Monster Building

The complex known as the Monster Building at Quarry Bay began as one 1960s housing estate, split in 1972 into five buildings, Montane Mansion among them, still joined together around a shared courtyard, rising eighteen storeys with over two thousand flats and a facade of stacked balconies, air conditioners, pipework and drying laundry that fills the frame completely when photographed from below. It appeared in international films and then in millions of photographs, and the courtyard became crowded with visitors. Residents objected to the noise, blocked lifts and constant cameras, and management has restricted access and put up signs; the courtyard has been closed to non-residents at times.

History

The estate was built in the 1960s as the Parker Estate, named after Mount Parker to the south, and later sold. In 1972 it was divided into five buildings - Fook Cheong Building, Montane Mansion, Oceanic Mansion, Yick Cheong Building and Yick Fat Building - with shops along the street front; the tallest, Oceanic Mansion, has 18 floors. The five blocks hold 2,243 flats and around 10,000 residents (Wikipedia, Monster Building).

What to look for

• Stacked balconies filling the frame - the facade from the courtyard.
• One estate, five buildings - the 1960s block split in 1972 and still joined.
• Ground-floor shops and life - the working base of the buildings.
• The film location history - the sequences shot here.

When to go

Year round; overcast days give even light on the facade. One hour. Check whether the courtyard is open to visitors before travelling; access has been restricted.

Things to know

People live here and they have made clear they do not want visitors. Access is restricted and may be refused outright. Photographing into flats is intrusive. If you go, be brief, quiet and prepared to be turned away.

Nearby

Quarry Bay is around it; Braemar Hill lies west.

Key facts