Recently, the nearly century-old Lester Institute of Medical Research has undergone renovations and is set to reopen with a fresh new look.
This historical building, discreetly hidden in the depths of a garden, is a precious legacy left by the Englishman Henry Lester.
In fact, many well-known old buildings in Shanghai have deep ties to him, making them worth visiting.
Once a World-Renowned Research Institution
The former site of the Lester Institute of Medical Research is located at 1320 Beijing West Road in Jing’an District. Officially named the Lester Institute of Medical Research, it was designed in 1930 and completed in 1933.
The architecture of the Lester Institute primarily features a modernist style, with local details exhibiting characteristics of the Art Deco style.
The Lester Institute was once a renowned medical research institution in modern Shanghai.
The English-language newspaper “The China Press” described it as “the largest and best-equipped research hospital in the Far East.”
The medical history community ranked it alongside famous research institutions such as the Pasteur Institute in France and the Rockefeller Institute in the United States.
After 1949, it successively bore the names “Shanghai Industrial Testing Institute of the East China Ministry of Industry,” “Shanghai Industrial Testing Institute of the Ministry of Light Industry,” and “Shanghai Scientific Research Institute of the Ministry of Food Industry.”
In 1957, it became the “Shanghai Pharmaceutical Industry Research Institute of the Ministry of Chemical Industry,” and in 1960, it was renamed the “Shanghai Pharmaceutical Industry Research Institute.”
The history of the Lester Institute is a memorable part of the process of medical and pharmaceutical scientific research in modern China.
In 1994, the former site of the Lester Institute was announced as one of Shanghai’s second batch of outstanding historical buildings.
An Architect and Philanthropist
Who Mutually Achieved with Shanghai
Henry Lester was born on February 26, 1840, in Southampton, England. He received professional education as an architect and land surveyor in London and came to Shanghai around 1863, becoming one of the earliest foreign architects to enter Shanghai.
In 1870, Lester established the British firm Lester, Johnson & Morris, primarily engaged in architectural design, real estate trading, and agency services. He heavily invested in real estate and accumulated wealth.
Lester, Johnson & Morris left architectural legacies in Shanghai such as the Sincere Company Building, the North China Daily News Building, the Nisshin Building, the Pootung Building, and the Bank of Taiwan Building (now China Merchants Bank).
It was one of the most influential foreign firms at the time. Lester himself became a renowned real estate tycoon in Shanghai.
On May 14, 1926, Lester passed away in Shanghai. In the first section of his will, he wrote, “For nearly sixty years, my main and permanent residence has been in Shanghai, China. It is so now and will continue to be so in the future. Long ago, I chose China as my domicile, and that is the case at present…”
Lester believed that since he had spent his life in Shanghai and acquired wealth there, the only right and appropriate choice after his death was to use his assets for the benefit of the people of Shanghai.
In his will, he allocated his entire vast fortune to establish education, medical care, and charitable undertakings in Shanghai. This included setting up the Lester Trust, which would administer the Lester Scholarship, establish the Lester Institute of Medical Research and the Lester Institute of Technical Research in Shanghai, and build the Lester School with a capacity of over 300 people. The publication of this will caused a sensation in Shanghai.
Leaving Multiple Architectural Legacies for Shanghai
In accordance with Lester’s wishes, the Lester Trust donated 1 million taels of silver and four properties to the Renji Hospital. In 1932, the Renji Hospital Inpatient Building was completed and put into use.
This building is currently the only outstanding historical building in Shanghai that is still being used as a medical facility. The inpatient building had 250 beds, placing Renji Hospital among the ranks of major hospitals in Shanghai.
To commemorate Lester’s good deeds, Renji Hospital was once called the “Lester Chinese Hospital.”
The Lester Institute of Technology, located on Dongchangzhi Road, was completed in 1934. In just ten years of operation, it became a renowned engineering school in modern Shanghai, offering courses in architecture, civil engineering, mechanics, and electrical engineering.
Apart from Jiaotong University, it was the only institute of technology in Shanghai at the time that could rival the two top-tier universities, St. John’s University and the University of Shanghai.
It cultivated a group of specialized talents and leading figures for our country and is a brilliant chapter in the history of modern education. Currently, the site serves as the Shanghai Institute of Innovative Design.
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