Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman has some of the most fascinating buildings lined up along the way.
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman was the commercial hub of Kuala Lumpur before modern shopping malls took over the city. Along this road, one will see many pre-war buildings in Art Deco and Neoclassical styles, whose handsome exterior has been preserved to house modern retail stores. Anyone walking down the street will be greeted by a riotous scene of people, bags, and rugs.
Tourists who are itching to get away from the tourist areas and are eager to see how “normal” Malaysians live will find Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman fascinating as it gives them an insight into real Malaysian life.
Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman or as it was previously known as Batu Road, was named after the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong or King of Malaysia. Oddly enough, many Malaysians confuse him with Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. One is Tuanku, which means King, and the other is Tunku, an honorific for royalty. Just knowing this, he is ahead of many Malaysians!
The road itself is very prominent in KL, and one will find it crowded most of the day and even night. Dataran Merdeka, or Independence Square, is within walking distance.
Hendry
The orange and white building at the beginning of the street is the old PH Hendry building, or what’s left of it. PH Hendry was the oldest extant jeweler in Malaysia, appointed Royal Jeweler of the States of Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Kelantan in the 1920s. In the early days, stone carvers and craftsmen hailed from Sri Lanka.
PH Dineshamy founded the Hendry dynasty. In the 1920s, his son PH Hendry opened a jewelry store on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. In fact, the Hendry family business still exists.
The striking white and orange was recently painted. Its style is Neoclassical and its façade has three large pilasters, which are slightly overhanging vertical columns. If you trace the columns up, you will see that they are topped with Corinthian capitals, or the ‘heads’ of the columns. The pediment, which is the triangular structure at the top, is a feature of neoclassical architecture that gives the building an imposing feel. The windows on both floors are different; the first floor has a bay window while the second floor has a Venetian window consisting of a semicircular arch and four vertical pilasters. It is covered in plaster; and just at the top of the triangular structure, see if you can see the star and crescent, the Islamic symbol.
Number of stores 1-19
The buildings across the street from P. H Hendry are good examples of neoclassical features. Painted white and sharing similar architecture with the PH Hendry Building, the buildings were built at different times and built by Malaysian and Chinese magnates.
Tourists find the giant pilasters, which are the slightly protruding columns that support the pediments, or the triangular structure on top, very fascinating. Beautiful windows adorn the first floor and the block is linked by the cornice treatment typical of the period. You can also see the huge rectangular pillars that are part of the five-foot covered walkway. The facade is adorned with plaster scrolls and emblems.
Art Deco and Neoclassical buildings along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
The fascinating buildings along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman are brightly repainted, while some retain their original colors, but all exhibit the theatrical qualities of Art Deco. Art Deco was an art movement that lasted from 1925 to the 1940s. It was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional, and modern; and you will no doubt find these qualities in many of these buildings. The movement mixes many styles such as neoclassical, constructivism, cubism, modernism, art nouveau, and futurism. It was most popular in Europe during the Roaring Twenties.
In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Art Deco style was shaped “by all the nervous energy accumulated and expended in the war.” The characteristics of Art Deco are very evident here. Cubic shapes, ziggurat shapes: a stepped pyramid that gets smaller as you go up, complex grouping of rectangles and squares, bands of bright and bold colors, zigzag design, strong sense of line, and an illusion of pillars.
Many have been restored and preserved to house retail stores and restaurants.
colosseum cinema
One of the most famous landmarks in Malaysia, it is the oldest continuously operating cinema in the country, save for a short break during the Japanese occupation. It was built by Chua Cheng Bok, a well-known Chinese businessman and real estate developer, who finally leased it to a group of gentlemen who opened this cinema back in 1921. It was built with reinforced concrete, with a double roof. The building was then considered one of the coolest places in the city, literally, with its many fans and ventilation. There are expansive terraces on the upper deck, with balcony seating and private boxes elegantly outfitted with independent fans and lights, to cater to the comfort of well-heeled patrons. The Colosseum had its own power plant, which made it independent of the town’s system. Next to it you will see a square, usually with fairs, sales or exhibitions organized by the KL tourism body every month or so. It was one of the first buildings in Southeast Asia to have security designs such as emergency lighting and fire prevention systems. In addition, state-of-the-art vents and extractors improve air circulation.
It was not uncommon to go in the 1930s to see bangsawan or Malay opera performed by local companies. However, from the 1940s the cinema showed films in Hindi and Malay. Old-time moviegoers stuffed themselves with treats like sunflower seeds and fried peanuts and drinks in plastic cup holders before entering.
It was beautiful the way these films were advertised as they were not printed on a press but hand painted on large billboards! This process continued well into the 1990s and proved quite conspicuous to passersby. Of course, painting on canvas was discontinued with the rise of computers and other graphic design tools, so it’s rare to see hand-painted billboards.
colosseum cafe
Adjacent to the Coliseum Cinema is the Coliseum Hotel and Restaurant, which was also built in 1921 as part of the same complex. It was a popular watering hole for colonial planters, miners, and merchants, much like the Selangor club down the street, but less exclusive. Tea dancing was a popular pastime among young people as a way of courting and dating in those days. It was a chance to waltz with a boy or girl you liked under the watchful eyes of chaperones who sat with their tea and sandwiches surveying the room. Famous patrons of the Coliseum included Somerset Maugham, the English author, who made it a point to visit the cafe and the Selangor Club when he was in Malaya.
The special atmosphere of yesteryear is preserved with its unchanged decoration and furniture, and waiters dressed in white linen. But the waiters are much older now, and some are hard of hearing, and they don’t wear white clothes. Tablecloths and walls look stained while the air inside smells of grease! The Café serves mainly English cuisine, and the menu has remained largely the same. Many of the dishes are still cooked on charcoal and wood stoves. When you order the sizzling steak, it arrives at the table sizzling and the waiter pours sauce on it in front of you. Since most of the waiters are older, expect them to be a little grumpy, but that’s part of the charm of the Coliseum Cafe.
Odeon Cinema
Along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman is the popular childhood cinema of many baby boomers, Odeon. It was built by the Cathay Organization in 1936 and became an expression of the links between filmmaking and Art Deco. AO Coltman was the architect.
‘Odeon’ is a Greek word for a building for musical competition. This building featured new security designs, such as emergency lighting and fire prevention systems for the projector room. There was also a state-of-the-art ventilation grille and extractor fans to improve air circulation, while the lobbies were laid with locally produced rubber flooring.
Above the entrance, a horizontal beam, adorned with a mosaic depicting drama, comedy, and music, intersects with strong vertical window dividers. On the lateral facade, the “ribs” create a vertical rhythm.