with its textured history. Hungarian architect Laszlo Hudec was one of the most influential and celebrated architects who left an indelible mark on the city's landscape.
Born in 1893 in northern Hungary, Hudec studied architecture at Budapest's Royal University from 1911 to 1914. He joined the Austro-Hungarian Army after graduation, only to be captured by the Russians and sent to a prison camp in Siberia. He leapt from the train on the way and escaped to China. Hudec arrived in the city in 1918, with empty pockets but boundless talent and vision.
During almost 30 years in the city, Hudec helped shape the face of Shanghai, designing many architectural gems in the 1920s and 1930s. Most of them are still standing.
They include the well-known Park Hotel and the Grand Theater on Nanjing Road W., the Normandie Apartments on Wukang Road, and Wu's House on Tongren Road. Hudec's Shanghai buildings are impressively eclectic with styles varying from classical to Art Deco and modern.
Hudec left Shanghai to Europe with his family in 1947 for a lengthy trip due to the uncertain situation in China. He was planning to return but never came back. However, his legacy lives on. We can still peel back the layers of history by visiting some of his masterpieces. Today we highlight three of his distinguished buildings around People's Square.
Park Hotel -- Jewel in the crown
The jewel in Hudec's crown stands in a forest of high-rises like a stately grande dame. The 24-story, 83.8 meter-tall brown-tiled Park Hotel, completed in 1934, was Shanghai's tallest building until the 1980s. Hudec was inspired by the Gothic Art Deco American Radiator Building in New York and adopted Art Deco in his design of the hotel. The first three floors are covered in gleaming black granite from the sacred Laoshan Hill in Qingdao, Shandong Province, and the upper floors are covered with dark brown tiles. Once the building was completed, it hosted many grand gatherings and celebrity soirees. Over the years, the exterior remains unchanged but the interior has gone through several changes. As an iconic international hotel, its history and elegance combined with the central location create an experience that few hotels can match. Renowned Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei has said the Park Hotel inspired his interest in architecture.
Address: 170 Nanjing Rd W.
Tel: 6327-5225
Grand Theater -- Edgy in its day
The Grand Theater was the most state-of-the-art cinema in Shanghai when it was built in 1933. The simple and modern design featuring lots of glass windows and lights were new to Shanghai and helped build Hudec's fame. The three-story, reinforced concrete structure covers 4,016 square meters of the site and 6,249 square meters of building area. The cinema was the first in China to introduce the widescreen format and stereo system, and it installed mini ear pieces for all seats. The Chinese audience appreciated the movies as they listened to translated recordings. It was widely known as the "best cinema of the Far East." The Grand Cinema was renovated in 2008, new facilities were installed and a roof garden and terrace restaurant was added.
Address: 216 Nanjing Rd W.
Tel: 6359-0336
Mu En Church -- English Gothic
Moore Memorial Church, known today as the Mu En Church, was established in 1887 as a Methodist place of worship. It was rebuilt between 1929 and 1931 according to Hudec's design. The English Gothic church features unusual-for-the-time exterior walls constructed with concave and convex red bricks. The flamboyant ecclesiastical lancet windows in the tower and on the bay windows in the entrance are a typical Tudor style. It was occupied by the Japanese army from 1941 to 1945 and then by a Nanjing middle school. It resumed its religious functions in 1979 and now serves as a community church for Chinese Christians. Facing west, it has a north building, a central worship area, a residence and an impressive bell tower.
Address: 316 Xizang Rd M.
Tel: 6322-5069
Born in 1893 in northern Hungary, Hudec studied architecture at Budapest's Royal University from 1911 to 1914. He joined the Austro-Hungarian Army after graduation, only to be captured by the Russians and sent to a prison camp in Siberia. He leapt from the train on the way and escaped to China. Hudec arrived in the city in 1918, with empty pockets but boundless talent and vision.
During almost 30 years in the city, Hudec helped shape the face of Shanghai, designing many architectural gems in the 1920s and 1930s. Most of them are still standing.
They include the well-known Park Hotel and the Grand Theater on Nanjing Road W., the Normandie Apartments on Wukang Road, and Wu's House on Tongren Road. Hudec's Shanghai buildings are impressively eclectic with styles varying from classical to Art Deco and modern.
Hudec left Shanghai to Europe with his family in 1947 for a lengthy trip due to the uncertain situation in China. He was planning to return but never came back. However, his legacy lives on. We can still peel back the layers of history by visiting some of his masterpieces. Today we highlight three of his distinguished buildings around People's Square.
Park Hotel -- Jewel in the crown
The jewel in Hudec's crown stands in a forest of high-rises like a stately grande dame. The 24-story, 83.8 meter-tall brown-tiled Park Hotel, completed in 1934, was Shanghai's tallest building until the 1980s. Hudec was inspired by the Gothic Art Deco American Radiator Building in New York and adopted Art Deco in his design of the hotel. The first three floors are covered in gleaming black granite from the sacred Laoshan Hill in Qingdao, Shandong Province, and the upper floors are covered with dark brown tiles. Once the building was completed, it hosted many grand gatherings and celebrity soirees. Over the years, the exterior remains unchanged but the interior has gone through several changes. As an iconic international hotel, its history and elegance combined with the central location create an experience that few hotels can match. Renowned Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei has said the Park Hotel inspired his interest in architecture.
Address: 170 Nanjing Rd W.
Tel: 6327-5225
Grand Theater -- Edgy in its day
The Grand Theater was the most state-of-the-art cinema in Shanghai when it was built in 1933. The simple and modern design featuring lots of glass windows and lights were new to Shanghai and helped build Hudec's fame. The three-story, reinforced concrete structure covers 4,016 square meters of the site and 6,249 square meters of building area. The cinema was the first in China to introduce the widescreen format and stereo system, and it installed mini ear pieces for all seats. The Chinese audience appreciated the movies as they listened to translated recordings. It was widely known as the "best cinema of the Far East." The Grand Cinema was renovated in 2008, new facilities were installed and a roof garden and terrace restaurant was added.
Address: 216 Nanjing Rd W.
Tel: 6359-0336
Mu En Church -- English Gothic
Moore Memorial Church, known today as the Mu En Church, was established in 1887 as a Methodist place of worship. It was rebuilt between 1929 and 1931 according to Hudec's design. The English Gothic church features unusual-for-the-time exterior walls constructed with concave and convex red bricks. The flamboyant ecclesiastical lancet windows in the tower and on the bay windows in the entrance are a typical Tudor style. It was occupied by the Japanese army from 1941 to 1945 and then by a Nanjing middle school. It resumed its religious functions in 1979 and now serves as a community church for Chinese Christians. Facing west, it has a north building, a central worship area, a residence and an impressive bell tower.
Address: 316 Xizang Rd M.
Tel: 6322-5069
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