Sew Cheong Building (Lam Look Ing Bazaar), Ipoh

The Sew Cheong Building (GPS: 4.59491, 101.08107) is a beautiful building along Jalan Laxamana in Ipoh. Originally known as Lam Look Ing Bazaar, it was designed by Danish-born architect Berthel Michael Iversen and built in 1933 for Penang-born mining tycoon Lam Look Ing. Often written as "Lam Looking Bazaar", the three-storey Art Deco style building has two protruding stair-wells in Post Modernist style.

The Lam Look Ing Bazaar originally housed a bazaar at street level while hotel and the Celestial Cabaret occupied the upper floors. It was a favourite watering hole for European expatriates until the Second World War, when the clientele were Japanese officers.

Sew Cheong Building, before restoration (19 August, 2006)

In the 1970's, Lam Look Ing Bazaar housed the Perak Emporium, an early incarnation of the air-conditioned department store. The emporium closed down following an economic downturn, and over the years, the building became dilapidated. A fire that struck further exacebated its deterioration.

After Lam Look Ing Bazaar was bought over by the Sew Cheong Medical Group, it underwent restoration Recently Lam Look Ing Bazaar was bought over and restoration work progressed at a slow speed. A new roof was put up but much of the original design was faithfully retained.