tim's experiment

I must apologise for neglecting this little blog for a while, as I have been away at a Scottish dancing event in Budapest. Yes I know Budapest is not in Scotland; it’s a long story. This happy event was held in a hotel built in an historic building, of roughly the same vintage as our own beloved 1881, alias the former Marine Police HQ. The New York Hotel in Budapest (yes I know New York is not in Hungary either; explanation coming) was originally built as an office block for an insurance company. It takes its name from a cafe built into the ground floor, which has some claim to historic fame as a hang-out for artists, literati and such people. It seems an early proprietor was art-loving and indulgent; he accepted small sketches in lieu of payment of bills, which naturally attracted the Bohemian crowd. So the cafe is still one of the city’s attractions. The hotel has been lovingly restored in its original style by the owners, an Italian hotel chain. Oddly enough they somehow missed out the three floors of expensive shopping which would no doubt have appeared in a Hong Kong version, though there is a modern annex tucked away at the back with meeting rooms, some bedrooms, and a ballroom fit for jigs and reels.

The interesting thing about this is that the hotel is not, like our 1881, an isolated specimen surrounded by shining examples of the 20th century developer Phillistine style.  The city is full of 19th century buildings, an increasing number of which are being carefully restored to their original outside appearance. This probably has something to do with the fact that the whole city centre has a height limit, which seems to click in about the sixth floor. Viewed from a convenient hill the city centre (and the word centre is interpreted expansively) still presents the spectacle of a patchwork of rooftops punctuated by the high points of church towers and other aspiring ornaments. This means that if you are the owner of a five-story building in Budapest you may, if you wish, demolish it and replace it with a modern one. But the modern one will be the same size as the one you had before. So sprucing up your antique is an attractive option. Hungarian owners seem quite happy with the idea that the ownership of a fivc-story building entitles you to the five-story building of your choice. Only in Hong Kong, it seems, does ownership of an old building confer on the proprietor the sacred right to replace it with four floors of underground carpark, three floors of shops selling expensive handbags to dumb tourists, and 30 floors of luxury boltholes for mainland money-launderers.

Personally I have never understood the logic of this. It is not the system followed elsewhere. Many European cities have limits on what you can do with old buildings. Height limits are also common.  The result of all this is that Budapest is beautiful and Hong Kong, generally, is not. Upon my return the newspapers were full of complaints from Mr Li Ka-shing about the hostility directed at real estate developers. Apparently he finds this surprising. Personally I think they’re lucky if they can walk the streets without being spat at.