The Old City Hall Was Demolished to Make Way for HSBC Headquarters Building and Bank of China Building

When it opened on June 28, 1869, the Old City Hall was the first multipurpose performance facility in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Designed in a Renaissance style, the City Hall included a library, a theatre, a museum, and a lecture room.

However, as the neighboring Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) gained influence, its Second Generation Building became somewhat cramped. Plans for their Third Generation Building required additional land, and the bank acquired parts of the land on which the City Hall was built.

In 1933, the western part of the City Hall was demolished to make way for the Third Generation HSBC Headquarters Building, which was completed in 1935. The eastern part of the City Hall, on the other hand, remained for another 12 years until the Hong Kong branch of the Bank of China acquired that plot of land.

In 1947, the last remaining part of the City Hall was, in turn, demolished to make way for the Bank of China Building, completed in 1951. Bank of China (Hong Kong) moved into its new premises on November 19, 1951.

Although Bank of China (Hong Kong) moved once more to the iconic Bank of China Tower in 1990, Bank of China Building still stands today, only 150 meters (500 feet) from its successor.