Heritage body slams KL City Hall over failure to see historical value of Brickfields quarters

The historical 100 Quarters in Brickfields is set to make way for three high rise buildings. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, February 11, 2014.Shy of a century, the 100 Quarters in Brickfields could come under the wrecking ball soon unless the Kuala Lumpur City Hall draws up a plan to save a part of the capital city's history, says heritage authority Badan Warisan Malaysia (BWM).

The two-storey buildings have served as homes to railway families for 99 years but BWM says that underneath the simple and plain facade lies a wealth of history.

“Badan Warisan urges the mayor of Kuala Lumpur to hold a moratorium on this redevelopment until a comprehensive cultural mapping of this area is done,” its president Laurence Loh said in a letter to The Malaysian Insider.

“We need to put some brakes on the escalating erosion of the character and identity of KL before we lose the very reason why KL can still be an attractive destination for work and play for its citizens as well as transient visitors,” he added.

Built in 1915, the 100 Quarters comprises three rows of houses along Jalan Chan Ah Tong, Lorong Chan Ah Tong and Jalan Rozario – and was mainly occupied by those working in the then Malayan Railways. It is to make way for three residential towers to be developed by Malaysia Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB), which is partly-owned by Malaysia's largest pension fund, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

The city’s development comes at a cost of losing its historical aesthetics as former and current residents argued that the place forms a big part of Brickfields’s identity.

“The authorities and the developer have to understand what Brickfields is about. The area has been a cultural, residential and spiritual hub,” said V. Kanagasivam, the president of the Temple of Fine Arts Malaysia which is located two streets away from the quarters.

“That is the character of Brickfields. Building three towers that are 47-storey high would just ruin the character of the place,” he added.

He said BWM's suggestion to have City Hall map out Brickfield’s cultural heritage should be implemented as it helps keep the place’s history intact.

“Instead of bulldozing their plans, they can take up Badan Warisan’s suggestion. Looking at what Brickfields is, it is best to build something that complements the character of the area,” Kanagasivam added.

The signboard announcing the development plans at the site of the 100 Quarters in Brickfields. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, February 11, 2014.The KL City Hall had agreed to “barter” the land where the quarters are and an adjacent field to MRCB in exchange for the development of Little India, Pines bazaar and Jalan Ang Seng in Brickfields several years ago.

Residents from the quarters will soon be moved to newly built flats at Jalan Ang Seng once they get the green light from authorities.

BWM’s Loh said that the quarters remain an important part of history as the city transitioned into a cosmopolitan city.

“The 100 Quarters is what remains of the historical railway setting within the KL hub and from looking at old maps, it represents about 2% of old Brickfields which includes the railway yard and godowns,” he said.

Former quarters resident and current Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman S.K.K Naidu said that it would be desirable if City Hall and MRCB could at least work on showcasing the area’s history.

“It is good if they can preserve at least a few houses since it is part of Brickfield’s history. Even if it is just the facade that is kept, that is already good enough for us,” he said, noting that residents have pretty much resigned to the fact that the quarters would be gone and replaced by high rise buildings.

“The land deal has been signed. It is tough to change the decision now,” he added.

Naidu said the quarters would not have had to go if the authorities had thought it over carefully before entering into the agreement with MRCB.

“The government should have thought about the historical elements of the houses before making the deal with MRCB. Now we can only ask for a compromise that City Hall addresses the traffic and parking issues in the area,” he said.

Apart from the 100 Quarters, the KL City Hall has approved plans for the city's tallest office tower, Menara Warisan, near the historical Stadium Merdeka where independence was first celebrated in 1957.

Kuala Lumpur is a relatively young city which developed after tin was discovered and mined in the early 1800s. The town quickly became Selangor's capital with a grand train station and airport as commercial activities grew around the confluence of two rivers that run through the city.

It became the capital city after independence in 1957 and later as Malaysia's capital after the country's formation in 1963. Kuala Lumpur became a federal territory in 1974.