| The
Cathay Hotel/Sassoon House |
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The
Hotel was the pride of its owner, Sir Victor Sassoon. He was a
bachelor and saved the large apartment under the roof for himself. It
had 360-degree views and was paneled in dark oak, resembling an English
club. Although he spent weekends at his country villa on Hungjao Road,
he also entertained lavishly in this suite, the food being brought
up
from kitchens on the lower floor. (When the authors dined there
recently, the same system still was in use.) Sir Victor preferred the
company of chorus girls to debutantes, and toward the end of his life
married his American nurse - who inherited his entire fortune.
Occupying Shanghai's No.1 address, a triangular shaped piece of land at the intersection of Nanking Road and the Bund, the Cathay Hotel was designed by the architectural firm Palmer and Turner and completed in 1929. This picture shows it shortly after completion. The statue in front of the building is of Harry Smith Parkes, a British diplomat who occupied a key role in Shanghai's history. The statue was removed by the Japanese after the occupation of the city, and the bronze melted down for wartime use. |
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