GEORGE TOWN – One of the oldest buildings in Penang, a relic of its colonial era, will be reopened next year as the newly refurbished state museum after renovation works are completed.
It has taken the architectural firm close to a decade of tedious design.
As the museum has Category One property status under the Unesco World Heritage Site, it must be maintained in the most delicate and proper manner, hence the renovation to its interiors was done in a refined style with careful planning.
Today, state exco for tourism Yeoh Soon Hin and the Penang Museum Department director Haryany Mohamad inspected the progress at the facility together with resident architect Nik Rahiman Nik Mohd Taib and museum officials.
Yeoh told a press conference that Penang is buoyed by the progress and once the renovation is completed, the museum would become a top attraction in the heritage scene.
Also, it was an invaluable asset to the history of the state, Yeoh asserted.
Haryany disclosed that the museum is the first of its kind in Malaysia where there is an excavation site located next to the building.
The site reveals the presence of another building and ceramic findings were also uncovered by the archaeologists probing the history of the area, while it also revealed the dynamic effects of what happens when a property is bombed.
The building along Farquhar Street is extremely important to the history of Penang.
It was constructed in 1816 under the supervision of Capt Robert Smith of the British Royal Engineers Corps, after a donation by the East India Company.
In 1821, it housed the nation’s oldest school called the Penang Free School before it moved to its present location along Jalan Masjid Negri – one of the most important road arteries of Penang.
In 1928, the building housed the Hutchings Primary School before part of it was bombed by the Japanese during World War II.
In 1961, the founding father of Malaysia and first prime minister Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Aj Haj intervened to prevent the building from being demolished to make way for a new school.
After much discussion, it was proposed as the state’s first museum.
And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
After 52 years as a functional state museum, it was shut down in 2017 and a decision was made to upgrade the building.
Now, seven years later, the ancient pride of Penang will soon reopen its doors to visitors and tourists alike, with new additions such as a mini-elevator and an upper level which houses places to conduct meetings and hold academic sessions.
The newly refurbished museum will bring renewed character to the state’s rich history, said Haryany.
Visitor data illustrates why museums are important contributors to the state’s vibrant tourism scene.
Haryany revealed that the current museum in Macalister Road attracts a monthly average of 2,500 to 3,000 people while with special exhibitions, it can attract up to 4,000 visitors monthly.
When the museum along Farquhar Street is completed, the forecast is that it can attract up to 5,000 visitors, Haryany said.
Furthermore, there is also an excavation site to explore besides the history and paintings which the museum will offer, said Yeoh. – The Vibes, April 10, 2023
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