Zetland Hall
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Zetland Hall (Chinese: 雍仁會館) is the name given to two buildings as Masonic Centre in Hong Kong, one historic, the other modern. Both have housed Masonic Lodges.
Masonic Centre is the headquarters of the Hong Kong Freemasons. In addition to providing member benefits for Freemason lodges in Hong Kong and the Far East, Zetland Hall also hosts visiting Freemasons from other regions passing through Hong Kong.
The Freemasons is a fraternal and charitable organization, characterized by utopian ideals and a sense of mystery, which originated in Medieval Europe and was officially founded in England in 1717. In 1759, the "Prince Carl" ship of the Swedish East India Company carried Freemason members to Guangdong, marking the beginning of Freemasonry’s history in Asia.
The current Zetland Hall is located at 1 Kennedy Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. The building is five stories tall, with four floors above ground and a basement. The basement houses a kitchen and changing rooms, while the ground floor contains a bar and a banquet hall that can accommodate over 120 people. The first and second floors each have two meeting rooms, as well as a small Freemasonry museum and a library with over a thousand Freemasonry books. Unless with special permission or for special occasions, non-members may only enter the ground floor bar and banquet hall.
Members may bring non-members to enjoy the dining service at Zetland Hall. Lunch is available Monday to Friday, breakfast is served on Saturday mornings, and there is a special curry buffet lunch every Friday.
According to Zetland Hall’s internal rules, the minimum dress code for the banquet hall and bar on weekdays is "smart casual", meaning collared shirts and casual trousers are acceptable. Sleeveless shirts, collarless T-shirts, vests, shorts, and flip-flops are not permitted. Hats are not allowed inside Zetland Hall unless for religious, cultural, or ceremonial reasons.
Zetland Hall holds a certificate of compliance under the Societies (Property Safety) Ordinance issued by the Hong Kong Licensing Office. Unless with special permission or for special occasions, the hall only admits visitors and members who are 18 years of age or older. Zetland Hall is also licensed as a club under the Liquor Licensing Board.
According to records from the Hong Kong Land Registry, one-third ownership of Zetland Hall (165,000/500,000 shares) is held by the Trustees of Zetland Hall of the Hong Kong Freemasons, and the remaining two-thirds (335,000/500,000 shares) have been sold to Sun Hung Kai Properties and Walter Kwok.