Government acquires Coliseum Cinema... why?
There are a few issues in regards to heritage building conservation in Malaysia.
1. Conserving the building
2. Conserving the old trades/original function of the building.
I want to know why the Malaysian government chose to acquire the Coliseum Cinema - decommisioning probably the last functioning Art Deco cinema in the city to make way for a 'National Heritage Centre'.
Ironic.
Destroy heritage to preserve heritage.
Coliseum Cinema owner Dr Chua Seong Siew distressed over losing his
property yet again to government thugs. Image from thestar.
I'm not calling the Malaysian government a joke. I'm not saying that the Malaysian government is run by imbeciles.
I'm merely saying that their logic escapes me. As a citizen of the country and architecture student, I WANT ANSWERS!
When you acquire a building like a functioning cinema - you will have to spend a lot of money to demolish parts of the building and almost all of the interior to fit a new program into the building - whatever that might be. Thus the government wants to keep a 'shell' of an old building but totally changing the interior. They want to get rid of a FUNCTIONING yet disappearing building typology - the old 1920s style cinema to make way for something which could be easily housed in any dilapidated building.
This reminds me of the time they buchered the 'heritage' value of Tuanku Abdul Rahman Hall - currently the Malaysian Tourists Information Centre (MATIC). Did it occur to the government that Tuanku Abdul Rahman Hall was the venue of our first parliament? Where our first King was coronated? Did they bother to preserve that piece of heritage? No. You now have a handsome old bungalow with interior fitouts similar to any government department right down to the cheap aluminium frame sliding doors, crass flourescent lighting and ceremic tile floor.