THE WORST-PRESERVED HISTORIC BUILDINGS IN SHANGHAI
Historic Shanghai hereby announces the establishment of “The Black List” of the worst-preserved historic buildings in Shanghai. Yes, the Black List is an effort to shame the voracious destroyers of this great city’s heritage, but it is also meant to educate the public about what proper historic renovation is – by showing them what it definitely is not. The Black List is important because architectural heritage is a finite cultural resource, and time is running out for many of Shanghai’s remaining heritage buildings.
From the 1950s to the 1990s, Shanghai’s architectural history was preserved through neglect. There wasn’t money for maintenance, and besides, these buildings were considered symbols of China’s humiliation at the hands of Western imperialists, not worthy of special treatment. Their gradual decline wasn’t pretty, but at least the buildings were left whole. All that would have been needed was cleanup and gentle restoration.
But that is not what happened. The 1990s brought prosperity and urban renewal to Shanghai, and change on a scale and at a speed that is now legendary. The new century also saw an increase of interest in historic buildings, but this interest was twisted and exploited by developers. They presented “preservation” as the Xintiandi formula: keep the exteriors, but rip out the guts and install characterless interiors. Because historic preservation is not well understood in China, the general public accepted this formula. The public did not know – and the developers did not care – that without a properly preserved interior, the historic value of a heritage building is almost nil.
Interiors are an integral part of the aesthetics of any building, old or new. When the wooden floors, hand-laid tile and decorative ironwork are removed from an historic Shanghai house, it no longer tells the same story. Those who argue against restoration say that old buildings aren’t equipped for the 21st century – but around the world, buildings much older than Shanghai’s are properly restored for modern use. Yes, proper restoration is expensive, but what is the value of a city’s heritage? Priceless.
Remember: there’s no excuse for ruining historic buildings.
The Black List below is just a start. Historic Shanghai fans are encouraged to send in their nominations for The Black List: email info@historic-shanghai.com.
THE HISTORIC SHANGHAI BLACK LIST
1. Three on the Bund No. 3, The Bund
Since its opening in 2001, our poster child for “How not to preserve a building.” Just eight years ago, the ground floor space facing the Bund had soaring ceilings and beautiful ornamental plaster. The low-ceiling, contemporary interior of the luxury clothing store that now occupies that space has no relationship to the historic building at all. None. The same can be said of the hospital-like interior of the restaurant on the sixth floor. Some hard-core preservationists we know won’t even set foot in this building.
2. Lan Guangdong Road at Jiangxi Road
The first thing the egocentric Beijing restauranteuse leaseholder did to this historic building was to drill holes into the historic stone exterior to put up huge billboards. The next thing she did was to rip out every last bit of the interior. We’ve seen her renovation approach before, in historic structures in Beijing and Shanghai – all of them disasters. This building survived Japanese occupation, civil war, and the Cultural Revolution – but not Lan!
3. Maneo/Mint 333 Tongren Lu
What a thing to do to a masterwork by one of Shanghai’s most talented architects! Laszlo Hudec designed this beauty, once known as the Wu Mansion. It was at the absolute cutting edge of design when it was completed in 1934. And now? The late-night clubbers have no idea that they are partying in one of the coolest (and most blasphemed) houses in the universe.
4. Shanghai Municipal Archives South Bund
How ironic that the interior of this historic Art Deco beauty – formerly the French shipping firm Messageries Maritimes (1871-1981) – was destroyed in the renovation that made it the Shanghai Municipal Archives. Shame, shame…
More to come – please share your nominations!
4 responses so far ↓
1 Fessenden // Feb 13, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Noted Shanghai business pundit Paul French appears to agree wholeheartedly with The Black List. Here’s what he said in the February 6 edition of the Access Asia newsletter (visit http://www.access-asia.info):
Façadeacide – When renovating buildings (think 3 on the Bund), this is the act of saving nothing but the outside frame of the building, while gutting the interior and trying to pass it off as classy. If you want to see Façadeacide at its worst, we suggest you visit Shanghai’s Xintiandi.
Do you agree that Xintiandi should be on the Historic Shanghai Black List?
2 Frangipani // Feb 16, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Xintiandi should definitely be on the Black List, for all the reasons Paul French mentions - but really, one shouldn’t expect any less from a development by Ben “I disdain preservation” Wood. HE should be on the Black List, too!
3 Luwanster // Mar 4, 2008 at 3:30 pm
If fans of this type of approach had their way most people in Shanghai would be living in old lanehouses, without proper sewage, drafty and squalid, but at least historically correct and quaint. If there were a proper debate, which there isn’t since this posting will be shortly deleted also, one would see that a holier than thou attitude always works until faced with logic. I want to hear what these people think of Bund 5, 6, 18 etc. Be consistent!!
4 Attila Balogh // Mar 9, 2008 at 3:02 am
There’s a new website covering Hudec’s life and buildings in Shanghai at http://www.hudec.sh
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