Malayan Railway Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur

Malayan Railway Headquarters, Kuala Lumpur (11 July, 2016)

B. Melayu

The Malayan Railway Headquarters Building (GPS: 3.14044, 101.69274), also called the KTM Headquarters, is a historic building in Kuala Lumpur. It is located along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, across from the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. Like the railway station across the road, it was designed by the British architect from the Public Works Department, Arthur Benison Hubback. It was designed in 1913, and construction began in 1914. Work was interrupted by the First World War, but the building was eventually completed in 1917, at a cost of $780,422, right after the war. As with other buildings by AB Hubback, the KTM Headquarters reflect the Mughal architectural style, with touches of Moorish and Ottoman architecture, and blended with Gothic and ancient Greek designs of the 14th century.¹

There are 97 large frontal Gothic arches on the ground floor. Built at a time when air conditioning is not pravalent, the building has wide verandahs to offer a cooling effect in the tropical climate. On the first floor are 94 large arched windows and four circular arches. The second floor has 171 Gothic arches as well as circular arches, 4 large and 12 smaller ones.

There are five large cupolas, or domes, places at various locations on the roof. These are accompanied by entwined columns in four corners. Hubback drew inspiration from Orthodox Greek designs from the 14th century for these.

The north wing of the Malayan Railway Headquarters Building has suffered serious damage twice. The first time was during the Second World War, when the north wing was bombed. The second was a major fire which gutted the second floor of the north wing in 1968.