1828–1834 Middle Huaihai Road

Wukang Mansion’s eastern annex

武康大楼副楼

The 1930 addition extends an apartment group eastward

Find the five-storey annex at 1828–1834 Middle Huaihai Road, distinct from the 1924 main block and the rear structures at No. 435.

Explore the historical timeline

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White rear wall and window grids of the annex behind foliage, with a sloping structure and dark wall corner in front

Published 12 October 2020; photograph date unspecified

A glimpse of the annex’s rear from Wukang Road. The white section with continuous window grids in the background is the annex; other building elements occupy the foreground.

朱喆 / Zhu Zhe · The Paper · Image source · © Zhu Zhe / The Paper

Built: 1930Six years after the main block of 1924
Architect: Lèdreaux & MinuttiCredit on the scheme published in April 1930; not an attribution of all completed work
Architectural character: Five-storey apartment buildingA distinct addition; no unsupported stylistic classification
Original use: ApartmentsAdded east of the original apartments by the International Savings Society
Present use: HousingResidential entrances are not public visitor routes
Address: 1828–1834 Middle Huaihai RoadEast of the main block; not No. 435 Wukang Road

Architecture and use: sources[1] [2]

The beginning

Why was it built here?

The whole Wukang Mansion group did not appear at once in 1924. Shanghai Library records the new building of 1930 as a separate event: a five-storey annex east of the main block. The transition from one apartment building to a group is central to reading this plot.[1] [2]

The annex and main block are neighbours and formerly shared northern garages and support rooms, but retain separate addresses and building phases. The main block is commonly identified as No. 1850, the annex as Nos. 1828–1834, and the rear buildings as No. 435 Wukang Road. These distinctions prevent main-building photographs, authorship and events from being transferred wholesale to the annex.[1] [2]

Look up, then look closer

Three details worth a closer look

Five storeys beside eight

The annex has five storeys and the main building eight. Along Middle Huaihai Road, this difference in volume identifies the later addition more usefully than a ship metaphor.[1] [2]

An eastward street extension

The annex lies east of the main block at Nos. 1828–1834. It is neither the pointed corner façade nor the northern former garage; direction and address establish its position.[1] [2]

Shared facilities, different phases

Northern support spaces once served both buildings. A functional connection does not erase their different dates or establish interior access and identical apartment plans.[1] [2]

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.

1924
The main building comes first
Normandy Apartments’ main block is completed; this event does not include the annex.[1] [2]
1930
A five-storey eastern addition
Shanghai Library records the new Wukang building, extending the apartment group eastward.[1] [2]

Architectural drawing published in April 1930
Design for the annex and two-storey garage with a ramp, by Lèdreaux & Minutti, published in Realty Market in April 1930. This is a design drawing, not a photograph of the completed buildings.
Lèdreaux & Minutti Architects & Engineers · Realty Market (1930-04) · Image source · © original creators / original publisher
1953
The group takes the Wukang name
The former Normandy Apartments are renamed Wukang Mansion. “New Wukang Building” and “annex” help distinguish the later eastern component.[1] [2]

Today and visiting

Discover the building from the street

Compare the buildings’ heights from the public pavement on Middle Huaihai Road, using Nos. 1828–1834 to confirm the annex.[1] [2]

What to notice: Read the five- and eight-storey volumes together with the annex’s eastern position to understand the phases.
Access: Treat the annex as housing. Do not enter halls, stairs or the roof to seek a photograph of the main building.

Find the address on a map ↗

Sources checked: 2026-10-22 · Documentary research does not verify access on the day. Follow posted notices and the property manager’s permission.

Shanghai and the world

This address within its neighbourhood

The annex shows that landmarks grow: a smaller addition changes the use and street relationship of the whole group. The year 1930 should not disappear into a footnote to 1924.[1] [2]

Read it with the rear buildings at No. 435: the pointed main block is the most visible face of a larger system whose homes and support spaces also have histories.[1] [2]

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 Library · Wukang Mansion architectural record ↗
Records the five-storey annex of 1930 and the 1953 renaming. The architect credited for the main block is not automatically credited for every auxiliary building.
Chen Baoping · A short history of Wukang Mansion ↗
The oral historian’s 2023 architectural history distinguishes the main building, eastern annex and garages at No. 435, converted to housing after 1949.

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.

Images retain their original framing and proportions. Publication dates are not capture dates; unknown photograph dates are not inferred. Details, group views and architectural drawings are identified in the captions.

At a glance