New life planned for heritage buildings

Time for upgrade: The former Chartered Bank building in Jalan Raja, Kuala Lumpur was damaged by last December’s flood. – YAP CHEE HONG/The Star

TWO historical buildings in the heart of Kuala Lumpur belonging to Selangor government will get a major makeover following years of neglect.

Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI), the state’s strategic investment arm, said Selangor government through MBI would develop the old Chartered Bank building and Industrial Court building (formerly Chow Kit & Co Department Store), into information centres to promote the state as a tourist destination.

Referring to the buildings as “Selangor House” and “The Court” respectively, MBI, in a statement to StarMetro, said both buildings were Selangor assets.

It said the court building in Jalan Mahkamah would become a tourist centre to provide information on Selangor’s historical and unique attractions as well as initiatives introduced by the state.

MBI said the buildings were to become the “gateway to Selangor” in Kuala Lumpur, providing visitors a sneak peak of the state’s best attractions.

This, it said, would be in line with the “Selangor in A Day” programme that showcases cultural, heritage and tourist attractions, as well as provide information on business and investment opportunities in the state.

As they are heritage buildings, MBI will be working on the project with Selangor Malay Customs and Heritage Corporation (Padat) and other state agencies.

MBI plans to open the buildings to the public by the end of next year.

Buildings with chequered history

After withstanding two major floods — one in 1926 and another in 1971 — the old Chartered Bank building in the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s iconic heritage zone at Merdeka Square was inundated by floodwaters once again last Dec 18 — exactly 50 years after the 1971 flood.

However, unlike the previous floods when immediate clean-up and repairs were carried out, this time, the heritage building at Jalan Raja was left unattended.

Located next to Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, the building that was previously used as a music museum, has been left empty for five years.

Despite it being gazetted as a national heritage building, there has been very little maintenance of the building.

When StarMetro visited the site recently, the building was in a sorry state and there was mud everywhere.

The grass and shrubs had not been cut in months.

The pretty chandelier at the entrance was the only indication of how charming the building used to be.

A chair, once used by a security guard, was stationed at the entrance. It has been more than two years since the security services were terminated.

The National Heritage Department (NHD), which is the custodian of heritage buildings in the country, is aware of the situation.

“The building belongs to the Selangor government, and we have been chasing Padat since two years ago when we first noticed the building was deteriorating. But we haven’t gotten any response,” said NHD director-general Mohd Azmi Mohd Yusof.

“Owners of heritage buildings have to take care of their buildings. It is their responsibility under the National Heritage Act 2005,” he added.

Mohd Azmi said last year the department had taken photographs of the building and its surrounding area and had sent a notice to Padat asking it to clean up the place. However, no response was received.

He added that the agency would follow up with another notice soon to get the owners to clean up the place.

Last year, in conjunction with Federal Territories Day, Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah in a statement issued by Istana Alam Shah, called for the conservation of heritage buildings in Kuala Lumpur.

The Ruler said he wanted historical buildings such as Carcosa Seri Negara, the Sultan Abdul Samad building and Kuala Lumpur railway station to be protected.

He added that many of these buildings, such as the Sultan Abdul Samad building, had strong links to Selangor dating back when Kuala Lumpur was Selangor’s administrative capital before 1974.

The last tenant of the Jalan Raja (old Chartered Bank) building was the Kuala Lumpur Music Museum, which was under the jurisdiction of the Museums Department.

The Music Museum, which showcased musical instruments of the different ethnic communities of Malaysia, was in operation for less than two years. It started on Aug 1, 2015 and was closed on Jan 9, 2017.

Following the closure of the building, a security guard was assigned to guard the premises.

However, during a recent visit, there was no one on site.

Upon enquiry, a security guard working nearby said the place had been abandoned for over two years.

According to an information plaque in front of the building, this once-charming double-storey brick building was built in 1891 to house the Standard Chartered bank.

A new three-storey building replaced the old building in 1909.

The building has remained unchanged although its single-storey right wing was demolished when Victory Avenue (Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin) was widened in the 1950s.

Its original archways were made of brick. In the 1960s, its internal structures were renovated to house the National History Museum.

A coffee-table book titled Passage: Our Story Through The Centuries published by Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, chronicles the bank’s history and milestones in Malaysia.

The building, which was occupied by the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (later known as The Chartered Bank), was damaged when water rose up to one metre in the 1926 flood.

Business had to be transacted upstairs in the living quarters and the staff had to be transported by sampan.

The next day, several million dollars of soggy bank notes were taken from the branch treasury and dried in the open air on the grounds of Selangor Club field under the watchful eye of an armed guard.

History repeated itself in 1971 when flood water once again inundated the bank’s Jalan Raja branch.

After Chartered Bank moved out, the building was used as a Natural History Museum.

Meanwhile, the Industrial Court building was built in 1905 and housed Chow Kit & Company, a department store catering to European women.

According to International Council on Monuments and Sites Malaysia honorary secretary Mariana Isa, the design was inspired by old European manor houses at that time.

It was the place to get fabric, materials like ribbons, buttons and lace to make dresses.

The building was designed by Anglo-Indian architect AK Moosdeen who was known for his Dutch or Flemish gables and oriel window styles. The department store closed down during World War Two.

Over the years, the building housed several government agencies, including the Election Commission and Registrar of Societies.

The building was renovated and restored in 1982 and temporarily housed the Industrial Court before it moved out in 2017.

Today, the former court building is also in a bad state, with wild plants and shrubs growing on its roof and the upper part of the structure.