On April fool’s day 2025, my friend and I took advantage of the still relatively quiet city streets and drove into the heart of Kuala Lumpur to check out some old buildings. Most of these buildings were actually situated around the area where I used to work for 10 years, but back then I never realised the historical significance of these buildings although they were literally right under my nose. Goes to show that history is actually still around us, unfortunately we do not always realise it. Here are the buildings we saw:
1. Oriental Building
This is a building that
once housed offices of an insurance company, built in the 1930s on Jalan Tun
Perak. When it was finished it was white and grey, and apparently no sand was
used in the cement. Solid stuff!
2. St Mary’s Cathedral
Situated near the
Royal Selangor Golf Club and Dataran Merdeka, this church was originally situated
on the hilltop of Bukit Aman in 1887. Construction of the current building in
Jalan Raja started in 1894 and it was proclaimed the Cathedral Church of St
Mary the Virgin (obviously a Catholic church) in 1983.
3. Panggung Budaya
Nearby, there is a
theatre of Moorish design constructed in 1904. It is the oldest theatre in
Kuala Lumpur, staging plays and musicals but at the time of our visit it was
closed and I’m not sure whether it is still functioning.
4. Sultan Abdul Samad Building
Another building of
Moorish design just beside Panggung Budaya, once housing government offices of
the British administration, and also Malaysia’s superior courts. When I first
started practising I had the opportunity to appear in some of the High Courts (Commercial
Division) that was still operating out of the building, pending the move to
Jalan Duta. This building was completed in 1897 and has a 41.2m-high clock
tower. The truly historical mark of this building is that it witnessed the declaration
of independence in 1957.
5. Sun Sze Si Ya Temple
This Chinese temple
is located on Jalan Tun HS Lee, and is reportedly one of the oldest temples in
Kuala Lumpur. The temple was founded by Kapitan Yap Ah Loy in 1864 as a tribute
to his chief commander Sze Si Ya and also Kapitan Sheng Meng Li of Seremban.
6. Lee Rubber Building
Also situated on
Jalan Tun HS Lee, this building was constructed and designed by Booty Edwards
& Partners in 1930. Standing at four-storeys high, it was then the tallest
building in Kuala Lumpur. The building has seen many roles throughout its
history, housing a tin smeltering company in the 1930s, serving as the Japanese
secret police headquarters during World War II, and is currently a boutique
hotel. Although the building’s purpose has changed, the architectural aspects
have been preserved.
7. Guan Di Temple
This is a Taoist
temple dedicated to the worship of General Guan Di, who was deified for his
righteousness and loyalty. It is located within the old Selangor and Federal
Territory Kwong Siew Association building, built in 1888. In early Kuala Lumpur
when a dispute arose within the Chinese community, be it domestic or commercial,
hearing and mediation of these cases was performed by the Association on
request. The temple houses a 59kg copper Guan Dao (Chinese pole weapon),
believed to protect the person who touches it. Further into the temple is a
flight of stairs leading to the Kwong Siew Free School, founded in 1927 and
still operational. It was initially established to offer free Mandarin language
classes to children of overseas Chinese who were studying in English-medium
schools.
8. Sri Maha Mariamman Temple
Also in Jalan Tun HS
Lee and walking distance from the two Chinese temples is this Hindu temple. I
would say that this is really the beauty of Malaysia, where places of worship
of different faiths are situated around the corner of each other, a reflection
of the multi-religious, multi-racial, multi-cultural society that we are. This
Hindu temple was established by K. Thamboosamy Pillai in 1873, and is believed
to be one of the oldest Hindu temples in Kuala Lumpur. It has a five-tiered gopuram
(tower) located above the entrance, and is dedicated to the Hindu deity
Mariamman.
9. Oldest Maybank branch in Malaysia
Also in Jalan Tun HS Lee
is the oldest Maybank branch in Malaysia, opened on 12 September 1960.
10. Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple
This 131-year old
Hindu temple in Jalan Masjid India is the temple recently embroiled in a land
dispute, which dispute was resolved when the temple agreed to be relocated.
11. Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
This building is
truly a work of art, very pleasing to the eyes. Construction began in 1910 and was fully completed in 1917. The station was Kuala Lumpur's railway hub in the city for the Federated Malay States Railways, then its successor Keretapi Tanah Melayu, and now Kuala Lumpur Sentral.
12. Vivekananda Ashram
This building is
located in Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, and was started by Sri Lankan
Tamil immigrants in 1904. It was dedicated to Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu monk
known for his role in providing education and propagating Hinduism. There is a
bronze statue of Vivekananda at the entrance of the ashram.
What a lovely day in
Kuala Lumpur!
