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Gateway to Jakarta's Chinatown revitalized
Renewed heritage: A motorcycle rolls past the front of the newly revitalized Chung Hwa drugstore in Glodok on Tuesday
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span class="inline inline-center">Renewed heritage: A motorcycle rolls past the front of the newly revitalized Chung Hwa drugstore in Glodok on Tuesday. The historic building used to serve as the southern gateway to the Old Town as well as the Chinatown area. (thejakartapost.com/Wienda Parwitasari)
The outcome of the revitalization project of the Kota Tua area in the north part of Jakarta has gradually appeared following the work being completed on the former Chung Hwa drugstore in the capital's Chinatown, Glodok.
Established in 1928 on the corner of Jl. Pancoran, Chung Hwa used to serve as the southern gateway to the Old Town as well as the Chinatown areas.
According to Jakarta Old Town Revitalization Corporation (JOTRC) CEO Lin Che Wei, Chung Hwa's revitalized building would function as a tea house and was expected to start operating early next year.
The JOTRC is collaborating with the Jakarta Endowment for Art and Heritage (Jeforah) in the project. The corporation has signed deals with several owners of old buildings in Kota Tua to revitalize them into becoming cultural and business hubs.
The Chung Hwa project, said Che Wei, took approximately one and a half years to complete and was conducted by architect Ahmad Djuhara under the supervision of senior architect Han Awal.
'The size of the original building, which was nearly 400 square meters, was cut down years ago. The current size of the remaining establishment that we have revitalized is around 218 square meters, consisting of two storys,' said project manager Anneke Prasyanti.
Although the former drugstore is not recognized as a cultural heritage building, Anneke said that the revitalization project, which included an analysis of the original structure, re-designing and engineering, was essential because of its role as the gateway to the Old Town.
Only around 20 percent of the building's structure and materials remain original, though; most of the parts are replicas of the original ones.
'The flooring structures and the wall facing Jl. Pancoran are the parts that remain original,' said Anneke.
In addition to enlivening the historic buildings in Kota Tua, the revitalization project also aims to evoke public empathy for traditions and social solidarity within the area's community.
'Hopefully the project will also give birth to positive habits and social solidarity of the people living in and around the buildings,' said Che Wei. (kes)(+)
