Well, I've been hearing trickles of information about a former slaugherhouse in Shanghai, not too bar from the Bund, but a bit hard to get to (40 minutes by bike), that's being marketed as a new "creative hub."

Some serious architects are working on the project, rumors of an upscale David Laris restaurant are floating, and people are getting interested. New areas are starting to spring up all over Shanghai, from the Kool Docks to the newly renovated pedestrian area by Maoming Lu and Nanjing Lu.

An architect friend of mine biked out to 1933 to check it out last weekend. She said the trip from downtown took her 40 minutes by bike (she recommends you not take your bike, because it's mainly riding along a freeway). The report back was that the area is VERY well worth a visit, beautiful old architecture, very unique and a wide open space with beautiful views. I found this article by Nic of Smart Shanghai, with more information and some photos. Enjoy!
 

It's been a slow build-up for the 1933 "creative hub." This Shanghai-famous refurbished slaughterhouse first appeared on the public radar last year, and has only just recently begun to come alive with shops, restaurants, wine bars, clothing outlets and concert spaces. Newly deemed "open to the public," we finally took the trip down to check it out for ourselves.

Located at the north end of the Bund, 1933 is a bit of a trek, but worth the trip for the architecture alone, if not the actual outlets in the hub. The space is five-floors of maze-like, concrete corridors, ideal for art galleries, performance spaces, creative offices, paintball... uh... hide and seek... kick the can.

When walking through 1933, you definitely get a creepy, slaughterhouse vibe in places (one of the walkways is called Cattle Road), although the overwhelming aura of death has been replaced with cool tunes playing overhead while you window shop and explore. The very top levels of the main building must have been the place where the cows were slaughtered (I'm guessing), and it's been transformed into a large open space for concerts. So far it's been used for cooperate events and product launches (check the official webpage for 1933 for the specifics), but it's got the capacity for large theatrical shows.

As of our visit at the end of last week, 1933 is already home to a few of the Shanghai staples: there is a Jade Garden restaurant serving expensive Shanghainese cuisine, along with a Globus Wine lounge and a Paul bakery -- both these later venues opening by the end of next week. Also in the complex is a Ferrari store which is not selling Ferraris but Ferrari gear, and an Image Group store selling Apple stuff.

But -- OMG!, OMG! -- the first American Apparel store in Shanghai looks finished and is apparently slated to open at the end of October.

Although a lot of new places are opening, there still seems to be an overwhelming amount of space still unoccupied. Keep an eye out for design events and ongoing exhibitions hosted in the space in the future though, as a few have already passed through.

After talking with the nice information lady that is the head of the valet parking service, the 1933 area hopes to be "completely finished" by the end of November, beginning of December.

Photos from Smart Shanghai. For the original article, go here.