Historical buildings repainted as part of heritage revamp

Agnes S. Jayakarna, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya | Tue, 05/11/2010 10:07 AM | The Archipelago

A nationwide campaign to preserve cultural heritage has begun in Surabaya with the Balai Pemuda building, or De Simpangsche Societeit, built by the Dutch in 1903, being repainted.

The campaign was officially launched last Friday by world paint producer AkzoNobel in cooperation with the Surabaya municipality office and Surabaya Heritage.

Cities to follow include Bandung (West Java), Makassar (South Sulawesi) and two in Kalimantan and Sumatra, which will be decided at a later date.

Jeremy Paul Rowe, the managing director of AkzoNobel Decorative Paints Southeast Asia and Pacific, said that Surabaya was chosen to mark the program this year because of the numerous historical buildings in the city.

Rowe praised the Surabaya municipal administration for its efforts to preserve its historical legacy.

Attending the opening ceremony were Surabaya Mayor Bambang Dwi Hartono, executive director of Surabaya Heritage Freddy Istanto and Jerry Goei, the president director of AkzoNobel Decorative Paints Indonesia.

The Balai Pemuda building was selected as the first to be repainted, according to Rowe, because of its unique history and structure.

Built in 1907 by Dutch architect Westmaes, right at the heart of the city on Jl. Gubernur Suryo, the building was a favorite place for the Dutch community living in Surabaya to meet and gather and play three-ball snooker.

It was built on a plot of 17,000 square meters. Its main building has double domes shaped like the crown of a Dutch queen.

During the Indonesian fight for independence, the building was used as a meeting point for the nationalist movement. It was once the headquarters of the Youth of the Republic of Indonesia (PRI), a movement to maintain independence.

Given its part in the nation’s history, the building’s name was altered from De Simpangsche Societeit to Balai Pemuda. It currently functions as a multi-purpose building and has also been listed among the city’s 163 preserved heritage sites.

Angela Tan, head of communications at AkzoNobel Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said it would take two weeks to finish repainting the Balai Pemuda building.

Surabaya Heritage’s executive director Freddy Istanto, expressed pride the city was selected as one of the cities to receive assistance in maintaining cultural heritage.

“The Balai Pemuda compound is very lively. It has become a center for different supporting communities including the artistic community,” Freddy said.

He added that apart from being repainted, the Balai Pemuda building would also be revitalized without changing its original structure and aesthetic.

He expressed hope the repainting would make locals more aware and appreciative of the importance of preserving heritage buildings in their town.

“That way the care of heritage buildings will not just stop at the physical matter, but will be more connected to the historical value of our heritage,” he said.