St. Joseph's Home for the Aged is located at No. 35 Clear Water Bay Road, Ngau Chi Wan, Wong Tai Sin, New Kowloon, Hong Kong. The site spans .
St. Joseph's Home for the Aged refers to a compound of historical buildings; more than 10 buildings at its peak. The site was not originally a home for the elderly, but a villa (or storey-house) belonging to Mr. Chan Keng-Yu (). This added historical significance to the compound as Mr. Chan Keng-Yu was the Compradore of Douglas Lapraik and Co., as well as one of the Founding Directors of Chinese Chamber of Commerce ().
In 1926, the site was sold to the Little Sisters of the Poor, a French-based charitable body and Roman Catholic order for women. Architect firm, Crédit foncier d'Extrême-Orient, was in charge of the development of St. Joseph's Home for the Aged in the 1930s.
During the 1930s, St. Joseph's Home for the Aged served as a refuge for those who fled from the Japanese invasion in China.
Grading
Despite the proposal of a grade 2 classification, the entire site, villa, gate house, and dormitory A all kept their classification as grade 1 historical buildings on September 18, 2009.
Parts of the compound
The Villa
The villa was the first building of the compound and dates back to 1919. It is a single-storey bungalow of neo-classical colonial style. It has a colonnaded verandah: 8 Doric-styled columns supporting the entablature on segmental arches. The roof of the villa was found to be flat, but there are indications that it may have been originally, a Chinese tiled pitched roof. Double entry steps introduce the front of the verandah.
The villa served as the quarters for the Little Sisters of the Poor until the relocation of the Sisters and the residents of the home.
The Gate House
As a later addition by the Little Sisters of the Poor, the gate house was built in the mid-1930s. It followed the neo-classical style of the villa: it had pilasters of the Doric order. A tablet, placed at the centre of the front façade, was inscribed with the initials ‘JMJ’. It represented the recurring motto of the Little Sisters of the Poor: “Jesus, Mary & Joseph” in memory of the Holy Family.
Dormitory A
Dormitory A was built around 1932-1933. Unlike the villa and the gate house, dormitory A was constructed in a Modernist or Art Deco style. More specifically, it has adapted the “Liner Style”, as its features bear resemblance to ocean liners of the period: it has a linear plan, horizontal banding, rounded corners, and plain round columns. The roof is a Chinese tiled pitched roof, imitating the waves of the sea.
St. Joseph's Chapel, and Dormitories B and C
St. Joseph's Chapel and dormitories B and C have been demolished.
Redevelopment
In 2000, St. Joseph's Home for the Aged attracted the attention of the Antiquities and Monuments Office, which recommended to the Antiquities Advisory Board that the various buildings on the site are to be classified as historic. But if the recommendation was approved, it could prevent the conclusion of an agreement with land developers: the redevelopment of the site in exchange for a new and better facilitated home in the New Territories. This is because the land developers may feel that the profit margins are low due to the high costs of preserving the historic parts of the site.
In addition, millions of dollars were spent each year on maintenance in compliance with fire and safety standards alone. As the home is financially reliant on public donations and fund-raising, it follows that a new home may be preferable as it would cost less to run.
The redevelopment situation of St. Joseph's Home for the Aged is a clear example of the history vs. progress debate, with the government wanting to conserve the heritage, while the land developer hoping to maximise the redevelopment potential of the land. In 2001, the entire site and its various buildings were classified as grade 1 historical buildings. Note that a grade 1 classification does not necessarily mean that the historical building is a declared monument. Nevertheless, a solution which reconciled the conflicting objects was found in 2002, when the Government proposed a ‘transfer of development rights’ (“TDR”) scheme. David Lung Ping-yee described the scheme as a win-win situation for both the government and the land developers. Other analysts have also acknowledged that the scheme could conserve the heritage of Hong Kong whilst advancing urban development and progress.