Since its Foundation, the Headquarters of HSBC in Hong Kong Has Never Moved

On March 3, 1865, Thomas Sutherland established the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, known today as HSBC. Believing that good Feng Shui was crucial for his bank's success, he chose Wardley House as HSBC’s first headquarters, as the building was claimed to have one of the best Feng Shui in the city.

Built at 1 Queen’s Road, Wardley House was located in the heart of the burgeoning colony. However, the premises quickly became too small; and in 1882, Wardley House was demolished to make way for HSBC’s second-generation headquarters, which was completed in 1886.

In 1934, the second-generation building was in turn demolished to be replaced with a new, at the time ultra-modern, third-generation HSBC headquarters—the first building in Hong Kong to be fully fitted with air conditioning and the tallest building in the city upon completion.

That building was eventually demolished to make way for the fourth and current generation of HSBC’s headquarters. Upon its completion in 1985, it was the most expensive building in the world.

Since each successive headquarters was built on the site of its predecessor, the present-day HSBC Main Building is still located at the same address as Wardley House—1 Queen’s Road Central—a century and a half ago.