Malaysia has an incredible blend of architectural styles as can be seen in numerous cities and towns and includes traditional Asian styles, Islamic Malay design and British colonial influence. The majority of the colonial era buildings were built between the 1880’s and the 1930’s and include Moorish, Tudor, Neo-Gothic or Grecian-Spanish styles of architecture.
The large cities, such as Kuala Lumpur, and many of the other cities and towns have experienced rapid urban development over the last 20 years or more. As a result of this development it is sad to witness that many of the historic buildings have been lost completely with many more crumbling away in the hot tropical climate or awaiting land redevelopment and many of these will probably disappear for good shortly.
Many of these abandoned and crumbling buildings have been captured in photographs I have taken over the last few years but with the recent development of AI (Artificial Intelligence) applications this has now opened a wonderful opportunity to envisage what these heritage buildings may have looked like as new.
I recently got in contact with Mark Yong (Yong Wen San) who has a fascination of historical heritage architecture in Malaysia and he always enjoyed wandering around the streets of KL Chinatown as well as the streets of George Town in Penang appreciating the pre-war and colonial buildings. Mark recently started a Facebook Group, Restoring Historical Architecture via Artificial Intelligence (AI) highlighting this old architecture and applying some AI techniques to bring back these buildings to a re-created or reimagined original condition. Like me, Mark is a big lover of Malaysian history and architecture and realises that much of this historical heritage is being lost to development.
Teaming up with Mark we have compiled a selection of key architectural buildings in Malaysia from numerous locations and applied some AI techniques to re-imagine these buildings as they would have been brand new. The main AI application we used was Google’s Gemini as it seemed to handle architecture better than some of the other AI apps. The re-imagined images are our interpretation of what these buildings may have looked like so there is obviously some artistic license associated with these images, but it does give a wonderful vision of the grandeur of these heritage buildings as they once stood in their past glory.
Kuala Lumpur
The Bok House was an old mansion on Jalan Ampang owned by a private trustee managed by the Bok family. The mansion was designed by Swan & Maclaren in 1926 and it was completed in 1929 for a local millionaire, Chua Cheng Bok. In the 1960s and up until its closure in 2001, the mansion housed an upscale restaurant called the Le Coq d’Or. The building was sadly demolished in December of 2006. Imagined as an art-deco hotel the old building certainly has some grandeur.
Under the shadow of KL Tower on Bukit Nanas in the centre of the city are a variety of wonderful old heritage buildings which have been left to rot and decay. These old mansions are now engulfed in tropical creepers, ferns and trees which are slowly taking back the hill to its natural origins.
On the main Jalan Raja Chulan road is a row of houses which in their day probably represented the very best and elite accommodation in the city. These 8 houses in a row have an elaborate crest on the wall with the letters OES and the date of 1931.
An old abandoned row of houses in Jalan Kamunting, Dang Wangi are brought back to life.
This old crumbling house in Jalan Panggong (Theatre Street) in the Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur is a wonderful example of Asian-colonial architecture style. This area has been gazetted as a conservation area so hopefully this building may have a chance to survive and be renovated back to its former glory.
The Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) building in Jalan Tangsi is one of the finest old buildings in Kuala Lumpur. It was built in 1907 as a town house for Loke Chow Kit and named Loke Hall. It was thought to be designed by an Anglo-Indian architect, A.K. Musdeen. In 1909, the building became the Empire Hotel and in 1919 it changed to the Peninsula Hotel which it remained until PAM acquired the premises in 1973. It was susbequently utilised as the Rumah Makan Warisan restaurant for a number of years but is is now scheduled for redevelopment.
The Loke Yew Building on Leboh Pasar Besar is a beautiful art-deco style design built by Loke Yew (1845–1917) who was a famous businessman and philanthropist during the British Malaya era. He was regarded as the richest man in Malaysia during his time and played a significant role in the growth of Kuala lumpur and was also one of the founding fathers of Victoria Institution, Kuala Lumpur
Wisma Ekran in Jalan Tangsi, is a wonderful old Art Deco style building built in 1936 and which originally housed the offices of Anglo-Oriental mining company. The building was designed by A. O. Coltman who designed a number of other key buildings in Kuala Lumpur such as the OCBC Building and the Oriental Building.
The Sulaiman Building, built in 1930, is located close to the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station but in comparison is without the Moorish elements and rather more simple for an official government building. Semi-circular arches for the verandas and window frames and solid blocks of tower at both ends and center of the buildings are the dominant elements. The building derived its name from the ruler of Selangor, Sultan Alaudin Sulaiman Shah. It first housed the Income Tax Department and later the Registration Department. Using AI techniques the building has been cleaned up and some old period cars placed outside.
An old coffin and casket shop in Jalan Petaling is given a new dab of paint and brought back to it’s original condition.
This old run down dilapidated coffee shop in Jalan Pasar Baharu, Pudu may have looked like this when it was in its prime.
An old abandoned bungalow house on Jalan Ampang was empty and rotting away but the magic touch of AI brought this house back to the art deco style of the 1920’s.
The infamous Pudu Prison was built by the British in 1895 as a prison to house criminals. The prison cells were small and dark, each having a window the size of a shoebox. The prison is well known for the murals painted on the prison walls circling the compound, many depicting scenes of nature. These murals were painted by the prisoners who used over 2,000 litres of paint to accomplish the task. The prison is infamous for many executions of drug trafficking offenders and for administering corporal punishment by rotan caning. The canings were administered in a special “caning area”, so marked, not inside the building but in the grounds. After the fall of Singapore, during World war II, the Japanese occupation forces incarcerated many English, Australian and New Zealand prisoners there. Pudu Prison was finally closed in 1st November, 1996 and was reopened in 1997/1998 as a museum and again for a short time in early 2004. In June 2010 the prison walls were finally demolished to make way for a shopping complex development.
Bukit Kiara
Bukit Kiara is a small jungle-clad set of hills on the west side of Kuala Lumpur bordering with Petaling Jaya. Surrounded by up-coming residential and commercial areas such as Damansara Heights, Sri Hartamas, Desa Sri Hartamas, Mont’ Kiara, Taman Tun and prestigious sporting venues such as Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club and Bukit Kiara Equestrian Centre this small area of land has become increasingly under pressure for potential development given its strategic location. Bukit Kiara has numerous trails and paths originally used by rubber tappers and now increasingly used by walkers, runners, and mountain bike riders. At the weekend this area can get busy with these outdoor enthusiasts and it has been these groups that have been pressing the authorities to maintain this area for such activities and to protest against development in these hills.
On the east side of Bukit Kiara on a prime hilltop location facing eastwards with a tremendous city view, an impressive mansion construction was started many years ago. With large, palatial, multi-level floors and three distinctive large domed roofs, this property would have been an incredibly impressive and prestigious piece of architecture, had it ever been completed. It now stands a mere concrete skeleton of a building with the framework of the large roof domes in place. The unfinished “White Elephant” structure has been left in this state for many years now like many other projects in Malaysia. Did the owner/developer run out of funds for this incredible building or is there some other reason the building was left incomplete? I have read that this abandoned mansion project was started by Y. Bhg. Datuk P. Kasi, MD/CEO of MK Land Holdings Berhad and was estimated to be in the order of RM45 million (excluding the land cost!). Interestingly enough Datuk Kasi was also the developer of the nearby Matahari condominium project in Desa Sri Hartamas – is it a coincidence that both projects have stalled and been abandoned?
The following images show the abandoned mansion project and envisaged images of what it could have potentially looked like.
Malacca
Malacca is a Malaysian state on the Malay Peninsula’s southwest coast. The capital, Malacca City, has a colonial past seen in its preserved town centre where you can see many old heritage buildings.
The Church of Saint Paul is a historic church building that was originally built in 1521. It is the oldest European building east of India and is located on the summit of St. Paul’s Hill. Inside the ruins of the church are tombstones and a statue of St. Francis Xavier.
Fraser’s Hill
At The Gap, Fraser’s Hill there is an old abandoned house with some great character. This house has now been re-imagined as a 1920’s style art-deco building.
Klang
One of the oldest territories in the Selangor state, Klang town begins at the southern bank of the Klang River. As early as the 15th century, Klang was widely known for its tin-mining industry and prior to the establishment of the city of Kuala Lumpur, Klang was initially appointed as the royal capital of Malaysia. Klang has some wonderful heritage buildings with colonial style that exhibit a touch of history dating back over a century as a reflection of structural development by the British.
This old abandoned house was obviously quite a grand place when new so this is it envisaged as an art-deco style building.
Kuala Kubu Bahru
Kuala Kubu Bharu, is the district capital of Hulu Selangor District, Selangor, Malaysia. It was built after the town of Kuala Kubu was found to be unfit to continue as a town due to its severe flood problem, particularly when it was completely destroyed in a flood disaster in 1883. Fondly known as KKB it is the last small town you drive through if driving to Fraser’s Hill. It is an interesting stop as it shows an authentic small rural town as if time had stopped with small walkways and shop signs that look antique.
Ipoh
Ipoh is also a town with some interesting old architecture and heritage buildings. There are some wonderful old backstreets you can explore and see the colourful old shophouses.
Ipoh town, especially the area near the banks of the Kinta River, in what is known as the Ipoh Old Town, is just filled with nostalgia. As you cross the bridge from Ipoh New Town (where they have built a Jusco store and many hip and happening watering holes) to the old quarters, you can’t help but feel like you have been transported back in time.
Certainly, on this side of Ipoh, many of the buildings are near decay, but thanks to timeless architectural design, they still maintain a sense of beauty and dignity, exuding charm and class that no other modern building can compete.
Next to the Padang on Jalan Sultan Yusoff is the beautiful F.M.S. Bar & Restaurant which was built in 1906. The acronym stands for the Federated Malay States, which in those days, comprised the states of Perak, Selangor, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan. The Chinese-styled shop-house was a popular watering hole among European miners and planters, and the sportsmen who played at the Ipoh Padang across the street. Here, sweaty men, fresh from a cricket game at the Padang, would sit at the bar and order a cool drink, while those in business would lament about their losses and cry into their drinks!
The F.M.S. was planned to be refurbished with the addition of a boutique hotel on the second floor yet retaining the original architecture. It was meant to have been completed in 2010 but I believe work is still ongoing.
This wonderful old bungalow house in Jalan Laxamana by the banks of the Kinta River in Ipoh exhibits some great style and after some AI adjustments looks like brand new with the foliage and lawn trimmed.
This small lanes in Ipoh shows some great architectural design and looks fantastic again after a few AI tweaks.
Raban, Tasik Raban
This old wooden house spotted in the small town of Raban, near Tasik Raban and the town of Sauk, about 14 km south of Lenggong has been cleaned up and brought back to new condition using AI and an old Volkswagen car added for effect.
This is a relaxing place to visit where you can cycle, kayak, fish or take a boat ride. Several scenes of the movie Anna and The King were shot here.
Penang
Penang is an architectural gem of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Unlike Singapore, also a Straits Settlement, where many heritage buildings had to make way for modern skyscrapers and high-rise apartments due to rapid development and acute land scarcity, Penang’s architectural heritage has enjoyed a better fate. Penang has one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia. The architecture of Penang reflects the 171 years of British presence on the island, coalescing with local, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and other elements to create a unique and distinctive brand of architecture.
This imposing old tumbledown, heritage building in Georgetown, Penang used to be the Shih Chung School but actually has a much longer and interesting history. The once glorious mansion was called Goh Chan Lau (literally meant five-storey bungalow) by the local Chinese and was built by millionaire Cheah Tek Soon. Later it became a hotel, the Raffles-by-the-Sea, which was a failure and had to be shut down.
This is the lower floor of the abandoned Shih Chung school reimagined as a teaching classroom.
A unique old house crumbling away in the centre of George Town, Penang is brought back to its original glory.
This wonderful old corner shophouse in the centre of George Town cleans up well using AI and looks like new.
This stunning old bungalow house sits right next to the E&O Hotel in George Town and the AI techniques brought it back to new again.
Another fine looking old bungalow in the centre of George Town cleaned up and refurbished.
This wonderful old garage front close to the E&O Hotel in George town envisaged as an art-deco style gas station.
Papan
Around 15km south west of Ipoh and 8 km NW of Batu Gajah in Malaysia is the amazing abandoned mining village of Papan which exhibits some wonderful heritage architecture. Most of the buildings are now abandoned and have been taken over by the tropical trees, bushes, creepers and plants but there are still some of the residences which are occupied and there are a couple of coffee shops and a local school in operation in the small town. However the beauty and charm of the architecture is still there to appreciate with beautiful colours and textures and designs of these wonderful heritage buildings.
Kuala Terengganu
Kuala Terengganu, or KT, is the royal capital of Terengganu State on the East Coast of Malaysia. The state of Terengganu is known for its high majority of muslims in the population and hence you will see a large number of mosques in this region. It is a moderately conservative state and not so open as for example Kuala Lumpur is, but as long as you wear suitable clothes in public areas, do not exhibit public shows of affection, such as holding hands and not drinking alcohol openly, then there is not a problem. To enter mosques the ladies are required to wear a head covering.
The Chinese population in Terengganu State, Malaysia may be very small in comparison to the predominant Malay population but nevertheless the small Chinatown area, or Kampung Cina, in Kuala Terennganu is very impressive with some fantastic heritage style architecture, a beautiful Chinese temple and some tremendous colourful murals and graffiti adorning the walls of the numerous small back lanes.
These old decaying shophouses have been given a new lease of life and look like new now.
A crumbling small house with rotting wood and crumbling plaster has been given the AI makeover.
Passionate Photographer …. Lost in Asia
Stuart Taylor of HighlanderImages Photography has been making images for over 40 years focusing on Asia with a documentary/photojournalistic style.
Stuart is available for a variety of assignments in subject areas of photojournalism, commercial, architectural, real estate, industrial, interior design, corporate, urbex, adventure, wilderness, and travel.
E-Mail : staylor@highlanderimages.com
Outstanding piece of work.