Normandie Apartments get its appearance and history preserved
The newly preserved Normandie Apartments in downtown Xuhui District.
The almost century-old Normandie Apartments in downtown Xuhui District is a testament to Shanghai’s history, but inside the bricks and mortar beat the hearts of people who have called it home.
Wu Jiang, a prominent architect, urban planner and associate vice president of Tongji University, doesn’t want that human element to be lost to the mists of time.
Preservation of such historical buildings must go beyond structures to encompass the living stories of their residents, Wu told a public forum at the site recently.
The Normandie Apartments building, also known as Wukang Mansion and the International Savings Society Apartments, was designed by world-renowned architect Laszlo Hudec in the neoclassical style inspired by the French Renaissance.
The building, which looks like a warship berthed on a triangle of land at the intersection of Wukang Road and Huaihai Road M., was initially financed by the International Savings Society and became known as the city's earliest veranda-style apartment building.
After its construction in 1924, garden villas, new-style alleyway houses and high-rise apartments sprouted up in the area during the 1920s and 30s.
The first group of residents included foreign businessmen and senior staff. When they moved out, the roughly 100 apartments became home to celebrities such as actors Zhao Dan, Wang Renmei and Qin Yi, and director Sun Daolin and his wife Wang Wenjuan, a famous Yueju Opera master.
Local writer Chen Danyan and her husband Chen Baoping, former editor-in-chief of the Xinmin Evening News, interviewed over a dozen inhabitants living in the building in an oral-history project. A book based on the interviews, entitled "Life in Normandie Apartments," was published in May.
The Chens also attended the Hui Forum to share stories from inside the building, joining officials who have been involved in the preservation project.
From 2015, the couple interviewed 16 current or former residents, including a teacher, an actor, a site employee, a merchant, a writer, a doctor, a nurse and a community worker. They moved into the building between the 1950s and the turn of the century.
"During the interviews, we were surprised by the keen awareness about heritage protection among the residents," Chen Baoping said. “Some residents even preserved original window frames and door knobs in their apartments.”
Local writer Chen Danyan (right) and her husband Chen Baoping, former editor-in-chief of the Xinmin Evening News.
The red bricks and vase-shaped columes of the Normandie Apartments.
The best-preserved apartment houses Zhou Bingkui, the retired president of a foreign company, who has been living in the building for over six decades. His family retained the original wood flooring, windows, doors and even a bronze key owned by his grandfather, who initially moved into the building in 1956.
"My father was an architect who stressed, since my childhood, the importance of protecting every detail of the apartment," Zhou recalled.
To avoid boring into a wall, Zhou's family still uses an old-style window air-conditioner. The characteristic ripple-style window, now rare in the building, can still be found in one of the rooms.
"I think the apartment's design, from the 1920s, is more advanced than décor nowadays," Zhou said. "The designer considered all the functions for the residents. Our apartment is still very comfortable."
Another senior resident, Huang Shufang, 94, has been living in the building since 1950. He recalled how former Premier Zhou Enlai visited the former residence of Soong Ching Ling opposite the Normandie Apartments. Huang said the premier waved to residents watching his visit from their windows.
Another interviewee was Adam Sinykin from the US, who moved into the building in 2007 with his wife and daughter.
"It looked exactly like the Flatiron Building in New York when I first saw it,” he said.
Resident Qin Zhongming, a professor at the Shanghai Theater Academy who has been living in the building since 1967, commented, "The building has never been changed, but its inhabitants have changed a lot. The original residents were foreigners. Our parents were the second-generation residents, and now we are the third generation.”
The building has just received its biggest facelift in a decade to restore its historical look. The red brick and concrete walls have been refurbished, while street shops below have been changed to blend in with the building's cultural heritage. The city government also removed a cobweb of overhead electricity lines in the area to avoid spoiling the charm of the iconic building.
Last month, the renovation project was designated one of the 15 best examples of historical building preservation in the city. It joined high-profile renovations such as the Xujiahui Catholic Church, the old Shanghai Library, the Majestic Theatre and the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce building.
The well-preserved appearance of the Normandie Apartments.
The well-preserved appearance of the Normandie Apartments.
Ding Shu, general manager of the Xufang Group in charge of this facelift and a prior one years earlier, said, "I regard it as a compliment when people say the building looks no different after its renovation.”
Renovation involved use of unique "water-washed stones" and "fair-faced bricks" that increased wall waterproofing while preserving the historical look, Ding said.
His team did numerous experiments on various bricks to test for the best washing method and invited an expert panel that included Wu to ensure against missteps.
"We have now acquired deep experience in renovating old buildings and in using valuable methods that can be applied to preserving other historical buildings,” Ding said.
A cutting-edge information system, for instance, has been installed in the building to monitor any movement of the building or weakness in walls.
Outside Normandie Apartments, several popular bookstores, such as Yuanlong Music Bookstore and Dayin Bookmall, have replaced former beauty salons and food stores along the ground-floor veranda.
"We wanted to find compatible businesses for the historical building," said Zheng Hua, general manager of Shanghai Newroad Commercial Group, a state-owned company in charge of the street businesses in the area.
The Yuanlong Music Bookstore was opened in 1993 on Fuxing Road M. to provide material for teachers and students at the nearby Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The store closed in 2016 amid a crackdown on illegal structures. It reopened at the Normandie Apartments last year.
An exhibition hall called Urbancross Gallery, which hosted the forum, now sponsors cultural exhibitions, lectures and various activities for nearby residents.
"The Normandie Apartments is the repository of scenes of life," said Wu. "People have invested their emotions into the architecture, so we should protect the building as well as those emotions.”
An ice-cream shop on the ground floor of the Normandie Apartments.
A preserved veranda on the ground floor of the Normandie Apartments.
Visitors take photos outside the Normandie Apartments.
A newly opened cafe on the ground floor of the Normandie Apartments.
Historical photos about the Normandie Apartments are displayed near the entrance to the building.
