"Fairyland"; - Shanghai - 1936
Av Roi Albert, French Concession.
This extraordinary garden mansion was the residence of tycoon Eric Möller whose business empire included real estate, ship-building and insurance. Built in a style reminiscent of a Scandinavian fantasy castle, it features dormer windows, witch's hat turrets and half-timbered gables. The interior also features a very Nordic use of heavy wood and to add to the confusion, nautical detailing. No doubt these features reflected Möller's Swedish heritage and his shipping line. Designed by the Shanghai-based Allied Architects in 1926, the mansion took ten years to complete due to the owner's ever-changing requirements. Once completed, it is said to boast 106 rooms.
Given China's post-WWII turbulence, Moller departed Shanghai in the late 1940s, never to return; he died in an air crash in Singapore in 1950. By then, the house had been requisitioned by the Communist Youth League as its headquarters ('all men are equal, some are more equal than others') and would remain so until 2002 when it was opened as the Moller Villa Hotel.
"Fairyland"; - Shanghai - 1936
Av Roi Albert, French Concession.
This extraordinary garden mansion was the residence of tycoon Eric Möller whose business empire included real estate, ship-building and insurance. Built in a style reminiscent of a Scandinavian fantasy castle, it features dormer windows, witch's hat turrets and half-timbered gables. The interior also features a very Nordic use of heavy wood and to add to the confusion, nautical detailing. No doubt these features reflected Möller's Swedish heritage and his shipping line. Designed by the Shanghai-based Allied Architects in 1926, the mansion took ten years to complete due to the owner's ever-changing requirements. Once completed, it is said to boast 106 rooms.
Given China's post-WWII turbulence, Moller departed Shanghai in the late 1940s, never to return; he died in an air crash in Singapore in 1950. By then, the house had been requisitioned by the Communist Youth League as its headquarters ('all men are equal, some are more equal than others') and would remain so until 2002 when it was opened as the Moller Villa Hotel.