T

he Medan Tourism Agency plans to mark out every heritage building in the North Sumatra provincial capital to prevent them from being demolished.

Agency head Busyral Manan said the heritage building designation had been approved by various stakeholders, including the city council. He added that the program was currently being disseminated to the public.

He said it was crucial because so many historical buildings in Medan had been damaged due to a lack of signage informing the public that the buildings had been designated cultural heritage sites that required preservation.

“The program is aimed at protecting all heritage buildings in Medan from vandalism,” Busyral told The Jakarta Post early this week.

City data shows that some 30 percent of a total of 600 old buildings in Medan had been demolished for commercial purposes, while another 35 percent were neglected.

Busyral said his office had established cooperation with the Sumatra Heritage Board (BWS) to preserve historical buildings in Medan area.

Medan State University historian Erond Damanik said there were 42 historical buildings in Medan that were protected by a city bylaw, while 558 others were not protected.

He said the huge number of buildings not protected by the bylaw could be destroyed and demolished for the sake of business.

Erond gave a number of examples such as Sukamulia prison, built in 1903 during the Dutch colonial era. It was demolished in 2003 to make way for a hotel. A Dutch plantation firm building, built in 1899, was demolished in 2004 also to make way for a hotel. Several historical shops dating from the 1890s in Medan’s Kesawan area were demolished in 2010 to make way for the Analisa daily newspaper office.

He said the latest historical building that had been gradually demolished was Tembakau Deli Hospital in Medan, despite the hospital, owned by state plantation firm PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PN) II, met the requirements to be designated a cultural heritage site and to be protected.

“We’re grateful that the Tembakau Deli Hospital has been designated a cultural heritage site. We must protect it because it is a national asset,” Erond said on the sidelines of a plaque and banner placing event designating the hospital as a protected historical building.

A number of conservationists and city administration officials attended the event early this week.

Edi Ikhsan, from the Tembakau Deli Hospital Rescue Alliance, said the hospital’s status as a cultural heritage site was appropriate because it had been long been targeted for demolition for business purposes.

“The rear part of the building was to be demolished when it closed in 2012. Fortunately, we were quick to stop that demolition and now the building has been designated as a protected cultural heritage site,” said Edi.

The hospital was built in 1870 during the Dutch colonial rule. PT PN II closed the hospital after a land swap deal with a private party.