Historic buildings show how people once lived and how the city has developed.
The Stone House Family Garden and the Green Hub are two projects recently completed under the Government's Revitalising Historical Buildings Through Partnership Scheme.
Their revamp has preserved these precious antiquities, bringing their historic and cultural significance to a new generation.
The Grade III Historic Building known as the "Stone Houses" in Kowloon City was built on the foundations of the Hau Wong Temple New Village.
It is a row of five Chinese style two-storey tenement buildings made of granite blocks with walls supporting pitched roofs of timber rafters, purlins and clay tiles, built in the 1940s.
It has been revamped into the Stone Houses Family Garden.
Lion Rock Spirit
The project was conducted by the non-profit social enterprise Wing Kwong So-Care Company which is associated with the Wing Kwong Pentecostal Holiness Church established in the area 30 years ago.
Wing Kwong So-Care Company General Secretary Mo Pui-yee said to restore the unique features of the stone houses they preserved their original wooden stairs, kitchen and toilet.
The stone tablet inscribed with the name "Nam Yan Kee" also remains and shows the house was once rented to a grave and tombstone company in 1980s.
The Interpretation Centre is the focus of the revamped complex, featuring antique furniture and household items collected from former residents.
Ms Mo said: "It used to be a residential village and so we retained the old furniture and other objects in order to convey the historic ambience of the living area."
She said the exhibits reflect the city's "Lion Rock Spirit".
The Stone House Family Garden now has a cafe with a nostalgic theme for visitors to stay and enjoy the complex. The cafe also generates income to support the daily running expenses of the venue, and provides jobs and training opportunities for the underprivileged.
Since its opening last October it has attracted more than 30,000 patrons.
Government Hill
Old Tai Po Police Station, a grade-one listed historic building built in 1899, has been transformed into the Green Hub to promote sustainable living.
Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden was selected by the Development Bureau to revamp the old station.
Head of the farm's Sustainable Living & Agriculture Department Idy Wong said the key strategy in the renovation was to integrate the building with nature.
"It was the first police station constructed by the British colony in the New Territories. It was also the first government building built in the old days," Ms Wong said.
"Since then there have been different government structures built on this hillside and it is to a certain extent the Government Hill of the New Territories."
The Green Hub has preserved the old station's armoury and cells, and been made into a heritage museum.
Its police quarters have been renovated into a guesthouse for the public, while the canteen has been made into a restaurant serving food grown on site and sourced from sustainable local producers.
Ms Wong said in the initial stage of revitalisation they needed to strike a balance between construction works and conservation. They took special care of more than 30 mature trees within the site and 120 egrets' nests.
The facility has attracted 30,000 visitors since opening last November.
Ms Wong said it will serve as a natural free space for busy urban people.
