15 Yuk Sau Street [1932- ]

The four-storey house at No. 15 Yuk Sau Street (毓秀街) was built in circa 1931-1932. The earliest recorded owner of the house was Mr. Sam Gock Hon Son (郭漢順, alias Gock Wai Sam 郭偉三), an overseas Chinese who owned a firm at No. 21 Connaught Road in Central at the time. After the death of Mr. Gock in 1941, the property was inherited by his wife Gock Lum King-yock (郭林瓊玉). It was subsequently sold to Mr. Ma Kam-chan (馬錦燦) who came to Hong Kong with his wife in 1936 and later became one of the leading market providers of warehouse space, cold storage and general godown services in Hong Kong between the 1950s and 1970s. Yuk Sau Street was one of four streets laid out in the redevelopment of Happy Valley. Previously the land was occupied by a Chinese village named Wong Nei Chong Village (黃泥涌村) which had been in existence since the Qianlong era (乾隆年間, 1736-1795) and was cleared for redevelopment in 1923. This building, with its elegant design which displays a subtle blend of Italianate Renaissance and Edwardian Style architecture, can be classified as Colonial Eclectic. It was originally built as one of a pair of identical buildings. The lower part of the building consists of a pair of garages behind a wall of painted rusticated stonework featuring a Diocletian window at the centre with elongated keystones. A staircase at one side leads up to the terrace and main entrance. The front façade is faced with red bricks and stucco and features an elaborate front entrance and ornamental cantilevered balconies at first and second floor levels. French windows with mullions, transomes and small glazing squares open on to the balconies. The eaves are in the form of a wide projecting cornice. The side and rear elevations are in a similar architectural style. The roof is flat with a staircase bulkhead, flagpole, chimney and pergola over a roof terrace garden. This very elegant house, which is well maintained and cared for, is a rare piece of pre-war colonial architecture with considerable built heritage value. The condition of the interior is not known, but the exterior retains much of its original authentic appearance. This house, which was once one of a pair, has historical and social value as well as local interest, because it is a surviving example of the pre-war development of Happy Valley. It is therefore worthy of preservation. All according to AAB, which gave it a Grade II listing