 |
| 10 Tangsi or Loke Chow Kit's Mansion formerly known as Loke Hall |
This handsome heritage mansion is now standing majestically among other prominent heritage buildings along the perimeter of the Padang (now Merdeka Sqaure) after its conservation and renovation work was completed in December 2017. Originally this 2-storey sprawling mansion was developed by Loke Yew for his client and good friend, a renowned mining business magnate and municipal councillor Loke Chow Kit. It is located on Jalan Tangsi (formerly Barrack Road), the area which used to be the European Quarter and the Loke Hall was said to have been the only mansion belonging to the local.
LOKE HALL, 1907 TO 1909
The construction of Loke Hall started in 1907. The design of this mansion was inspired to some extent by what Loke Chow Kit saw during his 1903 European tour with Loke Yew. He then appointed Loke Yew as the developer and assigned the architectural job to A.K. Moosdeen. A.K.Moosdeen was also one of Loke Yew's favourite architects as A.K. Moosdeen was responsible for the design of the Chow Kit & Co Dept Store (the project also undertaken by Loke Yew) and a row of 3-storey shophouses at the Old Market Square.
Loke Hall was built complete with stables and carriage house enclosing a yard and an office annex on the north. Besides serving as a townhouse, its annex block also housed a suite of offices for his mining ventures. However Chow Kit stayed only about one year at this house. Perhaps he found it unsuitable for him and changed his mind. After all Chow Kit had another mansion sited on a 22-acre orchard at Jalan Ampang which he named "Desswood Place" after a road in Aberdeen in Scotland.
EMPIRE HOTEL, 1909 TO 1919 AND PENINSULAR HOTEL, 1919 TO 1973
The Straits Times dated 9 January 1909 reported that Loke Hall was taken over in early 1909 by the Empire Hotel Company Ltd on a long lease and with sundry additions and alterations has been equipped into one of the most modern hotels. This remained so for 10 years. The Empire Hotel was one of the most popular hotels among the affluent travellers especially from Europe. Empire Hotel was strategically located at the focal point of the city due to its proximity to the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and situated opposite the Selangor Club while the railway track once ran right in front of the hotel entrance.
In the meantime in 1916, the ownership of Loke Hall fell to Alan Loke (Alan Loke Wan Wye), son of Loke Yew, who had bought the deed after the death of his renowned father. After which, the Empire Hotel was then renovated and became Peninsular Hotel since 1919. It survived until 1970.
Loke Hall looked much more opulent and extravagant during its days as a hotel.It also became a favourite meeting and lodging place for colonials,planters and members of the tin and trading ventures. Unfortunately, a slow decline soon set in due to the intense competition as well as the changing social-economical circumstances.
 |
| Loke Hall when it served as Empire Hotel between 1909 and 1919 |
PAM CENTRE, 1973 to 2012
After being left unoccupied for several years, in 1973, PAM (Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia the Malay acronym for Malaysian Institute of Architects) acquired the tenancy of the premises on an initial 2-year lease and the townhouse block was known as PAM Centre. In February 1981, the estate of Alan Loke gave notice to PAM to vacate the premises as it had been sold to Intan Development Sdn Bhd for new development. The developer intended to demolish the PAM Centre and the adjoining properties which were also part of Loke Hall.
The proposal to demolish Loke Hall and redevelop the site drew much public concern. PAM took initiatives by communicating the public concern to the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) or KL City Hall to save the PAM Centre. Consequently DBKL decided to acquire Loke Hall. The then Datuk Bandar (Mayor) the late Tan Sri Dato’ Elyas Omar, on 24 December 1983, wrote to PAM of restoration and refurbishment works to the building. Subsequently PAM’s proposal was submitted to the Datuk Bandar and accepted.
PAM occupied this stately mansion from 1973 until mid-2012 when DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) issued a notice asking PAM to vacate the premises as it had its own plans for alteration works.
CHARACTERISTICS OF LOKE HALL
The design of Loke Hall is said to have been influenced by Loke Chow Kit's careful observations of European architectural style when he was on tour of Europe in 1903 with Loke Yew. It features the style of an Italian Villa with the interior courtyard as well. Loke Hall consists of two separate units - one unit resembles a typical shophouse except for the elaborate decoration on the gable and the other section is reminiscent of Palladian villas normally built for the colonial administrators.
 |
| The centre block reminiscent of Palladian Villa is flanked by smaller structures resembling typical shophouse appearance |
 |
| The front facade featuring Palladian motifs |
The pediment is decorated with floral motifs moulded from plaster and in the center is a circular ventilation hole. Below the pediment are three pairs of windows, each decorated with emphasized key stone and artificial balustrades. Yet, the townhouse and its elevated treatment was based on the Baroque-period style of European manors.
 |
| North wing annex which used to serve as the offices of Loke Chow Kit's mining business |
In addition the north wing annex which once housed Loke Chow Kit's mining business features Neo-Classical styling with Regency-styled balcony terrace and eclectic ornamentation like flemish gables.
While embracing Western architectural forms, traditional principle concerning the internal organization of space in the Chinese mansion was also observed in Loke Hall. It has the internal open-air courtyard which nowadays can only be seen in old buildings in Malacca and Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang.
Besides the building also retains some vernacular features in its roof details. At the other section of the building, elaborate artwork was done at the gable ends and on the upper front facade. The gable ends show some Dutch. Portuguese, English and Islamic influence. The combination of influences was the result of designs from different architects as it evolved around two different construction periods. These characteristics and features contribute to the architectural delight of this mansion.
The hybrid of architectural style is termed as comprador mansion as what was defined by the late Chen Voon Fee, an architect and architectural heritage advocate. "In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, private residences of the wealthy Chinese are among the most spectacular buildings in Malaysian cities. Loke Hall protruding for its absolute ostentation and for the ways in which they merged European classical forms and traditional Chinese house plans and motifs. As the capitalist towkay owners prospered as agents between foreign power and capital on the one hand, and Chinese entrepremeurs on the other, so the buildings they built reflected their loyalty to both east and west, which then created an architectural hybrids known as compradore mansions." - Chin Voon Fee.
RUMAH TANGSI
After the owner of Loke Hall, DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall), took back the Loke Hall from its last occupant, PAM, in mid-2012, the renovation and conservation work began soon after.
In September 2012, Loke Hall was gazetted as the National Heritage Building under the National Heritage Act 2005 and had its official name registered as Rumah Agam Loke Chow Kit or Loke Chow Kit Mansion.
In December 2017 the 5-year-long conservation and renovation work was completed. Loke Hall has been carefully restored to its former glory although it is now renamed Rumah Tangsi after the road it is located on - Jalan Tangsi.
 |
| Rumah Tangsi at 10, Jalan Tangsi |
 |
| Loke Hall when its restoration work was near completion in April 2017 |
Rumah Tangsi is now being managed by Seetizens Lab under the supervision of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). Rumah Tangsi now serves as a venue for various cultural and art events since it was officially launched in September 2018. You can check out its Facebook page here.
The secretariat of Unesco’s KL World Book Capital 2020 will also be based at Rumah Tangsi. The year-long literary event is said to be launched in April this year.
REFERENCES
A. Ghaffar Ahmad. (1993). Conservation of British colonial buildings built between 1800 and 1930 in Malaysia. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Sheffield, England). Retrieved from http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14730/1/252500.pdf
Chen, V.F. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Malaysia. Volume 5. Architecture. Singapore: Archipelago Press.
Chin, K.Y., & Chen, V.F. (1998). Kuala Lumpur, a sketchbook. Singapore: Archipelago Press.
Gullick, J.M. (2000). A history of Kuala Lumpur 1856-1939. Kuala Lumpur: MBRAS
Hannah Rafee. (2016, July 26). A new landmark in Bangsar. EdgeProp. Retrieved from https://www.edgeprop.my/content/815331/new-landmark-bangsar
Mich's (n.d.). Retrieved from https://micharchijourney.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/culture.pdf
Comments
Post a Comment