Heritage site to reopen

A 140-YEAR-OLD building on Beach Street, Penang, that was restored at a cost of RM6.8mil will be opened to the public next month. The Logan’s Building, which is now known as the Logan Heritage, is a two-storey building owned by the OCBC Bank and it has 23 office units with a built-up area of 3,994.8sq metres. Painted in beige, it sits majestically at the junction of Beach Street, Union Street and Bishop Street.

The building used to be the workplace of a prominent lawyer James Richardson Logan in the 1860s. He and his elder brother, Abraham came from Edinburgh, Scotland, to the Straits Settlement of Penang in the 1840s. They both practised law in Singapore before migrating to Penang in the 1860s. It is said that Logan was loved by the local residents then as he was devoted to justice and knowledge. Apparently, he had on some occasions defended the needy on a pro bono basis at no cost to them.

Originally, a grand three-storey building with cast iron balconies, it was later reduced to two storeys. It also has an inner courtyard within the premises. The last occupant on the ground floor was Barkath Store before the building was closed for restoration early this year.
The restoration project was conceived by OCBC Bank which spent RM5mil while Kuala Lumpur-based TecCentury Sdn Bhd, which is a property management company, spent RM1.8mil. TecCentury executive director Joe Kan Weng Hoe said the building would be officially opened on Dec 17. It shall boast a variety of food and beverages outlets, a foreign currency exchange facility, a gadgets’ shop, a convenience store besides smaller commercial interests.

“We also hope to promote tourism with a uniqueness of Penang Heritage through this pre-war building. We also hope to turn the premises into a food and beverage hub coupled with light entertainment for bankers in the area,” he said during a briefing tour yesterday. Kan also said that a hall was also set up to be a briefing spot on Penang’s heritage. “We will work closely with the George Town World Heritage Inc to invite all schools in Penang to Logan Heritage for free briefings. “Our main objective is to embrace Penang’s heritage and we have different concepts for this building. It is also a good stop for tourists to enjoy its rich heritage value,” he said.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng who visited the building yesterday, praised the efforts of the bank and the company in meeting the heritage guidelines of the Penang Municipal Council.
-thestar online.