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Pricey maintenance, high taxes force family to sell noted architect's house
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House for sale: Haposan Silaban (right) explains about the house to a journalist on Tuesday. The family of late architect Friedrich Silaban plans to sell the residence because of its high expenses. (The Jakarta Post/Theresia Sufa )
T
he family of one of the nation’s great architects, Friedrich Silaban, plans to sell his former home, which is located in Bogor on a street named after him, because of high maintenance costs and property taxes.
Haposan Silaban, 62, the son of the late architect, explained that he and his siblings had to pay Rp 80 million (US$5,969) to repair the roof and another Rp 9 million for taxes.
“We expect the city administration to buy this house so it could be used for the public interest,” Haposan told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
The 769-square-meter house, which was built in an architectural style that merged elements of both the West and the East, is situated on 1,397 square meters of land.
Commenting on the plan, the head of Bogor’s Culture and Tourism Agency, Shahlan Rasyidi, said the house was declared a part of the city's cultural heritage by Law No. 11/2010. Therefore, he said, the owner has the right to sell the premises, but under one tough condition: The buyer has no right to rebuild or redesign it in any way that might deviate from the original form of the house.
However, no comment was made on whether the administration was interested in buying the house.
Once first president Sukarno’s favorite architect for designing and building properties, Friedrich’s signature pieces can today be seen and enjoyed in the form of the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, the National Monument (Monas), Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan and the West Papua Liberation monument, all of which are located in Jakarta.
He also designed the famous Khatulistiwa Monument in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.
Bogor’s Culture and Tourism Agency recorded that 487 premises throughout the city have been categorized as examples of cultural heritage. The impressive number of cultural heritage properties was closely related to how the area's favorable climate allowed Bogor to host a large Dutch community during the colonial era. (dic)
