where we cAme from

Heritage conservation

sHows forward tHinking,

a way to capture tHe

essence of our past, for

tHe betterment of tHe

future. will malaysia

be left bereft of tHis

inHeritance, regressing

even as we progress?

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livingculturetext & photos ee-leng yeoh

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QA

1 183 Jalan Tun HS Lee intersection with Jalan Sultan - one of the few

10’ wide prewar shophouses in the area and still retaining plain interior

finishes. 2 Starlight hotel - period patterned mosaic interior of the

hotel lobby. 3 Kwong Fook Wing tailor - interior - the high ceiling

heights allows for mezzanine to be inserted for additional workspace; and vertical glass louvres that can be closed off for privacy. 4 No 78

Jalan Sultan - interior stair; polished concrete stair with rounded nosing

detail, moulded timber handrail andwrought iron balusters.

5 Original furniture of the period. 6 Pak Tai photo studio on upper

floor of 2 storey shophouse is accessed by a narrow concrete stair.

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1 Several shophouses were demolished at the bend in the middle of Jalan Sultan; the empty properties are currently used as parking. 2 Period patterned mosaic on exterior ground floor wall of stair light hotel. 3 End wall of No 183 Jalan Tun HS Lee. 4 The small raised segment of roof above the main roof is known as a jack roof; it aids in natural ventilation by conducting warm air out of the building and allows light to enter the upper floors. 5 Old street signage at No 53 Jalan Sultan.

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Kuala lumpur is a young city, even by malaysian standards. yet her memories, from when the first mining prospectors

arrived in the mid-19th century till today, are of historic significance in the life of this nation. for encased in the urban fabric that defined the former frontier town at the confluence of klang and gombak rivers, are surely the heart and character of kl, the metropolis.

ravaged by fire and floods, the earliest timber and atap structures of the tin miners to the east of the river no longer stand, but in their place brick and tiled roofed shophouses were erected, and along the west bank grand administrative buildings for by then kl had become the seat of british rule in this region. the architecture represented was a hybrid of local and imported vernaculars, of colonial and high styles of the

period, with climate responsive features such as five-foot-ways and deep loggias.

leading up to the pre-war years, plaster was used extensively to create ornate neo-classical inspired facades, and later on, geometric embellishments favoured by the art deco movement, either left beige to simulate stone or painted in pastel hues. steel framed glass windows replaced wooden shutters at this juncture, but buildings were still designed for sun and heat with deep canopies and high ceilings.

post world war ii saw the construction of reinforced concrete edifices alongside the older brick structures in various expressions of the international style, together with an increase in building heights with the advent of lift technology. subsequently, when malaya gained independence from the british and when malaysia was formed,

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The deliberate act of maintaining a heritage site for future generations is known as conservation.

it was fitting that the merdeka and negara stadiums were commissioned and built within the historic city limits to commemorate and celebrate the respective landmark events. completing the trifecta on petaling Hill is chin woo stadium and between them, merdeka park, a public green-space.

Heritage is usually defined as physical legacies and intangible attributes inherited from the past generation, while the deliberate act of maintaining a heritage site for future generations is known as conservation. of late there seems to be a discernible growing appreciation for our built heritage and a corresponding conservation movement spurred on perhaps by a varierty of reasons - travel, the success of heritage conservation in other malaysian cities, the loss of iconic structures in recent times such as bok House and bukit bintang girls’ school, and the impending insertion of mega projects within the historic district.

it was the approval of these projects: the construction of a 118 storey tower on gazetted parkland, formerly merdeka park,

and the underground excavation of mrt lines along Jalan sultan, without prior public consultation, and proceeding without properly addressing the long-term impact concerns raised by stakeholders, which were impetus for the gathering of rakankl, a people’s movement for heritage conservation.

according to victor chin, a rakankl founding member, Jalan sultan is one of the oldest streets of chinatown, preceding the more well-known petaling street. as an artist and long-time heritage conservation advocate, victor has been documenting old kl through artwork and photography for years. He spoke of the evolving character of Jalan sultan during our conversation, as one does an old friend. and friends he is, with many of the residents who stayed on despite rustic conditions and the lifting of the rent control act that led to an exodus to the suburbs. His watercolours of demolished shophouses and photographs of Jalan sultan through different eras paint a picture of a deteriorating heritage site at risk of disappearing unless more stringent heritage policies are introduced.

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1 Federation Building, an early post war building with circular porthole windows and curved façade. 2 Central Market was first established as an open air wet market in 1888; the current art deco façade seen here was built c.1930s. 3 Interior of the Federation Building with more curved lines. 4 Starlight hotel, one of the first custom built hotels in kuala lumpur with a lift. 5 The Lee Rubber building c.1930s in art deco style 6 Lok Ann Hotel 7 Interior renovations included the addition of light timber screens to allow natural light and ventilation.

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1Sultan Abdul Samad building c.1897 - multifoil arched colonnade. 2 sultan abdul samad building c.1897 showcases british raj style that was developed in colonial india, combining european gothic revival style with mogul inspired elements to create impressive stately buildings; cool airy interiors are achieved with the deep loggias on both lower and upper levels . 3 Wrought iron gate. 4 Temple chair. 5 St Mary’s cathedral (by dataran merdeka) - gothic revival. 6 No 163 Jalan Tun HS Lee - Sri Mahamariamman. 7 14 Lebuh Pudu - Sze Ya temple - rear entrance.

Heritage sites are places of cultural significance, because they provide insights to our collective identity and connect us to the past in a tangible way that neither words nor images can. furthermore, as architecture transcends time, buildings also evolve with the continuous layering of history within its walls and around it. so although preservation is prescribed to maintain cultural significance, adaptive re-use is an acceptable alternative for buildings to stay relevant, as in the case of the lee rubber building on Jalan tun H.s. lee, built c.1930s to house the lee foundation. during the Japanese occupation it was used as secret service headquarters and thereafter fell into disrepair until 2002, when it was rehabilitated for commercial use.

kuala lumpur does not have a large stock of pre-war buildings today, yet many of these are still vulnerable to development pressures, being without legislated heritage protection. landmark buildings of the british administration are generally recognised as built heritage and a few have been restored in part, the sultan abdul samad building is an example. pre-war shophouses on the other hand are no less historically or culturally significant despite their lack of architectural pedigree. However, there has been little political will to accord them similar heritage status or protection even though they are as old as the streets they define. yet if it is accepted that an essential feature of a landmark is not its design but the place it holds in a city’s memory, then Jalan sultan as an original chinatown street, should also be earmarked for heritage conservation.

reasons for heritage conservation abound and range from economics to educational, but the principal rationale is this; that a building or place of cultural significance is a repository of society’s collective memory and once demolished, is lost forever and all the memories along with it. and, as victor often quotes, “… a city without old buildings is like a man without a memory.”

RakankL is a heritage conservation movement by concerned citizens that seeks to give voice to civil society through informed dialogue with local authorities and relevant experts to propose improvements to urban planning and heritage policies to make KL a more liveable and holistic city. In addition to public forums, RakanKL organises cultural and arts events to raise awareness of critical issues impacting heritage in KL, and to celebrate the vanishing sights, sounds and culture of this rapidly-changing city.

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