WANDER SHANGHAI

97 Yuanmingyuan Road

Ampire Building

安培洋行大楼

Bay windows bring an office to the street

The name records an occupant, not necessarily the first owner. The official guide places Ampire here in 1941–1948, decades after the building was constructed. Its architectural age and the firm’s occupancy are separate histories.

Follow its history through photographs
Restored Ampire frontage, with central bay and exposed brickwork.

Photograph undated

Restored Ampire frontage, with central bay and exposed brickwork.

Fangfang Tian / David Chipperfield Architects · Image source · Rights retained by original creators and source

At a glance

Dates
1907; also recorded as 1908
Designer
Atkinson & Dallas
Architecture
Brick-and-timber structure, classical detail
Historical use
Trading-company officesHistoric names are not a current tenant directory
Present context
ROCKBUND district; interior access follows venue arrangements
Address
97 Yuanmingyuan Road

Architecture and use: sources[1] [2]

The beginning

Why was it built here?

The name records an occupant, not necessarily the first owner. The official guide places Ampire here in 1941–1948, decades after the building was constructed. Its architectural age and the firm’s occupancy are separate histories.[1] [2]

Official guides give 1907 (2024 edition) and 1908 (2021 edition). Both are retained. The comparison image is undated and is not labelled a completion photograph.[1] [2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

Recognise the place from the street

Built in 1907, this brick-and-timber building housed Ampire between 1941 and 1948. Its bay window, curved balconies and stone door surrounds reward a close look. Restoration brought the brickwork back into view.[1] [2]

Details worth a pause

The central bay and side balconies give depth to the frontage. Follow the curves, then the pale surrounds of doors and windows. The comparison photograph lets signs and later additions be distinguished from the underlying composition.[1] [2]

Restoration as a new chapter of use

The architect distinguishes façade restoration from later completion of the wider project. Renewal also includes alleys and public spaces: the street and the block interior offer different scales of understanding.[3]

One building, changing roles

History unfolds between the photographs

Captions distinguish photographic dates from publication dates; periods without reliable images are covered in the text.

  1. 1907; also recorded as 1908

    Building and historical use

    The name records an occupant, not necessarily the first owner. The official guide places Ampire here in 1941–1948, decades after the building was constructed. Its architectural age and the firm’s occupancy are separate histories.[1] [2]

  2. Earlier view; photograph undated

    An earlier state in photographs

    Ampire before and after restoration: earlier view on the left, restored view on the right. Neither exposure is dated by the source.[3]

    Ampire before and after restoration: earlier view on the left, restored view on the right. Neither exposure is dated by the source.

    Earlier view; photograph undated

    Ampire before and after restoration: earlier view on the left, restored view on the right. Neither exposure is dated by the source.

    David Chipperfield Architects / Fangfang Tian · Image source · Rights retained by original creators and source

  3. 2006–2023 · district renewal

    Restoration as a new chapter of use

    The architect distinguishes façade restoration from later completion of the wider project. Renewal also includes alleys and public spaces: the street and the block interior offer different scales of understanding. Wider project dates, not seventeen years of continuous work on this building[3]

  4. 2026-10-26

    Check before visiting

    Official guides give 1907 (2024 edition) and 1908 (2021 edition). Both are retained. The comparison image is undated and is not labelled a completion photograph.[1] [2]

Today and visiting

Discover the building from the street

View façades from public pavements. Check signs before entering lobbies, courtyards and exhibitions; an open shop does not mean the entire building is accessible.[1] [2]

Address
97 Yuanmingyuan Road
Before entering
Historical records explain changes of use, not today’s tenants, exhibitions or hours. Locate the address, then confirm current entry conditions.
Continue walking
Yuanmingyuan · Huqiu
Find the address on a map ↗

Sources checked: 2026-10-26 · View façades from public pavements. Check signs before entering lobbies, courtyards and exhibitions; an open shop does not mean the entire building is accessible.

Shanghai and the world

Put the building back into its block

The central bay and side balconies give depth to the frontage. Follow the curves, then the pale surrounds of doors and windows. The comparison photograph lets signs and later additions be distinguished from the underlying composition.[1] [2]

Back to the Rockbund walkRoyal Asiatic Society and RAM

Text and image sources

This account is based on the sources below. Unverified details are identified as such. Where photographs are included, sources and licences are listed beneath each image.

  1. Shanghai Tourism · Art along Suzhou Creek (2024) ↗

    Ampire, YWCA and the urban history library; published hours are not a promise of access today.

  2. Shanghai Tourism · Beyond the Bund (2021) ↗

    Building uses, designers and relationships; tenants mentioned in 2021 are not treated as current.

  3. David Chipperfield Architects · ROCKBUND ↗

    Restoration, project phases and photographs; subjects are identified separately.

Image handling and dating

Images come from the archives or image source pages listed beneath each photograph. We resize and compress them to WebP, preserving their original proportions without colourisation or added detail. Grain, blur and scanning marks in historical photographs are retained.

Photographs retain source attribution and their original framing; dates are not inferred. Paired comparisons are shown intact, without relabelling one side as another period.