Windsong, 5 Black's Link

Mon, 09/22/2014 - 21:46

I was told this was Stanley Ho's house in August 1971 when I took the picture. But now we have a correction that it was in fact 'Windsong' at 5 Black's Link. IDJ

Date picture taken
25 Aug 1971

Comments

Since Stanley Ho and his family have been front-page news these past few days, lots of pictures have been printed in various newspapers.

Dr. Ho acquired the house for only $700,000 in 1966 from a European.  If the house in this picture was indeed No. 1 Repulse Bay in 1971, then Dr. Ho must have remodeled it since then as the house I have seen in the papers looks quite different.

This photo shows the former residence of Mr. Eric Hotung, "Windsong" as it was called, was situated at No.5 Black's Link. Mr. Hotung also bought the vacant site next to his house in the 1980's. The combined site was sold to New World in 1997 for a record HKD900 million.

 

Stanley Ho bought No.1 Repulse Bay Road in 1966. The building was formerly a police station before WWII.

Thanks for clarification, Andrew.   Yes, now that you mention, the picture does indeed look like the old 6-10 Black's Link.  The old house was purchased for $350,000 in the early 1960s. 

Any additional information on the old house would be appreciated.

I don't believe this house was ever No. 5 Black's Link.  When Mr. Hotung bought the land at auction for $360,000 in 1960, it was No. 6.  Another article from SCMP wrote that there was a requirement tied to the auction and the eventual winning bidder had to build a house costing not less than $2 million. 

No. 10 was purchased for $30M sometime in the 1980s and the address became 6 & 10 Black's Link.  There was no mention of No. 8 until the new houses were constructed on the combined 6 & 10 site.

Since we have seen examples of old houses in Deep Water Bay selling for low $10M range even in the mid-1980s, a $30M purchase must have meant that No. 10 was a sizable site.

Have read three different figures for the 1997 selling price: $778.88M, $758M and $728.88M

 

Windsong was at 6 Black’s Link (not 5) and was the family home for Eric Hotung, his wife Patricia, and their eight children. Later Eric bought the adjoining no. 10 but never built on it. Both parcels of land were sold together.