Yes, that was the covered stadium where people played basketball, badminton, volley ball held shows like magic shows, band shows and Chinese opera etc. It was the first "covered" stadium in Hong Kong.
The piece of land had always been left undeveloped since the 20s Wanchai Reclamation had completed. One could, therefore see an "empty space" at the site of Southorn Playground in photos taken in early 30s or even late 20s. However, Southorn Playground was officially opened on 11 July 1934 under the administration of The Children Playground Association.
We can see all the words on the wall of the War Memorial Building clearly in the photo below:
紀念殉戰烈士福利會
THE CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND ASSOCIATION
WAR MEMORIAL WELFARE CENTRE
So, the official name of the building is "WAR MEMORIAL WELFARE CENTRE"
32855828_10214656828427130_7767034753760362496_o.jpg, by Ashley Cheng
The building on the left was an economy restaurant at the Hennessy-O'Brien junction. Behind it was a pubic toilet with two storeys. These buildings can also be seen in this 1940s, 1950s photo with the characters "economy" visible above the entrance of the restaurant.
Comments
Great photo, thanks! I've
Great photo, thanks! I've added a couple of the places we can see.
Re: Southern Playground
Hi David,
I believe the covered baskerball\badmington\volley ball court block is also visible right behind the building.
T
Covered stadium
Yes, that was the covered stadium where people played basketball, badminton, volley ball held shows like magic shows, band shows and Chinese opera etc. It was the first "covered" stadium in Hong Kong.
Ashley
Southorn Playground
The piece of land had always been left undeveloped since the 20s Wanchai Reclamation had completed. One could, therefore see an "empty space" at the site of Southorn Playground in photos taken in early 30s or even late 20s. However, Southorn Playground was officially opened on 11 July 1934 under the administration of The Children Playground Association.
We can see all the words on the wall of the War Memorial Building clearly in the photo below:
紀念殉戰烈士福利會
THE CHILDREN'S PLAYGROUND ASSOCIATION
WAR MEMORIAL WELFARE CENTRE
So, the official name of the building is "WAR MEMORIAL WELFARE CENTRE"
economy restaurant
The building on the left was an economy restaurant at the Hennessy-O'Brien junction. Behind it was a pubic toilet with two storeys. These buildings can also be seen in this 1940s, 1950s photo with the characters "economy" visible above the entrance of the restaurant.
https://gwulo.com/media/41435
These economy restaurants were quite popular after the war but mostly disappeared in the 1960s. So this photo was likely taken in the 1950s.