OLD KL; A LOOK BEFORE IT IS GONE!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

THE CHARM OF OLD KL

Take a walk down Kuala Lumpur's memory lane with GoodBye KL,  a volunteer group which organised heritage tours and talks last weekend in a bid to spread awareness about KL's heritage buildings and save it from irresponsible development. Yahoo! Malaysia followed them to trace some of the nostalgic tokens from KL's rich history. A volunteer shows an old photo of the entrance to Petaling Street, against the modern structure during the heritage tour. Inside the Sin Sze Si Ya temple, founded by Kuala Lumpur’s third Kapitan Yap Ah Loy. A shrine (in photo) is dedicated to him and other Kapitans of Kuala Lumpur. The front door along a shophouse on Lorong Panggong which still uses steel rods as a security system. This type of security was costly during the 19th century and was only used by wealthy owners. A lamp post, believed to be over a century old, standing unnoticed along Lorong Panggong. There are many of these structures dotted along Madrasah Lane and Lee Lam Thye market. An old post office on Jalan Panggong, constructed in 1911 in Tudor style with a Malay-style verandah. A red flag was raised each time mail arrived by sea to notify locals living in the area. Residents would then gather outside the post office to collect their letters. Chin Woo Stadium was built between 1950 and 1953. This facility was built to provide a space for traditional and modern sporting activities and housed the first swimming pool in Kuala Lumpur. The swimming pool at Chin Woo stadium is still popular today, offering a minimal fee of between RM1.50 and RM4 for people to use the facility in the city. Stadium Merdeka was not only the venue for Malaysia’s independence ceremony but created world records in the 1950s. The 140 feet flood flights were the highest of its kind at that time. Stadium Merdeka’s cantilevered roofing at its grandstand was also known to be the longest in Southeast Asia in the 1950s. Both Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara are declared as National Heritage sites and protected from development. --------------------------------------- God Save Our Country !!! ------------------ Loh Sze Mah