Reviving historical buildings into establishments

Written by Diva Tasya and Nikita Purnama | Read in Indonesian

Beyond its captivating skyscrapers and busy MRT/LRT projects, we can still see structures of the Jakartan olden days scattered about in the fast-growing capital. Some of the most notable ones are usually fully functional government buildings, such as the iconic Merdeka Palace, or Paleis te Koningsplein, that was built in 1879 to house Dutch East-Indies governor-generals before it houses Indonesian presidents. The city also has several houses of worship religious built much earlier, such as Gereja Sion that was built 1695 and Gereja Immanuel that was built in 1839.

Revitalising and repurposing antique buildings is not uncommon if we were to refer to those buildings. Palaces often have historical significance that correlates with a country’s noble values and historical identity. Some buildings are revitalised as reminders of those aspects and for the local community to learn their history. The Jakarta History Museum makes use of what used to be Batavia’s Stadhuis or city hall, which was built in 1710. The building is revitalised and repurposed, but only functional for educational purposes and has gone through renovations.

However, we are seeing more and more antique buildings transformed into functional, public spaces for commercial purposes. One of the notable names that has been doing this revitalisation for a very long time is Tugu Group. In Jakarta, the group owns five establishments: Tugu Kuntskring Paleis & Suzie Wong Lounge, Dapur Babah Elite & Tao Bar, Tugu Lara Djonggrang & La Bihzad Bar, Shanghai Blue 1920, as well as Kawisari Cafe & Eatery.

Renovated historical facilities have managed to attract a growing number of customers, especially in urban areas such as Jakarta. This trend started around 2000, when the middle class started to get bored with air-conditioned shopping malls and looked for alternatives.

Awareness of and appreciation for historical buildings in Indonesia have been increasing over the last decades, which explains why business opportunities from renovated establishments continue to grow extensively.

Tugu Kunstkring Paleis is probably one of Tugu Group's most notable establishments to date as it is located in the heart of Jakarta and hosts many art exhibitions and events. The building used to house the Fine Arts Circle of the Dutch East Indies or Nederlandsch-Indische Kunstkring of the Dutch East Indies and opened in 1914.

Back in 1934 and 1939, the building featured artworks made by prominent artists, such as Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Mark Chagall. The building was reopened with a new name in 2013 by Tugu Group and became the icon of the company’s mission: art, soul and romance of Indonesia.

However, the historical aspect of a building has never been a priority for Tugu Group. According to Stephanie, the communication manager of Tugu Group, not all buildings the group revitalised and brought to function have any notable historical aspect. The group aims to preserve and popularise Indonesian historical tales, aesthetics and influence via its establishments.

“Even when we are using modern buildings, we would still build antique structures in it,” she explained. Such renovation is done so that visitors and guests can enthrall themselves in the Indonesian history and arts that are presented in a joyful and romantic atmosphere.

Shanghai Blue 1920 is an example of this statement. Even though it is built in modern times, the bar and restaurant dons bright, colourful Peranakan aesthetics to represent the history of a humble warung built by the family of a Shanghai sailor, Nko Mo San, who married a local woman, Siti Zaenab, and had a son called Chan Mo Sang in the 19th century Sunda Kelapa. The warung was known as the Shanghai Tea House.

The warung became popular not only among sailors, but also among opium dealers and pirates. It was a bustling place with all sorts of business gathering during the day, and merry with music and dance at night. After the warung was closed, all elements of the building were kept in Kota Tua until they became Tugu Group’s possession and reconstructed to the way it is today.

The establishment reflects this history via a striking colour combination of red and blue with warm lighting from yellow bulbs and red lanterns. It is also reflected in the eclectic interior with Javanese/Betawi/Dutch style furniture, Western paintings, photographs of Peranakan buildings and people, down to the smallest details on the tiles, statues and decorations.

This type of business establishment begs the question: how does the ownership works for antiquated buildings one revitalised for commercial purposes? “Most are privately owned, but a few of them are state-owned, designed and managed by Tugu Group,” Stephanie answered. This reflects the actual possibility of owning antique or historic buildings in Indonesia as one may prove their ownership with Eigendom Verponding, a type of colonial land certificate that can be converted into an official land certificate.

M Bloc Space, a well-known creative hub located in Melawai, Kebayoran Baru is also considered as a revitalised historical building. Before its grand opening back in September 2019, the building was unoccupied for more than 20 years. Until 1995, it was known as Peruri, a state-owned enterprise that prints Indonesian banknotes. Today, M Bloc Space serves as the hub for the creative community, offering visitors a wide range of food, coffee, music, local goods and entertainment.

Jacob Gatot Sura, the architect of M Bloc Space as well as one of its co-founders, said that in collaboration with the government, they decided to revive the whole space and transform it.

“As the building was used by Peruri, which is a state-owned corporation, in terms of its ownership, the building is still considered as a state asset and property, so they cannot sell it to us. Thus, in our case, the government asked our team to re-design and operate the area,” he explained.

As an architect, Jacob felt the urgency to revitalise and preserve the building as he sees it as an important part of Jakarta’s urban fabric that should not be ignored or demolished. The building itself accentuates an old Dutch vintage style, showcasing the distinctive style of building typology in the 50s. This particularity attracts more and more visitors, especially millennials, as nowadays, Indonesians tend to be more appreciative towards this type of historical buildings. They are seen as an accessible and effective channel to visualise Indonesia’s past histories.

The Blok M area itself was considered as the capital for the Jakarta jazz music scene during its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. Therefore, M Bloc founders decided to incorporate the soul of music and pop culture in the building by creating a live house.

In terms of preserving the building, Jacob said that they do not face many challenges. “We do not treat M Bloc Space the way we treat and preserve heritage buildings like Borobudur temple and other temples. Instead, we utilise the so-called adaptive reuse approach. What we are doing is more like conserving the building rather than preserving it. We also incorporate contemporary elements into the building. Here, we create some kind of contrast between the past and present, by repurposing new functions on the old building,” he said.