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span class="inline inline-left">Heritage building: Toko Merah was built in 1730 by the Dutch. The red building is now being renovated after being left unattended for 10 years. JP/Anggi M. LubisIt is not easy for passersby to simply overlook the imposing red building on Jl. Kalibesar in the Old Town area of West Jakarta.

On its unplastered brick wall is an epigraph stating that the building, named Toko Merah or the “Red Store”, was built in 1730 by the Dutch East Indies Company’s (VOC) governor-general Gustaaff Willem Baron Van Imhoff, who also built the Bogor Palace.

Facing Ciliwung, which was once the busiest river in Jakarta, Toko Merah has stood there for almost three centuries and has now become a memento of the Dutch occupation on the archipelago.

Despite its old age, the building — at a glance — appears to be in good condition and well maintained, especially in comparison to the buildings beside it, which have been abandoned and whose yards are now being used by street vendors.

State trading company PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PPI), the current owner, is now renovating the building, hoping that by the end of the year, it will be a fully functioning venue which could host a wedding ceremony, exhibition or conferences.

PPI’s assets manager Robert Tambunan said the restoration project was expected to generate additional income for the company as well as to encourage other building owners in the Old Town to attend to their valuable properties. “Our company wants to both preserve historical heritage and to fully optimize our assets,” he said.

Tambunan said that the company has allocated more than Rp 2 billion (US$211,015) to renovate the building. “We won’t change any important details of the building,” Tambunan said. He explained that the inside of the building would be left as it is to preserve the characteristics of the building, which was listed as a cultural heritage site by the city administration.

The symmetrical building, with twin gates and 10 rectangular windows on its facade, is unique not only for its extensive history, but also for its exquisite appearance. The interior of the 2,455-square-meter building is also symmetrical in shape, with wooden ceilings and wooden pillars painted in dark red dividing its main hall. The building is also equipped with European imperialism era baroque-style stairs, which according to the city administration’s website, is the only building in Jakarta to still utilise these kinds of stairs.

Tambunan said that the building’s charms, which are expected to lure potential customers, not only resided in its unique architecture but also in its history. According to Thomas B. Ataladjar in his book, Toko Merah: Saksi Kejayaan Batavia Lama di Tepian Muara Ciliwung (Toko Merah: The Witness of Batavia’s Glory by the Estuary of Ciliwung), hundreds of people — including four VOC governor-generals — had lived in the building in its almost three centuries of history.

The building had not only been used as a private residence, but also by a navy academy, a hotel and a bank.

In 1851 Oey Liauw Kong, according to Thomas, gave the building a Chinese nuance by painting it red, and then popularized the name Toko Merah.

Post independence, the building was owned by Netherlands trading company PT Dharma Niaga, which later merged with PT PPI in 2003. Wawai, 45, a cigarette stall owner next to Toko Merah said that the building was also once operated as a casino in the mid 90s.

“But it was raided after a few years, and has been closed since then,” said the woman who has been selling there since early 1990s.

Toko Merah is now guarded by several security guards and access is restricted for unauthorized people

Wawai said that she applauded the plan to revamp the building, hoping that with more people coming she would also get more customers.