The Skyscraper Museum is devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. This site will look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.
Skyline
"Central" is the name of Hong Kong's financial district, home to many of the city's most famous skyscrapers. Sandwiched between a thin strip of flat land between the harbor and the mountains, it has served as the center of business and government since the founding of the colony in 1841. Originally consisting of a row of warehouses and offices along the shore, Central has expanded both horizontally, as increasing areas of harbor were reclaimed, and vertically, as historic buildings have been replaced by taller and taller towers.
Hong Kong Harbor in 1960 (left) and 1977 (right.)
Hong Kong's second business district is Wan Chai, located on the harbor to the east of Central. It is a very dense area, crowded with skyscrapers, including its landmark, Central Plaza, at 1,227 feet, as well as many traditional Chinese shops and markets. Like Central, it has grown significantly through successive land reclamations.