Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building

The Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building (Chinese: 美利道多層停車場大廈) was a building mostly occupied by a public multi-storey car park in Central, Hong Kong. Built in 1973, the building was sold in 2017 and the land plot will be redeveloped. The building was located along Murray Road, after which it was named. Murray Road was named after Sir George Murray, a soldier and politician from Scotland.

Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building
Traditional Chinese美利道多層停車場大廈
Simplified Chinese美利道多层停车场大厦
Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building along Murray Road, in 2007.
Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building interior

History

Construction on the building began in 1972.[1] The car park opened for public use on 30 July 1973.[2] The headquarters of the Transport Department relocated to the building in 1974.[3]

The Operations Department of the Independent Commission Against Corruption was located in the top floors of the Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building from 1978 to 2007. A radio mast was erected on the rooftop in 1978 as part of a new HK$418,000 radio network facilitating communication with ICAC investigators.[4]

In 1979–1980, an elevated walkway was built between the car park building and Queensway Plaza (the shopping centre above Admiralty station).[5]

In the 1990s, the Hong Kong Government Archives were located on the mezzanine floor of the Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park Building. Later in the decade, they were transferred to the Sun Yik factory building in Tuen Mun.[6]

The City Gallery, an exhibition centre about the planning and development of urban areas in Hong Kong, was temporarily located within Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park from 2009 to 2012.

In 2017, Henderson Land Development bid successfully to acquire the government-owned commercial plot on which the car park was built. Henderson Land would pay HK$23.28 billion (US$3 billion) for the plot.[7][8]

The Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park ceased operation at midnight on April 30, 2017.[9] By the time of its closure, the car park was providing 388 public parking spaces for private cars and 55 for motorcycles.[10]

After official closure, the car park reopened for a few months in late 2017. In January 2018, it was closed again. Demolition started in March and was completed in May 2018.[11]

See also

References
  1. "$10 million car park". South China Morning Post. 6 May 1972. p. 4.
  2. "New car park opening". South China Morning Post. 27 July 1973. p. 5.
  3. "New HQ for Transport Department". South China Morning Post. 5 January 1974. p. 5.
  4. Sinclair, Kevin (18 March 1978). "Why the Murray car park ghosts bleep". South China Morning Post. p. 12.
  5. "Walk plan takes shape". South China Morning Post. 5 November 1979. p. 23.
  6. Lo, Patrick (10 July 2015). Preserving Local Documentary Heritage: Conversations with Special Library Managers and Archivists in Hong Kong. City University of Hong Kong Press. p. 11. ISBN 9789629372378.
  7. Li, Sandy (17 March 2017). "Murray Road is first grade-A site in Central to go on sale in 20 years". South China Morning Post.
  8. Li, Sandy; Sito, Peggy (16 May 2017). "Henderson pays US$3 billion for world's costliest land plot at Murray Road in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post.
  9. Hong Kong Government press release: "Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park to cease operation from May 1"
  10. Legislative Council Panel on Transport, 19 May 2017
  11. Gwulo Murray Road Multi-storey Car Park

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