French Mission Building

Gazing up at this stately structure, can you sense the echoes of its past lives? This is the French Mission Building. Its story begins long before its French occupants. In 1842, on Inland Lot No. 82, the first governor of Hong Kong, Sir Henry Pottinger, commissioned a two-story house. This was known as “Johnston’s House”. The French Mission Building actually started as the governor’s residence from 1843 to 1846. It even briefly housed the Supreme Court. Over the years, the building transformed. It was expanded, rented to various companies, and even served as the Russian Consulate. By 1879, merchant E.R. Belilios acquired the building and renamed it “Beaconsfield.” He leased it for various purposes, including to the Hongkong & Shanghai Bank. The government leased it back from 1897 to 1911 for office use. The Missions Étrangères de Paris acquired the building in 1915, giving it its current name. They extensively rebuilt it into the neo-classical style we see today. A chapel with a cupola was a notable addition. This renovation was completed in 1917. The building’s story didn’t end there. Shortly before World War II, the government occupied it again. During the war, the Japanese army took over. After the war, it served as the provisional government headquarters and temporarily housed the Supreme Court once more. In 1952, the government purchased the French Mission Building for $2.85 million. It was then used by various government departments, including the Education and Information Services Departments. From 1968 to 1978, and again from 1983 to 1987, it served as the Victoria District Court. Between those periods, it housed the Supreme Court. The Information Services Department used it again until 1997. It was declared a monument in 1989. Finally, from 1997 to 2015, the French Mission Building served as the Court of Final Appeal. Each change reflects Hong Kong’s own evolving history.