Architectural Heritage
About Dana Warisan
The completion of the restoration of Seri Negara on 15 December 2025 and Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad on 31 January 2026 — followed by the reopening of the Old General Post Office in May 2026 — marks the first phase of heritage conservation projects under Dana Warisan, a national heritage fund introduced through the Malaysia MADANI Budget 2023.
A 590-metre canopy walkway and pedestrian bridge connecting Seri Negara, Carcosa, and the Perdana Botanical Gardens is currently under development and is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
The broader revitalisation programme also includes key heritage landmarks within the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad precinct, including the Old Supreme Court, Municipal/ Sanitary Board Offices and Town Hall (Panggung Bandaraya), the Federated Malay States Survey Office, and the National Textile Museum, formerly the Federated Malay States Railway Headquarters.
The architectural models presented in this section highlight six of the eight buildings designed by Arthur Benison Hubback (1871–1948), who served as Acting Architect and Chief Draughtsman of the Selangor Public Works Department from 1895. Hubback also designed prominent buildings across the Federated Malay States, including the British Residency in Seremban (1907) and the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (1909).
Further Reference
Link to the Malaysia MADANI Budget 2023 Speech (English):
https://belanjawan.mof.gov.my/pdf/belanjawan2023/ucapan/ub23-BI.pdf
Link to Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s Dana Warisan website:
https://www.khazanah.com.my/our-investments/dana-warisan/overview/
Link to Arthur Benison Hubback’s website:
https://www.abhubback.com/
About the Heritage Buildings
Models on Display
Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad (1897)
Completed in 1897, Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad was designed by A.C. Norman with R.A.J. Bidwell and A.B. Hubback in the distinctive interpretation of British Raj architecture style. The construction cost was $152,000 Straits Dollars.
Built as the New Government Offices, it served as the Selangor State Secretariat and the Federal Secretariat for 77 years until 1974.
Its most recognisable feature is the 41.2-metre clock tower overlooking the Padang, which became a civic landmark of Kuala Lumpur. The building witnessed many defining national moments, including celebrations surrounding Malaya’s independence in 1957. Today, it remains one of the most iconic historic buildings in Malaysia and a central symbol of Kuala Lumpur’s colonial and post-independence history.
Carcosa (1898)
Carcosa was designed in 1897 and completed in 1898 as the official residence of the Resident-General of the Federated Malay States, first occupied by Sir Frank Swettenham.
Built by Messrs. Nicholas Walsh & Co., the project cost about $62,376 Straits Dollars for the residence and $69,000 for associated works including roads, stables and water supply.
Officially opened on 29 August 1898, Carcosa hosted receptions, grand balls and government functions.
Municipal/ Sanitary Board Offices and Town Hall (1904)
The Municipal/ Sanitary Board Offices and Town Hall were designed by Arthur Benison Hubback in 1901 while serving as Acting Architect of the Federal Public Works Department and a member of the Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board. Completed in 1904 at a cost of $100,000 Straits Dollars, the building combined administrative and civic functions within a single complex. Architecturally, it reflects an eclectic Mughal style, distinguished by its curved façade and copper dome above the main porch.
Historically, the building had two separate entrances: the Sanitary Board Office on the upper floor, which served as the administrative centre for Kuala Lumpur’s early municipal governance, and the Town Hall on the ground floor, a venue for public gatherings, dances and social events. The Sanitary Board was locally known among Malays as “Santaribut”. Today the building is known as Panggung Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur and was gazetted as a National Heritage building in 2007.
Kuala Lumpur Old General Post Office (1907)
The Kuala Lumpur Old General Post Office was designed in 1902 and was completed in 1907 at a cost of $100,000 Straits Dollars. The construction contract was initially awarded to Towkay Choo Teck Lim and later taken over by Messrs. Walter Pallister of Singapore in 1904.
Located at the junction of Jalan Raja and Market Street, it became Kuala Lumpur’s third major post office since 1893. Architecturally, the building is notable as the city’s only eclectic Mughal-style structure without domes, featuring decorative pediments, chhatri pinnacles, and polygonal stair towers.
Seri Negara (1913)
Seri Negara was built near Carcosa as a smaller residence for the High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States, who was also the Governor of the Straits Settlements based in Singapore until the outbreak of World War Two. The proposal for the house was first mentioned in a dispatch by Sir John Anderson in 1910, suggesting a secondary residence adjacent to Carcosa for senior colonial officials.
The two-storey building originally featured seven bedrooms, each with a private verandah and bathroom. A separate office building, now known as Serai House, was connected to the main residence by a covered walkway. Over time, the building evolved in function and name — from Federal Lodge, Government House to King’s House, Istana Tetamu, and later Seri Negara, serving as a residence for visiting dignitaries and key constitutional figures of Malaysia.
Old Supreme Court (1915)
The Old Supreme Court Kuala Lumpur was designed in 1912 and was completed in 1915 at a cost of $208,500 Straits Dollars. Built by contractor Towkay Ang Seng, the courthouse stands on Jalan Raja beside the Gombak River, on the former site of Dhobby Green.
Officially opened on 1 May 1915 by High Commissioner Sir Arthur Young, it replaced the earlier court on Court Hill. Designed in an eclectic Mughal style, the building features corner towers crowned with decorative cupolas, a central courtyard and double arcades. Originally used as a courthouse, the building is now known as the Old High Court and was gazetted as a National Heritage building in 2012.
Model-model bangunan yang tidak dipamerkan
Federated Malay States Survey Office, Kuala Lumpur (1911)
The construction of the Federated Malay States (FMS) Survey Office began in August 1909 and was opened in 1911, with a construction cost of $150,000 Straits Dollars.
Built on the former yard of the Sanitary Board along Java Street, it served as the official headquarters of the FMS Survey Department. The Trigonometrical Branch, previously based in Taiping, relocated to the new offices in 1910.
Designed in an eclectic Mughal style, the building features a long façade with elegant loggia and clover-arched colonnades. Today known as the Old Survey Office, it was gazetted as a National Heritage building in 2012.
National Textile Museum (Federated Malay States Railways Central Office) (1905)
The Federated Malay States Railways Central Office was constructed between 1904 and 1905 at a cost of $116,122 Straits Dollars.
The building provided expanded offices for the Federated Malay States Railways at the junction of Market Street and Damansara Road (today Leboh Pasar Besar and Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin).
Built on the site of an earlier railway office designed by A.C.A. Norman, the structure reflects an eclectic Mughal architectural style with alternating red brick and white plaster bands, topped with cupolas and chhatris. Over time, it served several government functions before becoming the National Textile Museum, and was gazetted as National Heritage in 2007.
