Government House, Hong Kong 3.69

Government House, located on Government Hill in the Central District of Hong Kong Island, is the official residence of the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. The building was constructed in 1855 as a Colonial Renaissance style, but was significantly remodelled during Japanese occupation, resulting in the current hybrid Japanese-neoclassical form.Government House was the official residence of the Governor from 1855 to 1997, when the city was under British rule. 25 governors of Hong Kong, out of total 28, used this building as official residence.HistoryGovernment House was designed by Charles St George Cleverly. Construction started in 1851, eight years after Hong Kong was declared a British colony, and took four years to complete. The first governor to live there was Sir John Bowring, the fourth governor of the territory. The last one was the last governor, Chris Patten.During the Japanese occupation during World War II (1941–1945), it was occupied by the Japanese Military Governor. The form of the building changed to a hybrid Japanese/neoclassical image by Seichi Fujimura in 1944, primarily through the addition of a tower and roof elements.