Kom Tong Hall

Built in 1914, Kom Tong Hall was named after its first owner Ho Kom-tong (1866-1950), who also went by the names Ho Kai-tong and Ho Tai-sang and who was the younger brother of Sir Robert Ho Tung. A prominent businessman and well-regarded community leader and philanthropist at the centre of the Chinese and Eurasian commercial community during the early 20th century, he was one of the most influential figures of his time.

Kom Tong Hall remained the residence of the Ho family until 1960 when a merchant surnamed Chang purchased the building, before selling it the following year to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The hall was acquired by the Government in 2004 and subsequently converted into the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, which opened to the public in December 2006.

Built in the Composite Classical style popular in the Edwardian Colonial period in Hong Kong, Kom Tong Hall features red brick walls, granite dressings around the windows and doors and ornate ironwork on the balconies. It was one of the first structures built with a steel frame with concealed built-in electrical wiring in Hong Kong.

Internally, the building is richly decorated with classical architectural features in the Baroque and Rococo styles: a grand staircase with ornamental balustrading runs from the basement to the second floor, the ceilings of the main rooms are ornately adorned with moulded plaster panels highlighted in gold leaf, while colourful stained glass windows presenting Art Nouveau patterns of the period can be found along the main staircase and in other prominent locations.

Kom Tong Hall was declared a monument in 2010.