A Hong Kong charity founded by a former city leader has relocated its headquarters to a 104-year-old historic site at a nominal premium of HK$1,000 (US$128), with the organisation saying it hopes to inherit the philanthropic spirit of the location.

The GX Foundation announced on Friday that it had moved to No 4 Hospital Road in Mid-Levels, with the site built in response to a plague outbreak that started in the late 19th century, before serving as a cleaners’ residence and later a shelter for street sleepers.

“This building … has its character, its history and is quite prominent in the neighbourhood. And more importantly, it has its spirit of philanthropy behind it,” the foundation’s chairman, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying, said.

“We’d like to inherit and extend this spirit through our work, and hopefully spread this message to others in Hong Kong, particularly young students.”

The site in Sai Ying Pun comprises a five-storey main building and a single-storey annexe, surrounded by medical institutions and former facilities turned into heritage sites, such as the Government Civil Hospital, the city’s first public hospital.

Boasting an area of about 1,047 square metres, the site also enjoys grade two historic status under the city’s three-tier system, meaning it is deemed to have special merit and should be “selectively preserved”.