Hong Kong House, Sydney

Hong Kong House is located on a prominent site at the corner of Druitt and York Streets, adjacent to two of Central Sydney's most important buildings, the Town Hall and the Queen Victoria Building. Constructed in 1891 to a design by architect Ambrose Thornley, Hong Kong House was originally named the Central Hotel and later the Gresham Hotel. For the majority of the building's life it had been a hotel with a banking chamber on the ground floor of the York Street frontage.

In the late 1980s Hong Kong House was converted to office accommodation and presently houses the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. While much of the original external fabric remains intact, the majority of interiors have been extensively altered since development, to accommodate the changing use of the building. The internal spaces that remain largely as originally designed are the function room and banking chamber on the ground floor and the boardroom on the first floor.

Hong Kong House is of exceptional cultural significance and is an important item within the Central Business District of Sydney. The site is listed on the State Heritage Register, the Register of the National Estate and the National Trust (NSW) Register. The building is also listed within Schedule 1 of the Central Sydney Heritage Local Environment Plan (2000), as the former Gresham Hotel, and is identified as part of a heritage streetscape.

The ornate Victorian appearance of the building with its decorative stone facade combines with the adjoining Victorian buildings to make a significant contribution to the appreciation of Sydney's Central Business District. This area is listed by City Council as the Town Hall Precinct and is valued for the integrity of its Victorian streetscape presentation.

For more photos of Hong Kong House, please see below or click here.

Use of Hong Kong House

The Government may allow bona fide non-profit making organizations to use meeting facilities at Hong Kong House for activities that are considered conducive to the promotion of Hong Kong, preferably with a direct focus on Hong Kong.  To enquire about the use of Hong Kong House facilities, interested parties may email us providing details of the event to ascertain suitability.

Hong Kong House Photo Gallery