Blue House, Wan Chai 灣仔藍屋

I notice Blue House when I passed by on “Cross-Harbour Bus”. The building was pretty catchy. Searching for its information, I was surprised to find out that the bone-setter clinic was opened by nephew of Lam Sai-Wing. Lam Sai-Wing was a student of Kung Fu master Wong Fei-Hung. Historical and movie characters could be so close to me.

Design was a bit like shophouses. Together with the balcony, tall doors (and windows) and the bright blue/white finishes, it seemed like Nanyang (i.e. southeast Asia). This is purely my bullshit, don't believe it or don't believe it to full. The sign “Lam Chun Hin Bone-Setter” was directly blocked by the road sign, sigh……

As Blue House has been refurbished, I didn’t feel much originality.

認識藍屋是以前坐隧巴經過，覺得幾搶眼。之後翻查資料，知道地下的跌打舖是黃飛鴻徒弟林世榮（豬肉榮）姪兒所開的，頓時覺得跟歷史丶電影人物很相近。

建築風格有點兒像下舖上居（店屋），加上有露台丶長型的門（及門上的輳）丶及外牆因掃上奪目的藍／白色，所以有些南洋感覺（只是小弟亂噏，請勿相信／盡信）。「林鎮顯醫館」招牌正正被路牌擋著，嘆氣！

因為藍屋因為已經翻新，所以沒有太大古蹟的感覺／原汁原味。

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Blue House refers to a 4-storey balcony-type tenement block located at 72-74A Stone Nullah Lane, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, China. It is named after the brilliant blue colour painted on its external walls. It is one of the few remaining examples of “Tong Lau” of the balcony type in Hong Kong and is listed as Grade I historic building.

Historic background
The building was the original site of the first hospital 'Wah To Hospital' (aka "Wan Chai Kai Fong Hospital"), which was built in the 1870s in Wan Chai. The hospital, which provided Chinese medical services to local Chinese, was possibly the first hospital in the district.

After the hospital closed in 1886, the 2-storey building was then used as a temple for Wah To (Pinyin: Hua Tuo), the revered Chinese physician from the Three Kingdoms period.

The building was demolished around late 1910s or early 1920s. It was turned into four 4-storey tenement blocks in mid 1920s. The building was subsequently used as a martial arts school in the 1950s by Lam Cho, the nephew of Lam Sai Wing (one of the followers of Wong Fei Hung), and as an osteopathy clinic in the 1960s

The construction was acquired by the Government in the 1970s, and the outer walls painted blue, and was thus named the Blue House.

Future revitalisation
All the upper floors of Blue House, apart from 72 Stone Nullah Lane, are timber structures. The two wooden stairs, with original elements intact, are well maintained.

The building was part of a HK$100 million plan, unveiled by the Housing Society and the Urban Renewal Authority, to preserve nine Chinese-style buildings in Wan Chai that were constructed during the 1920s.

The building has been preserved and revitalised in a traditional tea and medicine style.

In 2007, the Urban Renewal Authority and the Development Bureau jointly announced that the residents of the Blue House, were to be allowed to stay in this historic monument.

The ground floor of the building became home to the Hong Kong House of Stories.

藍屋是香港一列唐樓，位於香港島灣仔石水渠街72號至74A號雙數門牌，現已被列為香港一級歷史建築。其中 72 號、72 號 A 及 74 號三幢外牆被塗上藍色，因而被稱為「藍屋」；而 74 號 A 在 2010 年前仍由私人擁有，一直維入持灰色的外牆。

歷史
藍屋原址曾是一所醫院，樓高兩層於 1872 年政府差餉徵收冊中名為「華佗醫院」（亦稱為「灣仔街坊醫院」）。 1886 年關閉後變為用作供奉「神醫華陀」的廟宇。

1920 年代拆卸後興建現在四層高建築，於 1922 年建成，樓梯間的牆壁、單位內的窗戶同樣由木材製造，而露台部分則採用鋼筋水泥建造，是香港少數餘下有露台建築的唐樓。72 號地下為「華佗廟」，1950 年代為黃飛鴻徒弟林世榮姪兒林祖開設的武館取代，至 1960 年代林祖的武館再改為其兒子林鎮顯的醫館。72 號一樓曾開辦專為街坊子弟提供免費教育的「鏡涵義學」，而二樓及三樓則是戰前灣仔唯一英文學校「一中書院」的校址。72 號 A 地下是「廣和號」雜貨店和 74 號地下是「聯興酒莊」，約在 80 年代結業。74 號二樓曾經是「鮮魚商會」的會址，而同座三樓則為商會的會議室。74 號 A 地下原本是雜貨店，戰後改為住宅。

1990 年代，香港政府為藍屋外牆髹上油漆時，因物料庫只剩下水務署常用的藍色油漆，整座藍屋便髹成藍色。

2017 年，藍屋獲聯合國頒發亞太區文化遺產保育保護獎最高榮譽的桌越大獎，是香港首次奪得同類獎項。

現況
藍屋活化工程地盤（2015 年 12 月）
2006 年，香港房屋協會宣布與市區重建局合作重新發展灣仔石水渠街及附近建築物，包括藍屋及鄰近的黃屋與橙屋，闢作以茶及醫療為主題旅遊景點，於 7 月 21 日入紙城市規劃委員會將重建範圍的使用用途更改為「休憩用地及保留歷史建築物作文化、社區及商業用途」，最快 2010 年竣工。但民間憂慮藍屋內最有特色的木製樓梯、天花和內部結構會被作出更改或拆除，而原有的居民將不會獲准在原處居留，而附近的車房和小商戶更會被淘汰，社區網絡將會被完全破壞，重建後只是一個古蹟空殼。

地政總署於 2009 年 4 月 30 日宣布根據《收回土地條例》，收回石水渠街、慶雲街及景星街的私人土地業權，以便市區重建局聯同香港房屋協會及政府進行市區更新計劃。2009 年 9 月藍屋建築群被發展局列入第二批供活化的政府歷史建築物名單中，香港政府以巨額資助吸引非牟利機構參與活化，而日後建築群的色調亦不設限制，但要保存露台的懸臂式混凝土外廊、幾何圖案熟鐵扶欄及混凝土托架。

2010 年 9 月 1 5日由聖雅各福群會提出的申請計劃獲得批准，將藍屋活化成民間生活館，並會首次採用「留屋留人」的方式，包括藍屋、黃屋及橙屋的 14 戶居民繼續留住，並獲加建獨立洗手間和升降機，更需要改建消防設施。原有的香港故事館及導賞團將會保留，同時會開設小食店及糖水店，亦會有面積不少於 220 平方米的公眾休憩用地。到 2012 年 2 月 8 日，立法會通過撥款7,540 萬元活化有關項目，命名為「WE嘩藍屋」。活化工程於 2013 年 9 月 14 日由政務司司長林鄭月娥啟動，到 2016 年 5 月落成開放。

香港故事館
2007 年，灣仔聖雅各福群會在藍屋地下的地鋪開設「灣仔民間生活館」，以「從民間出發•匯多元文化」為宗旨，展出舊時灣仔民間的生活用品，並透過多元及互動的方式，期望引起公眾人士對地區文化保育的關注。由 2012 年 3 月開始，「灣仔民間生活館」變身成為「香港故事館」，關注的社區文化議題由灣仔社區拉闊至全港。