Hong kong Apartments Converted from 90 year Old Pok Fu Lam Mansion

Posted on 26 May, 2021 | By Property852

If there ever was going to be a difficult property to properly restore, it would certainly be the Jessville Manor found in Pok Fu Lam. The process for converting this 90-year old structure into a four-unit contemporary building, however, takes it to a whole other level.

The Jessville Manor's restoration was by no means an easy feat, easily bringing on its fair share of challenges and setbacks. The Italian Renaissance styled home's owner, Samsbury Investments, had this to say.

"Retaining and restoring as many of the existing materials as possible to keep the facade and interior in their historic context required a lot of time and effort."

The great home was first built by the 1929 magistrate, William Ngar Tse Thomas Tam. His son, William Nixon Thomas Tam Ching, based on the company's registry, is one of the previous directors of Samsbury Investments.

This mansion and its heritage are an unprecedented and wholly rare product available on the market, likely to attract many potential residents so long as the interior fittings can match the luxurious exterior.

Hong Kong Apartments

Koh Keng-sing, the founder and CEO of Landscope Christies International Real Estate, echoed the same sentiment. He stated that, once the four units (ranging from 2,248-square feet to 2,961-square feet) are available, there would be numerous potential tenants lining up for residency.

When that time will come, unfortunately, has not yet been determined as Samsbury has stated that work is still ongoing with the manor's interiors.

Two areas, in particular, that are causing some problems come by way of the difficulty finding suitable replacement materials as well as qualified labour. To maintain much of the manor's 1930's appearance, areas like the marble floors, fireplaces, timber-made doors, or ceiling cornices have all been restored. Other areas, such as the bathroom and kitchen amenities, have been given a more contemporary update.

In addition to the manor, Samsbury has also built the Jessville Tower at the site. This 14-storey residential structure holds 28 units and was available for lease earlier this month. There are two available flat sizes throughout the 28 units: 1,358-square feet and 1,431-square feet. Rent starts from HK$73,800 (USD$9,503) per month and includes parking as well as government and management fees.

Knight Frank, the tower's leasing agent, noted that despite the nine years required for its completion, the tower has been very well regarded. Samsbury stated that, because the tower was along a steep mountainside, it required considerably more time when constructing the foundations.

This, already extended time, was made even longer after it was discovered that there were old World War II bombs stored on the site. All construction had to be indefinitely suspended until the bombs disabled, extending the time.

These issues were only a few of the impressive list of delays the tower experienced. During the early years of its development, there was a moratorium on all new Pok Fu Lam developments that took several additional years to negotiate and resolve. These negotiations were required, as they allowed Samsbury to retain and preserve the manor. Approval of the tower was only possible through the preservation plan for the mansion.

Finally, the coronavirus pandemic brought in its own challenges as, during the initial outbreaks, many of the site workers that celebrated the Lunar New Year in mainland China were stuck due to the closed borders. A similar sentiment was experienced in regards to sourcing many materials from the mainland and overseas as well.

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