The historical Kota Kinabalu Community Hall was destroyed in a fire Tuesday (July 29).
KOTA KINABALU: A historical community centre in the heart of the city's central business district here has been destroyed in a fire.
The 12.30am blaze on Tuesday (July 29) destroyed 80% of the hall that sits along Jalan Dewan at the foothill of the city's Signal Hill.
No casualties were reported, and an investigation is underway to establish the cause of the fire.
Teams of firemen from three stations in Kota Kinabalu and neighbouring Penampang district rushed to the scene after receiving a distress call at 12.44am, but were only able to bring the fire under control by 2.40am before dousing it completely by 3.30am.
The fire engulfing the Kota Kinabalu Community Hall.
The interior of the hall was destroyed, although the building's structure was not badly damaged.
Sabah Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Muhammad Taqiuddin Victor Doon said the fire also spread to the adjacent Kota Kinabalu City Hall recycling store.
“When we arrived, we found that the fire involved almost the entire hall and a recycling storage store," he said.
The Kota Kinabalu Community Hall is seen as a historical landmark in the city as it was used by the British colonial government, and was the site of major events, including gatherings for the formation of Malaysia.
The hall, then known as Jesselton Community Hall (the colonial name of Kota Kinabalu), was officially opened in 1958 by British North Borneo governor Sir Roland Turnbull.
According to records, the construction was financed with money obtained by the Committee of the Management of Japanese Assets following the end of World War II in 1945.
Firemen putting out the fire inside the Kota Kinabalu Community Hall.
The hall was a venue for community and political gatherings, exhibitions and sporting events such as boxing, badminton and basketball matches in its more than six-decade history.
Its design was considered advanced for the times, with a pin-based gable frame and 15-degree pitch allowing the hall to be built without interior pillars.
This design enabled it to have a capacity of 800 people and accommodate basketball and badminton courts.
The steel framework was fabricated in Melbourne, Australia, and shipped to Sabah.
The construction was handled by a local company for a total cost of 280,730 North Borneo dollars.
In the early 2000s, the state government proposed to demolish and relocate the hall but heritage conservation activists protested, and the idea was shelved.
The hall stood as a post-war symbol of reconstruction, as most of Jesselton was destroyed during the Allied liberation of Sabah from the Japanese.
