Loke Hall, also known as Rumah Tangsi, is a historical mansion in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

History

Loke Hall, situated at 10 Jalan Tangsi or formerly Barrack Road ( being the Malay word for 'barrack'), Kuala Lumpur was built as a town residence for prominent local businessman

Loke Chow Kit Loke Chow Kit ( 1862– 28 August 1918) was a Malayan business magnate and philanthropist, who founded the first department store in Kuala Lumpur. Early life Loke Chow Kit, of Cantonese descent, was born in Penang, son of Loke Kum Choon, and ed ...

. Designed by A.K. Moosdeen, construction began in 1903 and was completed in 1907. In 1909, the building was taken over on a long lease by Empire Hotel Company Ltd who converted it into a hotel. In 1919, after renovation works were carried out, it became known as the Peninsula Hotel which operated until 1973. In 1973, the Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) took over the building, initially on a two-year lease. While continuing in occupation, in 1981, PAM was served with notice to vacate the premises by the estate of Alan Loke after it sold the property to a development company. Amidst public concern about its future, it was acquired by Kuala Lumpur City Council. PAM remained as a tenant until 2012 when the City Council requested it vacate the premises and converted it into a social and cultural event venue which was opened in 2017. In 2025, Prime Minister,

Anwar Ibrahim Anwar bin Ibrahim (; born 10 August 1947), also known by his abbreviation as DSAI and PMX, is a Malaysian politician who is the 10th prime minister of Malaysia since 2022. A member of the People's Justice Party (Malaysia), People's Justice P ...

, hosted dinners at the building for the Prime Minister of Singapore and later the President of Indonesia. Loke Hall was gazetted as a National Heritage Building under the Antiquities Act in 2012.

Description

Loke Hall's

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

architectural design was said to have been chosen by Loke Chow Kit after observations of European architecture on a tour of Europe in 1903.

References

{{coord, 3.14945, 101.69236, format=dms, type:landmark_region:MY, display=title Tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur Buildings and structures in Kuala Lumpur 1907 establishments in British Malaya