Old Dairy Farm Depot

The Old Dairy Farm Depot, or Old Dairy Farm Building, is a building in Central, Hong Kong, which currently houses the Hong Kong Fringe Club and the Foreign Correspondents' Club. It is located at 2 Lower Albert Road. The back of the building is located along Wyndham Street, while its edge faces Glenealy.

History

In 1892, Dairy Farm built a low-rise brick and a stucco building on Lower Albert Road in Central for use as a cold storage warehouse. It was designed by Danby & Leigh. The original depot only comprised about half of the present premises. This warehouse was later renovated and expanded in 1913, 1917 and 1925 to include a dairy shop, a room for meat smoking, a cold storage room for winter clothes and residency for the general manager. The building later evolved into the company headquarters until the company moved in the 1970s.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club started occupying the North Block in 1982. The South Block has been leased by the Hong Kong Fringe Club since 1984. It has undergone many major renovations since the Fringe Club moved in.

Architecture

The building is built in the Eclectic architectural style with strong Neoclassical and some Arts and Crafts influence. The facade features polychromatic "bandaged" brickworks.

Conservation

The building is located along the Central and Western Heritage Trail. It was listed as a Grade II historic building in 1981, and as a Grade I historic building in 2009. The project of renovation and refurbishment of the Old Dairy Farm Building and its conversion into the Hong Kong Fringe Club was a winner of the 2001 Hong Kong Heritage Awards, organised by the Antiquities Advisory Board and the Antiquities and Monuments Office.