Historic Location Becomes New Cultural Landmark in Shanghai
Almost a century ago on the former Great Western Road once lived the Columbia Country Club; a social hub particularly popular among American and European expats in the early 1900s where sports and parties where common activities for its members.
It then became the research center and home base of the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products company in the 1950s, which subsequently restricted the public from entering and visiting the area.
This is 1262 Yan’an West Road. In the last 100 years, this address has remained accessible to only a handful of visitors. Luckily, this historic location has recently been brought back to life and converted into a work, leisure and lifestyle space available to everyone!
Welcome to the latest trendy opening in Shanghai: a mix of transforming existing buildings and building new ones to house a range of programs from business spaces to hotels and cultural venues that locals and tourists will surely appreciate.
Shanghai’s New Cultural Landmark
Open 24/7, with three generations worth of history.
Sunke Villa
Vanke Columbia Circle Park is the rural and urban development company, and Vanke’s first project within Shanghai’s inner ring. Located in Changning District, this project will include the Sunke Villa, Columbia Country Club, and other historical buildings.
Several organizations including Vanke, OMA, landscape architectural firm WEST8 and other top-notch design and architecture companies have collaborated to create a new lifestyle space that will incorporate elements of local culture, work, sports and entertainment.
The entire space blends old architecture dating back to more than 60 years ago with modern designs.
Columbia Country Club
The “it” spot for expats a century ago.
127 Panyu Road, Hudec Residences Old Photos
Shanghai a 100 years ago looked a lot different to what it is today. Back then, the area surrounding Xinhua Road near Jiaotong University was considered the countryside, and began opening up to expatriates in 1924 to create the Columbia Circle community: “This country club is really in the country,” declared the All About Shanghai guidebook from 1935.
László Hudec, a Hongarian-Slovak architect responsible for some of Shanghai’s most notable structures that include the Wukang Mansion on Huaihai Road and the Park Hotel Shanghai on Nanjing West Road, led the design of a villa that was owned by Sun Ke, the son of Sun Yat-sen, and incorporated themes from England, the United States, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain. The building eventually became the research campus of the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products.
Diagram of the Columbia Country Club, built in 1924.
Club old photo
The actual Columbia Country Club building, however, was designed by the American architect Elliott Hazzard in the 1920s. The club was very popular among expats who would come to socialize over sporting activities and parties. Imagine, if you will, the backyard of the upper class.
On the eastern side of the club stood a large building, while the southwestern part of it hosted a swimming pool. A gym operated on the northwestern side of the space.
The very chic, arch-shaped glass doors lead way to a spacious terrace where members used to set up their picnic and soak in the warm sun on summer days, often followed by plans to dance the night away.
In their early days, the helical columns on the first floor of the club used to support a hall where a small theater, pool and poker tables, table tennis, bowling and dancing attracted the curiosity and interest of many.
The field facing the main building that would later become an industrial research center used to host soccer and basketball games.
Old group photo of the Columbia Country Club Soccer team.
Women playing basketball at the Columbia Country Club.
The club’s interior and stained glass windows.
Swimming Pool and Gym
The most popular facility was the club’s outdoor swimming pool - an amenity that was hard to come by elsewhere in old Shanghai. The pool was decorated with colorful mosaic tiles and located at the Navy Club, a former 2-story sports facility. It is the city’s last remaining English-style swimming pool today.
But visitors of the Columbia Country Club weren’t the only ones fortunate enough to enjoy its facilities. The staff and their families, whenever given the opportunity, would also come dip their toes to spend some quality time together.
When the renovated space officially opens to the public, visitors will be pleased by a wide range of dining options that include restaurants like Pirata, Sumo Cat, The ER Chinese Restaurant, Brew Bear, Popolo and MissSth.
North of the pool facility once stood a gym, which later became a steam workshop during the liberation period.
Steamer used during the liberation period.
The pool will remain an integral part of the new opening, along with an exhibition and runway space to host fashion and sporting events like the Resee and the WKUP Fashion Week.
This new project has also maintained the Sunke residence buildings originally designed by László Hudec, which the Vanke Groups plans on touching up a bit to give them a modern look.
Changning’s Tallest Building
A beacon of pride for the district of Changning in the 1960s.
In 1951, Yan’an West Road became the birthplace of the Shanghai Institute of Biological Products and turned the page to a brand new chapter for its district.
As the Columbia Country Club was mainly used for meetings, 11 of its surrounding German Bauhaus-themed buildings were kept and re-constructed to suit the company’s various needs over time. A high-rise building designed by the architect Guo Bo (son of Guo Moruo), once the tallest in Changning, stood 8 stories high and was used to produce vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella.
Today, E.Bon has transformed the building into a lifestyle exhibition hall and office space. The notable and highly-anticipated Blackbird restaurant will also be opening here.
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The building with arc-shaped windows will be home to the independent bookstore DawnCity Books.
Timmerhuis Commercial Building, designed by OMA
The renowned architecture firm OMA has been commissioned to design four new buildings for the new space. Some of their most notable projects include (re)designing entire public spaces and the Ministry of Justice building in the city of Lille in northwestern France, Parc de la Villette (the third largest park in Paris, France), and office space for the University Studios Hollywood headquarters and Prada.
The brand new Columbia Circle Club will open its doors to the public on May 25th, where more than 20 high-quality brands and restaurants will welcome you into this memorable and historical space in the heart of Shanghai.
Blackbird
The beloved and fondly-missed Blackbird restaurant is making a comeback by turning an entire 3-story building into its new home. The first floor will be dedicated to shareable and small-sized dishes as well as natural wine and cocktails, and will be hosting music-related events on weekends.
Level 2: black table and black bar rendered image
The second floor is more family-friendly, and its kitchen is led by Blake Thornley who comes from one of Asia’s top 50 restaurants. Diners can access the restaurant’s spacious terrace on the third floor where vegetables, wild flowers and herbs are naturally grown. Snacks and beer will also be available.
Sumo Cat Yakiniku
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This venue is the latest opening by the Sumo Cat Group, and will be serving gilled meat and beer.
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Unlike other traditional grilled meat restaurants, Sumo Cat adopts a blended experience that includes retro disco, hip hop, goth, and modern Japanese elements with its own DJ booth to enjoy your high-quality meal with tailored music.
Inkwood
Inkwood is a European restaurant that combines whole ingredients and sauces to create memorable dishes, championed by their lead chef who adapts their menu based on elements from each of the four seasons.
With summer just around the corner, we suggest you give their summer specials a try which include a Sichuan mule drink and soft serve ice cream that comes in different flavors like hawthorn and sea salt caramel.
The PARLOUR
Western cocktail bar and restaurant The PARLOUR, managed by Wishbone, is most notable for their French baked chicken and has won numerous awards over its lifetime. Their kitchen is led by Samuel Norris from London and offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea sets, dinner and weekend brunches.
Brew Bear
This shop offers a rather unique beer experience, with 7-meter-high beer barrels and imported beers from all over the world. They also serve American bar snacks to pair with your favorite alcoholic beverage.
MissSth
MissSth bakes French and Japanese-inspired desserts, among other treats, and also serves coffee.
The ER Chinese Restaurant
Their menu is a dream-come-true for any foodie seeking a cultural dining experience.
Pirata/Latin Woo/Hulu Sushi
Pirata is a Spanish restaurant that is has earned quite the reputation for its delicious tapas. This year, sister brands Latin Woo and Hulu Sushi will be introduced for the first time at Yan’an West Road to diversify their offerings which are expected to include other Spanish delights, Cuban sandwiches and Japanese sushi.
Naked Hub
The popular and creative co-working space has set its eyes on Yan’an West Road to open another venue, thereby launching a new bustling community of entrepreneurs in the area.
V+ Fitness
V+ Fitness is a studio that focuses on helping customers burn fat and sculpt their body with a super team of professional and certified trainers. Members of their studio can choose from their range of classic, special, training or team classes to embark on their fitness journey.
DawnCity Books
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The independent bookstore DawnCity Books fuses culture and dining into one seamless experience. It’s a bookworm’s heaven where visitors can unwind with food, art exhibitions and cultural classes, among other offerings.
Ji Si Fang
Fashion brand Ji Si Fang has created a lifestyle space to showcase their fashion and household collections at their new Yan’an West Road location. They bring together pieces from European and Japanese designers as well as handiworks from countries like India, thus distinguishing themselves as a truly international brand.
On the more unexpected end of the spectrum, the renovated space at the Columbia Country Club has attracted the attention of the leading visual effects company Digital Domain and other professional gaming studios who will be joining other companies in the area.
We look forward to seeing what other brands will be setting up shop here next!
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