temporary Sai Ying Pun Post Office, 1964-1967

Hi There,

Thanks for the update and confirmation of the site.  However we now have another puzzle.  The location is currently occupied by the Loo & Bath House.  There was a saying that there was a demand to build it back in 1922.  It did not look that old despite being renovated back in 2021.  That would seem the timing did not add up........

Anyway, the current building had to be built after Post Office surrended the site.

T

Hi there,

Upoint further viewing the photo above on a bigger screen and zooming in, I now believe the former version of the public toilet is right there.

Before the post office, there is a set of fence with steps going down........   Highly suspect it was a male only toilet.

A little digging about how they were built revealed they usually have a long trough, with partitions/half doors along the length.  squatting only.  Flushing is done by some plumbing mechanism automatically over some intervals.

I vaguely remember the toilets of Victoria Park were built like that.

T

This wooden hut was erected as the temporary post office when the old Sai Ying Pun post office was being rebuilt in 1964. I walked by this temporary post office every day going to school.   The main entrance of the post office is from Water Street on the left side of the photo. The main road on the right side of the photo is part of PokFuLam Road. Next to the main entrance to the post office is a big window. The door facing the photo is the side door for the postal workers only. The siding of the hut is painted light gray color. Inside the hut, the main customer counter, where you can buy the postage stamps or mail a package, is at the opposite side of the main entrance. On the left side is a long counter for the convenience of the customers to put the stamps on the envelope or the label on the package before handing them to the post office personnel. On the right side are rooms, probably for the post office personnel to sort the mails. I remember after the new permanent Sai Ying Pun post office was completed, this wooden hut was lend to the Western District Boys Scout Association for scouting-related activities for a while. The behind-the-counter area was remodeled as meeting rooms. The long counter on the left side remained unchanged. Any boy scout troop could borrow this place for scout-related activities, mainly for meetings. I was in there a couple of times. If my memory serves me well, by 1972, this temporary post office was demolished. 

This is the front view photo of the temporary Sai Ying Pun Post Office, probably also taken in 1964. This photo is from the HK Government Photo Library. The street in front of the post office is the tail section of Water Street that intersects with PokFuLam Road. Water Street spans all the way from the waterfront, intersecting Connaught Road West, Des Voeux Road West, Queen’s Road West, Second Street, Third Street, and ends at PokFuLam Road.  The distance building behind the post office was the Ling Yuet Sin Infants Sanitorium at High Street. 

Now that we know the relationship between the different post offices I suggest we rename the three Place pages so we end up with:

1. Sai Ying Pun Post Office (1st generation) [no change]
2. Sai Ying Pun Temporary Post Office [was: Sai Ying Pun Post Office, 1st Location]
3. Sai Ying Pun Post Office (2nd generation) \ Fire Services Married Quarters [was: Sai Ying Pun Post Office (second location) \ Fire Services Married Quarters]

Good idea to have a consistent name to prevent any misunderstanding. 

This aerial photo of the Sai Ying Pun area was taken in 1963 when the Sai Ying Pun Post Office (1^st generation) was still in place and the Sai Ying Pun Temporary Post Office was not built yet. This photo shows the relative locations of the Sai Ying Pun Post Office (1^st generation) (item B) and the Sai Ying Pun Temporary Post Office (item A) about a quarter of a mile apart.  I also label the reference streets (items C, D, E, and F) so that Gwulo readers can have some sense of direction 

A: Sai Ying Pun Temporary Post Office location (building not erected yet in 1963) 

B: Sai Ying Pun Post Office (1^st  generation) located between Second and Third streets.

C: PokFuLam Road 

D: Water Street (tail end intersecting PokFuLam Road) 

E: Third Street 

F: Second Street (This section of Second Street, between PokFuLam Road & Water Street used to be a wet market place with street hawkers selling vegetables along the street and butcher shops on both sides of the street selling pork and beef. It was so congested with street hawkers that there was essentially no car traffic)