PMQ, “Police Married Quarters”, is a revitalisation project initiated by the HKSAR Government in 2009. With more than a century of history and counting, the site first served as the Central School’s campus, then as the dormitory for rank-and-file police officers and today, a creative landmark.
The story began with the establishment of the Central School in 1862, the first government school in Hong Kong to provide western education to the public at the upper primary and secondary levels. Originally, the campus was built at Gough Street, north of Hollywood Road, but in 1889 it was renamed as Victoria College and relocated to a site at the junction of Aberdeen Street and Hollywood Road ―the locale of today’s PMQ. In 1894, the school was finally renamed as Queen’s College. The school buildings at Hollywood Road were severely damaged during World War II and was later demolished. The site was then reconstructed into the Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road in 1951.
The Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road was the first of its kind to provide official residence for the married police staff and their families. These included local ethnic Chinese rank-and-file officers amongst its intended users. It provided 140 single room units and 28 double room units as a convenient residence to officers serving at the nearby Central Police Station. It was left vacant since 2000.
In October 2009, the Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road was preserved as one of the eight projects in the Hong Kong Policy Address’ initiatives - “Conserving Central”, which was implemented by the Development Bureau. In November 2010, the project was awarded to the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation Limited, with the support of Hong Kong Design Centre, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Design Institute of the Vocational Training Council. The yearning for a space dedicated to creative industries in Hong Kong has led to the inception of PMQ. Today, PMQ has become the creative platform in supporting up and coming creative talent as well as fostering a community of patrons and lovers of creativity, design and heritage.
Highlights of Event
1862
Central School established at Gough Street.
1884
Dr. Sun Yat-sen studied in the Central School.
1889
Central School moved to Hollywood Road and was renamed as Victoria College.
1894
It was finally renamed as Queen’s College.
1941
During the Japanese Occupation, the school was temporarily closed and occupied by the Japanese. It was used as the headquarters of a contingent of Japanese cavalry. The school building then caught fire and was razed to the ground towards the end of the war.
1947
Queen’s College moved to temporary campus at Kennedy Road.
1948
The school buildings were demolished for the construction of the Police Married Quarters.
1951
The Police Married Quarters established.
1981
One of the buildings serving as the Hollywood Road Police Primary School was converted into the Central Junior Police Call Clubhouse.
2000
All residents had evacuated from the quarters.
2005 - 2007
The Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) had conducted several investigations at the site to review its heritage value, and found remnants of the Central School within and around the site.
2007
The Government announced that the Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road would be removed from the List of Sites for Sale by Application.
2010
The AMO rated the Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road as Grade 3 Historic Building in Hong Kong.
The Secretary for Development announced that the Former Police Married Quarters on Hollywood Road would be transformed into a creative industries landmark named “PMQ” by the Musketeers Education and Culture Charitable Foundation Ltd. (Musketeers Foundation), with the support of Hong Kong Design Centre, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Hong Kong Design Institute of the Vocational Training Council.
2012
Commencement of the renovation under the supervision of the Architectural Services Department.
2014
PMQ started its operation.
Remark
Special thanks to the following organizations in granting the right to use the above photographs: (in alphabetical order)
- Antiquities and Monuments Office
- Information Services Department
- Public Records Office of the Government Records Service