The Peace Hotel is a hotel on The Bund in Shanghai, China, which overlooks the surrounding areas. The hotel has two different buildings. The Sassoon House, originally housed the Cathay Hotel and is today the Fairmont Peace Hotel run by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Canada.

The Fairmont Peace Hotel is divided into two buildings appropriately named as the North and South buildings. Redesigned with Chicago Commercial-style architecture, the two structures are celebrated throughout Shanghai for their timeless architectural elegance. This unique architectural form first emerged in America’s Windy City at the height of the Gilded Age before spreading across the globe to places like China. While no actual “school” existed in Chicago that taught the aesthetic, historians today agree that a common set of design principles unified the city’s architects around the turn of the 20th century. Among the most well-known features of Chicago Commercial-style buildings involved the use of steel frames clad in masonry (usually terra cotta). The reliance upon steel and durable masonry came about following the aftermath of the Chicago Fire of 1871, when most of the city’s preexisting structures were destroyed in the calamity. But the building materials also allowed for architects to install many large plate-glass windows throughout the façade. Called the “Chicago window,” thee fixtures consisting of three-parts centered along a panel that was flanked by two smaller sash windows. The arrangement resembled a grid, in which some spaces projected out from the exterior and formed bay windows.

Yet, the architects within the Chicago Commercial-style school of thought also believed that their buildings should reflect the prosperity and technological progress of the Industrial Revolution. As such, the structures borrowed several powerful aspects of Neoclassical architecture. Chicago Commercial-style skyscrapers were typically divided into the three distinctive sections that have historically formed what is known as the “classical column.” The lowest parts of the building acted as the base, where the most ornate architectural elements appeared. Much of the detailing occurred around the entryways, as well as any nearby windows. The middle floors of the structure often featured far less detail, which functioned as the “shaft” of the column. The grand ornamentation returned toward the final two stories, though, creating what architects called the “capital.” The “capital” was typically defined by its flat roof and brilliant cornice, as well. Many buildings across Chicago brilliantly encapsulated this architectural approach, such as the Reliance Building, the Chicago Building, and the Rookery Building.

The larger North Building is called Sassoon House. The building was built by Sir Victor Sassoon, of the Sassoon family, which built a Shanghai business and real estate empire in the early 20th century. He was a British Sephardic Jew of Iraqi origin, educated at Harrow School and Cambridge University. His family owned the trading company "E.D. Sassoon & Co.", which managed extensive business interests in Bombay, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

Sassoon House was the first high-rise building built by Victor Sassoon, and one of the first skyscrapers in the Eastern Hemisphere. Sassoon bought a full city block on a prominent spot on the Bund prior to construction. When built the Sassoon House topped out at fifty feet taller than the next tallest building on the Bund. It was designed by architects Palmer and Turner, with a reinforced concrete structure. Construction began in 1926, and was completed in 1929. The 12-storey Peace Hotel, built in the Gothic style of the Chicago School.

The Cathay Hotel incorporated a high standard of luxury and modern amenities such as indoor plumbing, which made it a more esteemed establishment than other nearby hotels such as the Kadoorie family owned Majestic and Astor House Hotels. The Cathay featured a floor of rooms referred to as the “national suites,” with each room decorated in a different foreign style. According to author Jonathan Kaufman, the Japan Suite featured tatami mats, Indian rugs and cushions were found in the India Suite, and Chinese furniture and ceramics in the China Suite.

The building occupies 4,617 square meters and offers 36,317 square meters of floor space. The building is ten stories in height, and the tenth floor is a penthouse, where Victor Sassoon once lived. The North Building is 77 meters (253 feet) high to the roofline, and 83 meters (272 feet) to the spire.

The builders followed a consistent art deco scheme, from exterior design to interior decor. Most of the building features granite facing, while the ninth floor and the roof are surfaced with terracotta. The eastern facade (facing the Huangpu River and the Bund) features a pyramidal roof with steep sides, and a height of about 10 meters. The pyramid is faced with copper, which has corroded to light green.

Banks and shops leased the ground floor space until 1949. This space became the Shanghai branch of Citibank in 2002. The fourth through ninth floors once housed the Cathay Hotel.

After the Communist takeover in 1949, some of the offices were used by the Municipal Finance Committee. In 1952, the building was taken over by the Municipal Government. In 1956, it once again became a hotel under the name "Peace Hotel". During the Cultural Revolution, the hotel was used by the Gang of Four, most famously by Zhang Chunqiao as he headed the Shanghai Commune from headquarters in the Peace Hotel.

In 2007, the hotel closed for a three-year renovation of both the exterior and interior, including the guest rooms, the lobby, and the dining and entertainment venues. The North Building reopened in 2010, as the Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai. The hotel now offers 270 guestrooms and 39 suites, including Victor's Café, named for Sir Victor Sassoon. The eighth floor hosts the Peace Hall, plus several meeting rooms, and an outdoor terrace.

A low-rise extension has been added to the rear of the hotel, housing guestrooms, a swimming pool, and spa. Separated from the North Building by Nanjing Road, the South Building dates back to the 1850s, when it was known as the Central Hotel. In 1903, the hotel was restructured and renamed the Palace Hotel. The building that stands today was completed in 1908, and offered two elevators, the first building in Shanghai to do so. It was also once home to a Kuhn & Komor shop.

The hotel occupies 2,125 square metres, with a floor space of 11,607 square metres. It has a brick veneer, with its six stories reaching 30 metres in height. The exterior is in a Renaissance style. The hotel has eighteen artist residences and seven guest rooms.

In 1911, after the success of the Xinhai Revolution, Sun Yat-sen stayed at the hotel and advocated commitment to the revolutionary cause. During World War II, the building was occupied by the Japanese army. In 1947 it was purchased by a Chinese company. After the revolution in 1949, it continued operations until 1952, when it was confiscated and used by the Municipal Construction Department. In 1965 it resumed operations as a hotel, as a wing of the Peace Hotel.

Like its counterpart to the north, the South Building was renovated in preparation for the 2010 World Expo. It emerged as The Swatch Art Peace Hotel. It hosts artists from around the world who live and work for a limited time in apartments/workshops. The heritage facade and public rooms of the building have been restored.

Its Old Jazz Band was recently the basis for a movie, "As Time Goes By" a film by Uli Gaulke. Its roof terrace restaurant overlooks the district of Pudong across the Huangpu. This hotel was also used as an inspiration for Vicki Baum's 1937 novel "Shanghai '37", also known as "Hotel Shanghai" and "Nanjing Road". There are a lot of famous movies were filmed in the hotel: Empire of the Sun (1987), The Last Aristocrats (1989), Center Stage (1992), Shanghai Triad (1994), The Music Box (2002), Leaving Me, Loving You (2004), White Countess (2005), The Silent War (2012), Tiny Times 3 (2013)

The British playwright Lord Noel Coward completed his drama Private Lives in Room 314. In March 1936, Charlie Chaplin and wife Paulette Goddard, who played the leading female role in The Modern Times, stayed in Room 51 (now Room 568). British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery paid a visit to China in 1960. Stopping over in Shanghai, he came to Peace Hotel and stayed in Room 72 (now Room 778). During his visit to China, he was received by Chairman Mao Zedong. In May 1994, Muhammad Ali stayed in Room 643 with his wife Lonnie during a visit to Shanghai.

Sources:

https://famoushotels.org/hotels/peace

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Hotel

https://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/fairmont-peace-hotel/history.php