Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Bridges Street Centre, Grade I historic building in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
The Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Bridges Street Centre is a six-storey red-brick building at 51 Bridges Street in Sheung Wan, designed by Chicago firm Stattck and Hussey. It mixes Western Neoclassical and Chinese vernacular styles under Chicago School influence. Inside were Hong Kong's first indoor heated swimming pool and first cantilevered indoor banked running track.
The Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong Bridges Street Centre was built with funds raised by YMCA members in Chicago and designed by the Chicago firm Stattck and Hussey. It opened in 1918, inaugurated by Acting Governor Claud Severn, as the YMCA's first headquarters building and Hong Kong's first public assembly hall and sports venue. In 1937 it became the Mid-Levels Section A headquarters of the air raid ambulance corps, sheltering over a thousand refugees; during the Japanese occupation it housed a Japanese and German language school.
The cornerstone and donor name plaques are still mounted on the wall of the main entrance lobby. The building served as one of the few venues in early 20th-century Hong Kong large enough for major gatherings: the first members' meeting of the Anti-Mui Tsai Society in 1922 and the city's first group wedding in 1936 were held here.
The center is located on Bridges Street in Sheung Wan and operates with different programs throughout the week for youth and community activities. Visitors should check opening hours in advance and note that different facilities within the building may have separate access or participation requirements.
The centre held Hong Kong's first indoor heated swimming pool, along with the first indoor cantilever-supported bowl-shaped running track. Both were built for the Chinese community, and the pool predates any public facility of its kind in the city.
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