SOME 80 workers will manually take apart Gedung Raja Abdullah in Klang, one of the nation’s oldest heritage buildings, to salvage and preserve its bricks, tiles and timber beams.
Klang Public Works Department (JKR) district engineer Khairul Amir Isahak said the historic building would require meticulous dismantling before being rebuilt at Taman Bandar DiRaja Klang, about 850m from its current location.
Built in 1856 by Raja Abdullah, an appointed Klang chieftain, the two-storey building in Jalan Gedung Raja Abdullah currently serves as a museum dedicated to Malaysia’s tin mining history.
The structure once housed the state treasury, survey department, land office and post office, before being converted into a police station in 1880, which operated until 1974.
Its original wrought-iron gates remain intact.
“Soon, JKR Klang will convene a technical meeting with the National Heritage Department and Padat to confirm the deconstruction procedure.
“Before work begins, a specialised permit will be sought to preserve its cultural value,” he said.
Khairul added that archival recording combining photographs, tagging, mapping and architectural documentation was being carried out.
“This month, we expect to deconstruct the building and rebuild it at the new site in December,” he said.
Meanwhile, Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) mayor Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain said the relocation plan aimed to give the 170-year-old building a new lease on life, following a decree by Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah last year.
“Sultan Sharafuddin proposed relocating the building closer to Istana Alam Shah because its current location is congested and lacks adequate parking for tourists,” he said.
He said Gedung Raja Abdullah would be reconstructed off Jalan Tengku Kelana, adjacent to Tugu Keris.
“I was told Padat, along with other experts, will conduct a thorough assessment of the proposed relocation.”
Abd Hamid said the half-brick, half-timber building dated back to the peak of the local tin mining era.
“Historical records show Raja Abdullah and his family lived on the upper floor, while the ground floor was used to store tin ore, equipment and other supplies.”
Raja Abdullah originally hailed from Lukut, Negri Sembilan.
Abd Hamid said the building was slated for demolition in the 1980s to make way for badminton courts, but was saved following intervention by the late Tan Sri Mubin Sheppard, a former Klang district officer.
“Preservation efforts aim to safeguard both the Anglo-Indian structure and its historical wall drawing of a paddle steamer, enhancing its educational and tourism value,” he said.
Abd Hamid added that the project was set to attract more visitors to Klang’s heritage trail linking Istana Alam Shah in Jalan Istana to Little India in Jalan Tengku Kelana.
