Yuanmingyuan Apartments

The beginning

Why was it built here?

The housing register dates the building to 1904 and lists former firms and a lace factory among its users. “Apartments” does not imply that every floor was always residential: commerce and domestic life shared the address.[1] [2]

The 1904 date follows the housing register; the original architect and individual tenancy dates remain unverified.[1] [2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

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. 1904

   Building and historical use

   The housing register dates the building to 1904 and lists former firms and a lace factory among its users. “Apartments” does not imply that every floor was always residential: commerce and domestic life shared the address.[1] [2]

2. Earlier view; photograph undated

   An earlier state in photographs

   Yuanmingyuan Apartments before and after restoration: earlier condition left, reinstated gables right; neither photograph is dated.[3]

   Enlarge ＋

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

   The 1904 date follows the housing register; the original architect and individual tenancy dates remain unverified.[1] [2]

Shanghai and the world

Put the building back into its block

Compare its gables, brick piers and doorway scale with Ampire immediately south. The lower eaves preserve an earlier street rhythm; the taller neighbours reveal how density changed later.[1] [2]