Union Building

The beginning

Why was it built here?

“Union” came from the English name of the Union Insurance company, rendered in Chinese as Youning or Lianhe. After the Youli Bank moved in, the building became known by the bank’s Chinese name, Youli. Today “Three on the Bund” turns its street number into a commercial name.[1]

George Wilson led the project as Palmer & Turner established its Shanghai practice. Behind the classical exterior, a steel frame allowed offices to be divided more flexibly and left scope for later changes of use.[2] [1]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

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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. 1912

   An insurer plans new offices

   Union Insurance planned an office building here. The commission gave Palmer & Turner an entry into the Shanghai market.[1] [2]

2. 1916

   A steel-framed office building is completed

   An architectural history report cites contemporary commentary dating completion to 1916. Some reference infoboxes give 1918; this page does not merge different years into a single precise date.[2] [1]

3. 1922

   The Youli Bank moves in

   The bank became an occupier and its name became associated with the building. “Youli” was not the name of the original investor.[1]

4. Second half of the 20th century

   Institutional offices continue

   Design and geological organisations successively worked here. Changing uses did not remove the corner pavilion from the Bund.[1]

5. 1994

   A colour record before conversion

   The 1994 photograph preserves the building and road before it became Three on the Bund. It is an actual colour photograph, not an archive image from the 1920s.

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6. 2001–2004

   Restoration and commercial conversion

   Three on the Bund opened in 2004 after conversion, introducing restaurants and other uses. The architectural history report also records debate about the extent of the work.[2]

7. Today

   A street number becomes a lifestyle destination

   The operator’s website still lists restaurants, terraces and tower spaces inside. Access follows the arrangements of the businesses concerned.[3]

Shanghai and the world

Read two commissions by the same practice

Palmer & Turner later worked on other Bund buildings, including HSBC. Comparing the Union Building’s pavilion with HSBC’s dome shows how one practice adapted its composition to different sites and commissions.[2]