ARCHIVE № 003
Sassoon House
Art Deco landmark once hailed as 'the No. 1 Building in the Far East', now the north building of the Peace Hotel
An Art Deco tower built in 1929 by the Sassoon family and hailed at its completion as 'the No. 1 Building in the Far East'; one of Shanghai's earliest modernist high-rises, it is today the north building of the Peace Hotel.
- Former names
- Cathay Hotel
- Also known as
- Peace Hotel North Building, The No. 1 Building in the Far East
The record
- Completed
- 1929
- Begun
- 1926
- Architect
- George L. Wilson
- Architecture firm
- Palmer & Turner
- Developer
- 华懋地产股份有限公司（新沙逊洋行旗下）
- Contractor
- 新仁记营造厂
- Style
- Art Deco with Chicago School touches
- Structure
- Reinforced-concrete structure
- Storeys
- 9 storeys (rising to 13 in part on the river side)
- Type
- Civic & Public
- District
- Huangpu
- Address
- 20 East Zhongshan Road No. 1
- Historic area
- The Bund Historic Area
- Heritage listing no.
- 1A006
- Coordinates
- 31.241111, 121.484722
- Shanghai Heritage ArchitectureBatch 1 · Listed 1989
- Shanghai Municipal Heritage SiteListed 1989
- Major National Historical and Cultural SiteBatch 4 · Listed 1996
Timeline
- 1926
Construction Began
The Cathay Land Company demolished the old buildings on the site, and work began on the new tower designed by Palmer & Turner.
- 1929
Tower Completed and Cathay Hotel Opened
The tower was completed, with the Cathay Hotel opening on the fifth through ninth floors, hailed as 'the No. 1 Building in the Far East'.
- 1937
'Black Saturday' Air Raid
During the Battle of Shanghai, stray bombs fell around the hotel, causing massive civilian casualties.
- 1949
Building Taken Over
The Shanghai municipal government took over the building as an asset against the debts of E. D. Sassoon & Co., converting some floors into government offices.
- 1956
Renamed the Peace Hotel
The hotel reopened to the public as the 'Peace Hotel', with this building known as the North Building.
- 1996
Listed as a Nationally Protected Site
Included with the Bund ensemble in the fourth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.
Uses over time
- Historic uses
- Cathay Hotel guest rooms and E. D. Sassoon & Co. offices (1929-1949)
- Government offices (1949-1956)
- Peace Hotel North Building (1956 to present)
- Today
- Fairmont Peace Hotel (Peace Hotel North Building)
Visiting
Open to the public
The hotel lobby, the Jazz Bar and other public areas are open to visitors; the 'heritage tour' program (including the Peace Museum) runs only at midday on weekdays and requires reservation through official channels.
- the Bund
- Art Deco
- Sassoon
- Cathay Hotel
- Peace Hotel
FIRST EDITION · VOLUME ONE
Read the full chapter in the app
The full history, a close reading of the architecture, and the people and city stories behind it are all in the Shanghai Architecture Archive for iOS.
Sources
- 上海市优秀历史建筑名录（第一批，1989年公布）Official register
- 沙逊大厦Wikipedia
- Peace HotelWikipedia
- Sassoon House - Wikidata (Q11140758)Wikidata
- Private LivesWikipedia
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