The Tuanku Syed Putra Building is an office building in George Town within the Malaysian state of

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

. Completed in 1962, the building, situated at

Downing Street Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...

within the city's Central Business District (CBD), is owned by the

Malaysian federal government The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia (; Jawi: ), is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a federation comp ...

and accommodates the Penang General Post Office (GPO). It once served as the seat of the Penang state government and, until 1966, was the tallest building in George Town.

Background

Prior to the Japanese invasion in 1941, the U-shaped Government Offices at the junction of Downing and

Beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

streets functioned as the administrative seat of Penang, then part of the

British crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony governed by England, and then Great Britain or the United Kingdom within the English and later British Empire. There was usually a governor to represent the Crown, appointed by the British monarch on ...

of the

Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...

. The complex, built in phases between 1884 and 1909, consisted of three two-storey blocks accommodating the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

's office and various government departments. In 1945, the Government Offices were largely destroyed by Allied aerial bombardment, with only a section (now occupied by the Penang Islamic Council) remaining. After the British recaptured Penang, administrative agencies had to be temporarily relocated to nearby Japanese-built godowns and commercial structures, resulting in inefficiencies in the post-war administration of the colony due to the dispersed offices. As the prospect of independence for the Malayan federation approached, there were proposals for a centralised office block to accommodate both federal and state departments, but plans were put on hold due to a nationwide communist insurgency.

History

In 1957, the Malayan federal government allocated $1.2 million (

Malaya and British Borneo dollar The Malaya and British Borneo dollar (; ) was the currency of Federation of Malaya, Malaya, Colony of Singapore, Singapore, Crown Colony of Sarawak, Sarawak, Crown Colony of North Borneo, North Borneo, Brunei and the Riau archipelago from 1953 ...

) for the construction of a new government office building as part of the

First Malayan Five-Year Plan The First Malayan Five-Year Plan (1956 – 1960) was the first economic development plan launched by the Malayan government just before independence in 1957. The colonial British government had concentrated available resources on fighting the ...

. The new building was planned for a site at

where the destroyed Government Offices had stood. Construction of the new building commenced in 1959 and was expedited to meet a 1961 deadline. The new building, designed in the

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

style, has a total floor area of , with the Penang General Post Office (GPO) occupying on the ground floor. Office spaces make up and the remaining is designated for the staff canteen. Named after the then Malayan King

Tuanku Syed Putra Tuanku Sir Syed Harun Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail (Jawi script, Jawi: ; 25 November 1920 – 16 April 2000) was the Raja of Perlis from 1945 until his death in 2000, and the third Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia), from ...

, the 10-storey building eventually cost $3.2 million. Upon its completion in 1962,

The Straits Times ''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and ...

reported that the building "contrasts sharply with the pre-war colonial façades facing the King Edward Place, Weld Quay and Beach Street". It became the tallest building in George Town, surpassing the adjacent HSBC Building in height, and retained this status until 1966 when it was superseded by Hotel Ambassador. In addition to serving as the seat of government in Penang, the building was where the state's Justices of the Peace first organised into an association. Penang's seat of government relocated to the newly completed Komtar in 1986, while the building remains in use by federal government agencies. The Penang GPO was eventually moved to Komtar in 2025.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang 1962 establishments in Malaya Office buildings completed in 1962 Office buildings in Penang International Style (architecture) Post office buildings