Government House was formerly the office and residence of previous Governors of Hong Kong. Construction works started in 1851 and took four years to complete. At that time it enjoyed a fine harbour view. It was originally built in the Georgian style and bore rich colonial characteristics. It underwent a number of large-scale renovations, with the latest undertaken in 1942, during the Japanese Occupation, by a Japanese engineer, Siechi Fujimura, who designed to construct a dominant central tower to link the two original buildings; the roofs were also modified to add in more Japanese flavour, thus diminishing the strong European style of the mansion. It was then used as the military headquarters for the Japanese until 1945. Government House is now the residence and office for the Chief Executive.