German and French Mansions

This spectacular mansion on Route pichon (now Fenyang Lu) was the home of a high-ranking official of the Municipalite, which ruled the French Concession. It is now the home of the Arts and Crafts Research Institute and its entrance halls, one above these curving staircases and one leading in from the porte-cochere, are both filled with handicraft displays and shops.
This house in the German renaissance style was designed by Shanghai's only German architectural firm, Becker and Baedeker. It faced on Avenue Joffre, "French Town's' most elegant boulevard. Today the house is part of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

If it shares the fate of other old residences on the grounds it will probably soon be demolished to make way for modern conservatory buildings.