Century-old villa of legendary female restaurateur unveiled after renovation

The former residence of legendary female restaurateur Dong Zhujun in Changning District has been unveiled after a year-long protective renovation.

 

Restored to its elegant historic appearance under the meticulous craftsmanship of NCN Decoration Co Ltd, this English-style garden villa, built in 1925, has achieved organic integration of cultural heritage and modern functions.

 

It features red-tiled sloping roofs, exposed brick walls interspersed with pebble facades, and neat lines of dormer windows on the sloping roofs. The "1925" mark on the cast-iron downspout at the corner is clearly distinguishable.

 

"This used to be Building No. 1 of the Xinhuacun residential complex," said Tao Ling, on-site supervisor of the renovation project at NCN Decoration Co. "When Dong lived here in 1948, she managed to protect many democracy activists," Tao added, full of respect.

 

This 872-square-meter four-floor brick-and-concrete structure once served as the office of CPC Changning District Committee. Every brick and tile carries profound historical memories.

 

Before renovation, the villa was damaged by time after a century in use. In 2024, with coordination led by relevant government departments, NCN Decoration Co launched this meticulous "time restoration" project, adhering to the core philosophy of "restoring as old and preserving cultural context."

 

Tao’s team has always followed the principles of "minimum intervention, reversibility and identifiability."

 

For example, the team compared dozens of pebble materials and particle sizes, and made 10 samples before selecting the plan closest to the original historic appearance, according to Tao.

 

The team also repaired the roof truss of the structure and replaced wood panels, stairs and other components to eliminate potential safety risks.

 

The indoor fireplace is another highlight that awakens the historic warmth. "The fireplace had been destroyed and went missing. We reviewed a large number of photos of old Shanghai villas to recreate the steel frame, hearth and colored tiles to bring it back to life," Tao said.

 

Meanwhile, the team has made major renovations in the “hidden” places to adapt the old building to modern life without damaging its original look, Tao added. For example, power lines are now buried in the suspended ceilings and air-conditioning facilities concealed in cabinets. Wooden windows with double-insulated hollow glass improve sound insulation and thermal insulation performance.

 

Now the green space in front of the building is open to the public. The building avails a shared urban space for people to get up close to the historic texture of the century-old building, while realizing cross-border integration between “commerce and art,” “life and art,” and “tourism and art.”