Palace Hotel

The beginning

Why was it built here?

The hotel history at No. 19 began with the 19th-century Central Hotel; today’s building was rebuilt in 1906–1908. Early photographs require care: the low old hotel is the predecessor, while the six-storey building with red-and-white bands is the surviving Palace Hotel.[1]

Later known as the Peace Hotel’s south building, it is separate from Sassoon House with its green pointed roof north of Nanjing Road. The Swatch Art Peace Hotel formally opened in 2011, turning hotel accommodation into places where artists live, create and exchange ideas.[3] [2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

One building, changing roles

History unfolds between the photographs

From earlier buildings to the one standing today. Captions distinguish photographic dates from publication dates; periods without reliable images are covered in the text.

1. 1860s

   An image of the earlier Central Hotel

   The archive image shows the early low-rise hotel. It is not the new building opened in 1908. Its date follows the source description, not the 2014 upload record.[4]

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2. 1906–1908

   The new Palace Hotel is built and opens

   Morrison & Co.’s new hotel took shape on the same site at Nanjing Road and the Bund. Today’s operator also confirms 1908 as the completion and opening year of the surviving building.[1] [2]

3. 1909

   The International Opium Commission meets here

   The International Opium Commission met at the Palace Hotel, placing it in the history of international public affairs. It provided not only accommodation but also space for meetings and social life.[1]

4. 1927

   Hotel, bank and newspaper share a view

   A published streetscape places the Palace Hotel at Nanjing Road beside the Chartered Bank and North-China Daily News to its south. The hotel is on the right, with the junction, entrance and building identifiable.[5]

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5. Mid-20th century

   It becomes the Peace Hotel’s south building

   The old hotel later became part of the Peace Hotel establishment, leaving the long-used name “south building”. It should not be confused with the north building completed in 1929.[1]

6. 2011

   The art hotel formally opens

   Swatch Group announced the official opening on 1 November 2011. Resident artists live and work inside, changing once again whom the building receives.[3]

7. Today

   Artistic work meets the city

   The operator continues to describe artist residencies and ground-floor brand shops. Its value lies both in historic guest rooms and in the creative work still happening today.[2]

Shanghai and the world

From international travellers to international artists

In the early 20th century, the hotel welcomed travellers arriving across the sea and hosted international meetings. Today’s residency invites artists from different countries and disciplines. Both eras bring people here to stay, but encounters have shifted from hotel life to shared creative work.[1] [2]

Swatch Group’s opening record in 2011 mentions artists from New York, Switzerland and Japan painting live on the Bund. The building’s global connections can be found both in old stories and in specific contemporary events.[3]