Henry Lester
Encyclopedia
Henry Lester was a British architect
, merchant
and philanthropist
in Shanghai
.
, 1840. He had three brothers, and he was the youngest among the four. After finishing his study in a university, he came back to Southampton with a bachelor degree of architecture. Unluckily, all of his brothers died of an unknown disease. It left a heavy burden and horror in his heart. One doctor told him that he should leave his homeland, then he left Southampton with sadness and disconsolation. Henry took a cargo ship to Shanghai with another Briton, Gordon Morriss, who became his partner afterward.
德和洋行), took over all the assets of Shanghai Real Estate Agency and then Henry became one of the richest merchants in Shanghai.
Most of them are historic architectures in Shanghai.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
.
Birth and life in Britain
He was born in SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, 1840. He had three brothers, and he was the youngest among the four. After finishing his study in a university, he came back to Southampton with a bachelor degree of architecture. Unluckily, all of his brothers died of an unknown disease. It left a heavy burden and horror in his heart. One doctor told him that he should leave his homeland, then he left Southampton with sadness and disconsolation. Henry took a cargo ship to Shanghai with another Briton, Gordon Morriss, who became his partner afterward.
Early years in Shanghai
Henry arrived in Shanghai in 1867, and worked in Shanghai Municipal Council. Three years later, he ended that work after the expiration of his contract. Then he attended Shanghai Real Estate Agency, which was opened by Edwin Smith, who is an American, and he became a main shareholder of the agency. After Mr. Smith's retiring, Henry's own company, Lester, Johnson&Morriss(Chinese:Chinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
德和洋行), took over all the assets of Shanghai Real Estate Agency and then Henry became one of the richest merchants in Shanghai.
Mr. Lester and his company
According to the stipulation of Shanghai Municipal Council, staff members could not participate in its main business services and trade activities. Henry opened its own company, Lester. H, until the expiration of his contract. His compatriots Gordon Morris, George A. Johnson became shareholders together afterward. They renamed the company 'Lester, Johnson & Morris' and the Chinese name was kept as before. It became one of the most well-known architect offices. It is hard to know how many architectures did this office design and construct.Main architectures
- Sincere Department Store, Shanghai Branch (No.646, East Nanjing RoadNanjing RoadNanjing Road is the name of more than one road:* Nanjing Road * Nanjing Road * Nanjing Road...
) 1917 - Nissin Building (No. 5, the BundThe BundThe Bund is a waterfront area in central Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The area centres on a section of Zhongshan Road within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong, in the eastern part of Huangpu District...
) 1921 - Puyi Building (No.110, Middle Sichuan Road) 1922
- North China Daily News Building (No.17, the Bund) 1924
- Bank of Taiwan Building (No. 16, the Bund) 1926
- Renji HospitalRenji HospitalRenji Hospital is a general hospital in Shanghai, China, with the rank of "Grade 3, Class A". The hospital is a university hospital affiliated toShanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.- History :...
(No.145, Shandong Road) 1932 - Henry Lester Institute of Technical Education (No.505, Changzhi Road) 1934
- Mitsubishi Bank Building (No.85, Guangdong Road) 1936
- Jialing Office Building (No.346, Middle Sichuan Road) 1937
Most of them are historic architectures in Shanghai.