A row of arcade houses, or qilou, in Huangpu District that was slated for demolition has been granted a reprieve following an appeal from a local expert and members of the public.

An official with the district government said yesterday that the buildings along Jinling Road E., near the Bund, were part of the area’s “unique scenery” and therefore “won’t be damaged.”

The three- and four-story properties were built between 1912 and 1929 by immigrants from south China’s Guangdong Province. The ground floors were used as shops and the upper floors as living accommodation.