A villa designed by renowned architect Laszlo Hudec which once belonged to Dr Sun Yat-sen’s son Sun Ke will open to public later this year. Restoration work has begun on the building known as Sun Ke Villa at 60 Panyu Road in Changning District. It is part of the Columbia Circle compound, once a country club and a gathering place for Americans between 1927 and 1942. Hudec drew on the Spanish-style architecture that was in vogue in the US at the time and built the garden villa for himself next to the club. In 1932, Hudec transferred ownership of the villa to Sun Ke in gratitude for personal favors. Sun, who then served as head of the legislative body and was vice president of the Kuomintang government of the day, lived in the villa between 1932 and 1948. The villa is well-preserved because it was listed among Shanghai’s first group of protected historical buildings in 1999. The exterior walls have been cleaned and ventilation improved to ward off mold in the wooden ground floors. Some exquisite details of the three-story villa have been retained, such as its natural wooden floors, a curving staircase, French windows and elegant chandeliers. Quarters that once housed servants are attached to the villa. The Columbia Circle compound on Yan’an Road W. near Panyu Road has been converted into a complex with offices and shopping and is open to public.