The Sassoon House

The Sassoon House, Shanghai. Publisher not identified.

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Sassoon House in Shanghai was commissioned by (Ellice) Victor Sassoon (1881–1961), the head, from 1916, of the “new” Sassoon enterprise, E. D. Sassoon, created by his grandfather Elias David Sassoon (1820–1880). Descended from a well-to-do Iraqi Jew, the Sephardi family had built an extended business empire originally based in Mumbai and subsequently also extended their activities to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Also known for their extensive philanthropy, they were frequently referred to as the “Rothschilds of the East”. In the wake of Indian independence and the Communist takeover in China, Victor Sassoon sold off the family’s remaining assets in the Far East and retired to the Bahamas.

Sassoon House, located on the corner of Bund and Nanking Road, was one of the first high-rise buildings in Shanghai. It was designed by George Leopold (“Tug”) Wilson of Palmer and Turner who created an impressive and lavish art déco edifice. Although construction began in 1926, plans for the usage of the building remained fluid until 1928, when Sassoon decided that it would house the Cathay Hotel. The ground floor was rented out to banks and other commercial enterprises. Sassoon reserved one of the penthouse apartments for himself. The tower housed a number of gastronomic and entertainment venues. The building has recently been beautifully and lavishly restored and now houses the Fairmount Peace Hotel.

When Victor Sassoon died in 1961, Chaim Bermant wrote in the Jewish Chronicle: “The memorial service for Sir Victor Sassoon, at Christ Church Cathedral, Nassau, on Tuesday, was almost the symbolic close to the Sassoon dynasty. David, the founder, could speak no English, and when he became a British citizen in 1853 he signed the oath in Hebrew. His descendants found it less difficult to Anglicise themselves and within a generation they had penetrated to the very heart of Britain’s ruling circles. Two of David’s sons became close friends of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII). His granddaughter, Rachel Sassoon Beer, owned and edited the ‘Observer’ and the ‘Sunday Times’. Later descendants included Philip, who was a Tory M.P. for Hythe and a notable Under-Secretary for Air; Siegfried Sassoon, the poet; and Sybil, the present Marchioness of Cholmondeley. Wealth knows no boundaries, but the Sassoons had much more than wealth to commend them: theirs was a brief dynasty, but a glittering one.”