These Iconic Buildings In KL Will Be Getting A Makeover Because Their Roofs May Collapse
The buildings will cost RM200 million.
By Sarah Razif — 17 Feb 2020, 07:22 PM
The iconic buildings on Jalan Raja and Jalan Tun Perak will be restored back to its former glory
New Straits Times reported the decaying century-old cluster of colonial buildings at the junction of Jalan Raja and Jalan Tun Perak will be given a facelift.
All the work that is put into the buildings will be monitored by registered conservators under the National Heritage Department (NHD).
One of the buildings due for a facelift is the former home of the Federated Malay States (FMS) Survey Office and Supreme Court
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture has handed over the buildings to DBKL for the RM120 million upgrade
It is suspected that out of the RM120 million, about RM10 to RM15 million will go to the cost of plugging leaks and fixing the roofs and domes.
DBKL's Project Implementation and Building Maintenance Department senior deputy director Norzaini Noordin said it would take some time for the FMS Survey Office to be restored as it was in a bad state.
In an exclusive interview with New Straits Times, experts say the roof and the two domes on Jalan Tun Perak may collapse in the next five years if they do not do anything soon.
The FMS Survey Office building appears to be in the worst state
The exterior walls, plastering, and the brickwork of the old Supreme Court and the FMS Survey Office are peeling off.
A tree was found growing in its air well, while the roof and other wooden structures like the staircase crumbled under the weight of neglect.
Budget constraints are believed to be the reason why the ministry relinquished the management and operation of the buildings.
The ministry had told The New Straits Times that Think City Sdn Bhd reported it would take RM200 million to restore the buildings.
Upon its reopening, a bangsawan (Malay opera) play will be performed at Panggung Bandaraya
Norzaini mentioned that Panggung Bandaraya (at the old City Hall), parts of the old City Hall headquarters, and the courtyard will be opened to the public in May.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan told New Straits Times that when the building reopens, it will be open to the public and access will be free.
Visitors will be allowed to walk inside the buildings and take pictures, but those who want to use them for private functions will have to pay.
"Our main concern is securing the place. We need to have enough guards. I am afraid that the homeless will make [this] place theirs, they have been using the fountain at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building area to bathe," he said.
