Conserve and Revitalise Hong Kong Heritage - Stone Houses Revitalisation Scheme (130)

Stone Houses

Applicant: Wing Kwong So-Care Company Limited (Joint Applicant: Wing Kwong Pentecostal Holiness Church Limited)
Capital cost: About $ 30.8 million
Government subsidy required for operation of social enterprise: About $ 2.33 million

To establish a themed cafeteria-cum-Visitor Information Centre (VIC) with a view to:

Achieving conservation objectives by restoring the Stone Houses into its original look and revitalise the “Ho Ka Yuen” site while adding carefully constructed facilities and green elements to convey a new spirit to the site;
Operating a themed cafe in part of the Stone Houses in the form of social enterprise to provide full time and part-time jobs and training opportunities to the underprivileged, specifically to meet the demand of youth group; and
Turning the site into a youth hub and developing positive impact by offering ancillary services such as organising experiential training courses, alternative tours and providing facilities like the Interpretation Centre, labyrinth and open theatre.

The project will:

Strive to preserve the architectural features of the Stone Houses, such as the wooden structures, stone walls, pyramid roof, wooden door locks, etc. which helps to reflect the building characteristics of Hong Kong during the Second World War and substantially convey that part of the history to new generations;
Convert Unit 32 into an Interpretation Centre for educational purpose, as it was kept in the best condition among the five units of the Stone Houses with relatively intact facilities such as kitchen and chimneys. Old-fashioned furniture will be placed in the restored unit to reconstruct the reminiscent atmosphere;
Bring a unique and incomparable reminiscence to the visitors as the themed cafe is located right at the historic site of the Stone Houses and is literally nostalgic; and
Adopt a Labyrinth to form the surface pattern of the open space outside the Stone Houses which is based on an aerial photo taken for exactly the same location in 1964. The outline of the site is blended with labyrinth design in which people can have a meditative stroll.

The project will:

Construct a new building adjacent to the existing Stone Houses which compose of a multi-purpose room and toilets in order to cater for the functional needs and sustainable development.
Adopt a simple structure as the new building so that it will not overshadow the existing Stone Houses. The old and new will be blended in unity.
Provide the exterior landscape with a theme of “home” and capture elements of history and culture. The tone is chiefly natural and simple.
Build concrete steps along the open lawn on restored planters; keep the existing trees and create more greenery to attract patronage and bring to the community a backyard garden.
Keep the wooden stairs and platform in Unit 32 and provide structural strengthening works at the same time to meet statutory requirements.
Strengthen the wooden floor plates of other units by steel structures and provide minimum interior fitting out works. The wooden surfaces of stairs in other units will be kept but supported by new steel structures.

The project will bring in social values to the local district with a vision to achieve:

Nostalgia and inheritance – the themed cafe is not only a place for collective memory but also a means of inheriting the values treasured by the last generation;
A blend of rest and health – the open space is designed in a way that patrons can relax and enjoy the environment through a wide spectrum of activities, like a stroll in the labyrinth, viewing a performance at the open theatre or even merely taking a rest in the site;
Recreation and interaction – board games will be provided at the themed cafe. Young people can gather and exchange with each other through playing board games. The cafe can become a hub for the youth; and
Life experience for the youth – the cafe provides jobs and training opportunities to young people in particular. Ancillary services of this project such as board games training, NLP courses, learning tours and OLE courses are provided to help the youth to build up their knowledge and life experience. Young people will be able to contribute to the community under proper guidance.

Wing Kwong So-Care Company Limited is the social service arm of Wing Kwong Pentecostal Holiness Church specializing in youth program and community services.
Wing Kwong Pentecostal Holiness Church has been established for some thirty years. Its church building, completed in 2001, has become a landmark in the district. Weekly attendance has exceeded 6,000.
The organisation has rich experience in youth nurturing and counseling. Riding on this strength, the organisation hopes to serve the community further through this project: preserving the historic features, enabling the underprivileged and building a harmonious community.