Rumah Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia Cawangan Terengganu: A Heritage Building Not to be Missed

There is a unique building, located at Jalan Tok Lam, Kuala Terengganu, which houses Malaysia Historical Society Terengganu Branch office. The 2-storey building is a heritage building  recognised by Malaysia's Department of Heritage. The first floor is all timber. The column or pillar is concrete. The building is over 100 years old.

Historically, this building was privately owned. Then in 1937-1979 it was used as a Town Board office. When the Town Board was elevated to Municipal council status in 1979 (Local Government Act 1976), it shifted to another place. This building was vacated and in 1986, the building was handed over to the Historical Society.

The front of the building.

The public may not know why this building is special. It is special because of its age and  the special carvings on the concrete pillars, door, window and the staircases. The Department of Heritage did some renovation work to this building. During the renovation work recently, they found a buried old well at the basement. The well was then  revived to its original position.

The wall motif is beautiful and artistic.

The timber window with louvres, and the rich wood carving at the balcony.

The old well was restored.

The building now looks beautiful, blending the concrete building and the timber building side by side. It is yet to be open to the public. I was told the building has space for office, display area, and some shops on the ground floor. They have to make this building function like a museum or gallery including introduce some activities with the public.

If you are interested to visit, just walk to Jalan Tok Lam. It is about 100 metres from Shahbandar Square. Happy travelling.