303 Hengshan Road, at Gao’an Road
Washington Apartments
西湖公寓（华盛顿公寓）
High-rise corner apartments
Originally Washington Apartments, this residential block occupies the acute angle between Hengshan and Gao’an Roads. A 2026 housing-authority account distinguishes the 1928 start from completion in 1930.
Explore the historical timeline
2013-12-18
Washington Apartments at the Hengshan–Gao’an corner, photographed in 2013.
Livelikerw · Image source · CC BY-SA 3.0
At a glance
- Built
- Started 1928; completed 1930
- Architect
- Yipin architectural practice
- Architecture
- High-rise corner apartments
- Original use
- Residential
- Present use
- Residential
- Address
- 303 Hengshan Road, at Gao’an RoadHengshan Road
Architecture and use: sources[1]
The beginning
Why was it built here?
Originally Washington Apartments, this residential block occupies the acute angle between Hengshan and Gao’an Roads. A 2026 housing-authority account distinguishes the 1928 start from completion in 1930.[1]
Originally nine storeys, the building gained two floors in 1982. Its present silhouette includes later work. Views from Gao’an and Hengshan Roads belong to the same building.[1]
Look up, then look closer
Details worth a closer look
Massing and façade
Two wings follow the streets and meet at the narrow end. Window rows and the vertical corner organize the mass; an oblique view reveals the wedge-shaped site.[1]
Space and details
Separate the overall silhouette and window rhythm from added air conditioners and enclosed balconies. Ongoing residential use leaves visible layers from later periods.[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.
- 1928
Construction begins
The authority dates the start to this year, separately from completion in 1930.[1]
- 1930
Nine-storey apartments completed
The original nine-storey residence became a landmark between the two streets.[1]
- 1982
Two floors added
The roof addition means today’s silhouette includes different construction periods.[1]
Today and visiting
Discover the building from the street
Residential[1]
- Address
- 303 Hengshan Road, at Gao’an 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]
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.
- Xuhui housing authority: Washington Apartments ↗
Compiled from the listed evidence. Publication, capture and construction dates are distinguished.
- Livelikerw ↗
CC BY-SA 3.0
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.