Star House

Star House is a commercial building on Salisbury Road and Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It faces Victoria Harbour and stands close to the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier, whose association with the Star Ferry is reflected in the building's present name. The property contains retail and commercial space and forms part of the dense waterfront business, shopping, dining, and tourism district surrounding Harbour City and Ocean Terminal. The site has an earlier history as a logistics and warehouse property. In 1923, The Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited constructed a two-storey warehouse known as the first Star House or Star House Godown. That structure was demolished around 1963 to permit redevelopment. The current building was completed on 20 September 1967 as a 19-floor retail and commercial concourse, initially known as Kowloon Commercial Building. It was renamed Star House in July 1968, linking the property more visibly with the adjacent ferry infrastructure and the Star Ferry name. Star House has approximately 50,800 square feet, or 4,720 square metres, of commercial space. Its tenant mix has included food and beverage outlets, retail businesses, and institutional occupants. Reported tenants include McDonald's in the basement; Eslite Bookstore on the second and third floors as the Star Annex of Harbour City; Chiuchow Garden Restaurant and Peking Garden Restaurant on the second and third floors; Jade Garden Restaurant on the fourth floor; and the Consulate General of Cambodia in Hong Kong on the sixth floor. The building has therefore functioned not as a consumer-goods brand but as a mixed-use commercial address supporting retail, restaurants, offices, and diplomatic activity. The property also had a civic and cultural role. From 1975 to 1983, the Hong Kong Museum of History operated from approximately 700 square metres of rented space inside Star House. This period placed the building within Hong Kong's museum history before the institution moved to later premises. Star House is accessible on foot from Tsim Sha Tsui station of the MTR and benefits from its location near the waterfront, ferry services, major shopping facilities, hotels, and tourist destinations. Its significance is primarily architectural, commercial, and locational rather than that of a separately incorporated operating company. Public reference material does not identify a standalone corporate owner, current executive team, financial disclosures, or a dedicated official website for the building.

Star House's history begins with the warehouse economy that developed around Hong Kong's harbour and Kowloon's waterfront. In 1923, The Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited built a two-storey warehouse on the site. This early structure was associated with the name Star House or Star House Godown and served the storage and cargo-related functions characteristic of the harbour district. The original warehouse was demolished around 1963 as part of a redevelopment of the site. A substantially larger 19-floor retail and commercial building was subsequently constructed and completed on 20 September 1967. The new property was initially called Kowloon Commercial Building. In July 1968, it was renamed Star House. The revised name connected the building with the nearby Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier and the Star Ferry, an important cross-harbour transport service and a prominent part of the waterfront's identity. The completed building developed as a mixed commercial concourse rather than a single-purpose office block. Its approximately 50,800 square feet of commercial space has accommodated shops, restaurants, offices, and institutional users. The location on Salisbury Road and Canton Road placed Star House within one of Kowloon's most active commercial districts, near Harbour City, Ocean Terminal, the ferry pier, and the pedestrian and public-transport network of Tsim Sha Tsui. Star House also served a temporary cultural function between 1975 and 1983, when the Hong Kong Museum of History rented approximately 700 square metres inside the building. The museum's presence gave the property a role beyond ordinary retail and commercial activity and formed part of the institution's pre-relocation history. Over time, the building's tenant profile has continued to reflect its central waterfront location. Food and beverage operators have occupied several floors, while retail tenants have included McDonald's and Eslite Bookstore. The building has also housed the Consulate General of Cambodia in Hong Kong, making it one of the locations in Hong Kong used by a foreign mission outside Hong Kong Island. Its convenient access from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station and proximity to ferry, shopping, dining, and tourism facilities remain central to its practical identity. Star House is best understood as a named building and commercial property rather than an independently managed consumer brand. Available reference material does not establish a standalone founding company, public listing, current ownership structure, executive roster, dedicated website, or separately reported financial performance.

• 1983

  Museum of History tenancy ends

  [1]Star Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The Hong Kong Museum of History's reported period at Star House concluded after eight years.

• 1975

  Museum of History begins tenancy

  [1]Star Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The Hong Kong Museum of History began operating from approximately 700 square metres of rented space within Star House.

• 1968

  Building renamed Star House

  [1]Star Houseen.wikipedia.org

  Kowloon Commercial Building adopted the name Star House in July 1968, reflecting its location near the Star Ferry's Tsim Sha Tsui terminal.

• 1967

  Current building completed

  [1]Star Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The current 19-floor retail and commercial concourse was completed on 20 September 1967 under the name Kowloon Commercial Building.

• 1963

  Original structure demolished

  [1]Star Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The two-storey warehouse was demolished around this time to make way for the present multi-storey commercial building.

• 1923

  Original warehouse constructed

  [1]Star Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, Limited built a two-storey warehouse structure on the site, associated with the original Star House or Star House Godown.

A centrally located waterfront commercial building serving retail, dining, office, institutional, and visitor-oriented uses in Tsim Sha Tsui.

• Commercial real estate · 1967

  Star House commercial premises

  The building provides approximately 50,800 square feet, or 4,720 square metres, of commercial space in a 19-floor structure. The premises have supported a combination of retail, restaurants, offices, institutional occupants, and other service uses rather than a single standardized product line.

• Retail

  Star Annex of Harbour City

  The Star Annex occupies the second and third floors of Star House and has been associated with Eslite Bookstore. It extends the building's retail and cultural role within the wider Harbour City shopping and visitor district.

• Food and beverage premises

  Restaurant and food-service space

  Star House has accommodated multiple dining operators across its lower and middle floors, including Chinese restaurants and a basement fast-food outlet. These uses form part of the building's visitor-facing commercial offer in Tsim Sha Tsui.

1. 1Star Houseen.wikipedia.org