The Star Ferry Clock Tower at the Central Pier is seen through a cutout in an art work in Hong Kong Nov. 11, 2006. The Central Pier, which was built in 1957, is closed on Nov. 12 for Central Reclamation Project. Nov. 12 - Hong Kong bade farewell to the world-famous Star Ferry pier as the last boat departed from the historic structure to cross Victoria Harbour.
At midnight, the 48-year-old pier closed to make way for a six-lane bypass and a shopping centre built on reclaimed land.
The pier, one of the territory's most famous icons in a downtown district teeming with modern skyscrapers, will be moved 360 meters (1200 feet) west to a 1.54 million US dollar new terminal.
The much-loved pier, together with adjacent Queen's Pier and the old clock tower, will turn to dust when the government tears them down next year.
Among the crowd of 1,500 watching the final sailing was David Scott, 39, a financial adviser.
"It's yet another piece of the city's heritage, harbour and history sold down the river," he said. "It's not the prettiest of structures, but it's what it represents that matters."
Hundreds of "mourners" had written messages on scraps of paper and pegged them at the ferry pier. Gilda Wan, a 25-year-old secretary, said: "I met my husband on the Star Ferry out of Central. It means a lot to us. It broke my heart when I was told it was to be scrapped."
The new three-story structure, modeled on the 1912 version of the terminal with an Edwardian design, will feature a public viewing deck, shops and a waterfront restaurant, while a roof-top bar is also planned.
The service operator, the Star Ferry Company, hopes the new terminal will give passengers and travellers a new way to enjoy the harbour crossing, which in 1999 was named by the National Geographic of Traveler magazine as one of "the 50 places of a lifetime."
"We hope that the new pier will provide not just a transport service but will also serve as a tourist attraction," said Frankie Yick, Star Ferry managing director.
Yick said he also hopes the 7,000 square-meter (75,000 square-feet) building will help draw more local passengers, beating competition from other modes of cross-harbour transport.
Although the ferry costs as little as 1.7 Hong Kong dollars (22 US cents) each journey, by far the cheapest way to travel between Hong Kong island and bustling Kowloon, passenger numbers have dropped by 60 percent to 53,000 people a day from three decades ago when the city's first cross-harbour tunnel was opened.
Chan Ngai-kwong, who has taken the ferry to work every day for the last 10 years, said he will miss the old pier. But some are not so sorry to see it go.
"Compared to the rest of Hong Kong, the pier looks quite run-down," said Des de Moor, a charity worker from London.
Although the clock face will be placed in a museum and its bell relocated to the new pier, architects and conservationists said the old pier and tower clock have important cultural value to Hong Kong and should be preserved.
