9 Dongping Road
Ailu, 9 Dongping Road
东平路9号住宅（爱庐）
French-style garden residence
Often known as Ailu, the house predates that association. Building began in 1916 for British businessman E. J. Comfort; alterations in 1928 and 1932 shaped the surviving residence.
Explore the historical timeline
Capture date unstated; published 2023-01-19
South elevation of No. 9; capture date unstated.
Shanghai housing authority: Dongping Road buildings · Publishing institution; photographer not separately credited · Image source · Original source declares no open licence
At a glance
- Built
- Built from 1916; altered in 1928 and 1932
- Architect
- 1932 alterations: R. E. Stewardson
- Architecture
- French-style garden residence
- Original use
- Garden residence
- Present use
- Historic residence; check current occupier locally
- Address
- 9 Dongping RoadDongping Road
Architecture and use: sources[1]
The beginning
Why was it built here?
Often known as Ailu, the house predates that association. Building began in 1916 for British businessman E. J. Comfort; alterations in 1928 and 1932 shaped the surviving residence.[1]
The 1928 work was commissioned through Puyi Realty; R. E. Stewardson was involved in 1932. The 2023 authority record lists school offices. Later occupants should be distinguished from the building’s chronology.[1]
Look up, then look closer
Details worth a closer look
Massing and façade
Red flat roof tiles, dormers, pebbledash and imitation-stone quoins define the elevations. Materials distinguish roof, wall, openings and corners.[1]
Space and details
Porch and balcony are stacked, with columns and arches creating shade. Drawings and photographs clarify these layers without resolving every construction campaign.[1]
One building, changing roles
Read the building through time
Captions distinguish photographic dates from publication dates; periods without reliable images are covered in the text.
Today and visiting
Discover the building from the street
Historic residence; check current occupier locally[1]
- Address
- 9 Dongping Road
- Visiting
- Observe from public pavements; entry follows posted opening and booking rules. Respect residential, office and worship uses. A guide marker is not permission to enter.
Sources checked: 2026-10-26 · Observe from public pavements; entry follows posted opening and booking rules. Respect residential, office and worship uses. A guide marker is not permission to enter.
Shanghai and the world
Read history across the neighbourhood
Neighbouring apartments, houses and public spaces have different construction and use histories. Addresses, photograph directions and records together reveal how the neighbourhood developed.[1]
More photographs
Capture date unstated; published 2023-01-19
Historic architectural drawing from the authority’s address-specific account; a drawing, not a period photograph.
Shanghai housing authority: Dongping Road buildings · Publishing institution; photographer not separately credited · Image source · Original source declares no open licence
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.
- Shanghai housing authority: Dongping Road buildings ↗
Compiled from the listed evidence. Publication, capture and construction dates are distinguished.
- Shanghai housing authority: Dongping Road buildings ↗
Original source declares no open licence
- Shanghai housing authority: Dongping Road buildings ↗
Original source declares no open licence
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.
Original framing is retained, with WebP conversion and previews only. Article dates do not replace unknown capture dates; drawings and photographs are identified separately.