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Murray House Wikipedia

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Murray House (美利樓) was a Victorian-era building in Central, Hong Kong|Central District, Hong Kong. The building was built in 1844. It was named after Sir George Murray, the British Secretary of State for War and the Colonies on duty between 1828 to 1830. It was initially used as barracks by the British military.

Its architecture combined Western style round pillars and a Chinese style tile roof. Its style was very typical of early colonial buildings in Hong Kong. It is the oldest surviving western building of its kind in Hong Kong.

During the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, the building was used as the command centre by the Japanese military police. It was a venue for executing Chinese citizens during the 44 month Japanese occupation. After World War II, several government departments used the building as office, including the Rating and Valuation department headquarters, starting in 1975. The building was believed to be haunted and was officially exorcised twice by the government.

In 1982, the historical landmark was dismantled to yield to the new Bank of China Tower. Over 3,000 building blocks were labelled and catalogued for future restoration. In 1990, the Housing Department proposed to resurrect the building in Stanley, Hong Kong|Stanley. The building was restored in 1998 and reopened in 1999.

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Last Modified:   2005-04-13