Range Road – A Mystery Solved – Seventh Day Adventists in Old Shanghai

Back in April I appealed for help in identifying a rather interesting building that had been perplexing me on the old Range Road (now Wujin Road). Range Road marked the northern border of the International Settlement in Hongkou (Hongkew) where it met Chinese Shanghai in the form of Paoshan (now Boashan). The structure – below – seemed to me neither residential, commercial or quite (despite feint overtones) religious while not being typical of any Shanghai Municipal Council architectural styles. Just to jog your memory here it is:

Anyway, the very smartypants (and excellent photographer) Sue Anne Tay appears to have solved the mystery. She managed to acertain (in fine Sherlock Holmes style…or is that Nancy Drew?) that the building covers several numbers including numbers 193 but also 181 and 171 Wujin Road. Still, she has worked out that this is indeed the former Seventh-Day Adventist Church (沪北会堂), which feels right – religious feeling but not a classical style church. Seems it was built originally around 1905 and then modified into the structure we see now around 1924 while, probably being the first Seventh-Day Adventist church in Shanghai. Now what we need is a Seventh Day Adventist who’s into Shanghai history from before 1949 and we’re home and dry!!

By the way in terms of architectural style I did come across this picture of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Edinburgh which is of a similar style and period.