| Homestead, Penang | |
|---|---|
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| General information | |
| Architectural style | Palladian |
| Location | 54 Northam Road |
| Town or city | George Town, Penang |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Completed | 1919 |
| Client | Lim Chin Guan |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Stark and McNeill |
Homestead is a mansion in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang.
The building, situated at No. 54 Northam Road (Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah), George Town, was built in 1919 by Lim Chin Guan for his father, comprador, Lim Mah Chye until his death in 1927. [1] [2] Lim Chin Guan is said to have chosen the site to block the sea-view of his life-long business rival Quah Beng Kee who lived nearby. It was designed by architect James Stark of Stark & McNeill. [1]
During the 1940s the building was acquired by wealthy businessman and philanthropist, Yeap Chor Ee, whose statue stands outside, and when he died in 1952 it continued to be used for over 50 years as a residence by his descendants. [1] In 2006, his grandson, together with the trustees of his estate, donated it to Wawasan Open University and it became part of its campus together with a twelve storey administrative building erected behind it. [3]
The neo-classical design of the building's front facade, which includes a colonnade and pediment between two towers, is said to be based on the sixteenth century Italian Valmarara built in northern Italy by Andrea Palladio. [4] The sea-facing facade features a Chinese geomantic device on the tympanum of the pediment. [5]
Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu was a Malaysian politician who served as the 2nd Chief Minister of Penang from May 1969 to October 1990 and the longest serving Chief Minister of Penang. He was also the founding president of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). He is also knowned as the "Architect of Modern Penang."
Lim Guan Eng is a Malaysian politician and accountant from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bagan, Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Air Putih since March 2008 and 5th National Chairman of DAP since March 2022. He served as the Minister of Finance in the PH administration under former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from May 2018 to the collapse of the PH administration in February 2020, 4th Chief Minister of Penang from March 2008 to May 2018, MP for Kota Melaka from August 1986 to November 1999 and 4th Secretary-General of DAP from September 2004 to March 2022.
The State of Penang, one of the most developed and urbanised Malaysian states, is located at the nation's northwest coast along the Malacca Strait. Unlike most Malaysian states, the history of modern Penang was shaped by British colonialism, beginning with the acquisition of Penang Island from the Sultanate of Kedah by the British East India Company in 1786. Developed into a free port, the city state was subsequently governed as part of the Straits Settlements, together with Singapore and Malacca; the state capital, George Town, briefly became the capital of this political entity between 1826 and 1832. By the end of the 19th century, George Town prospered and became one of the major entrepôts in Southeast Asia.
The Suffolk House refers to two early residences built on the same site located some four miles west of George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Located on the banks of the Air Itam River, the earliest of the two buildings is notable for having served as the residence of Francis Light, the founder of the first British settlement on Penang. Following Light's death in 1794, and with Penang becoming the fourth presidency of India in 1805, a newer Suffolk House replaced the original house, assuming multiple roles before it was later neglected and subsequently restored.
The Goddess of Mercy Temple, also known as Kuan Im Teng or Kong Hock Keong, is a Mahayana Buddhist temple within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Pitt Street, it was built in 1728, making it the oldest Buddhist temple in the state.
Cheah Tek Soon was a 19th-century Penang businessman, and headman of the Hokkien in Penang, after whom Tek Soon Street was named. He was an active member of the Penang community and the bandstand that was erected near the Town Hall before the Japanese Occupation was his gift to the city.
Wawasan Open University, abbreviated as WOU, is a private university located in Penang, Malaysia, that provides working adults with access to higher education via open distance learning (ODL).
Tan Sri Wong Pow Nee was a Malaysian politician and diplomat. He was Penang's first Chief Minister, serving from 1957 to 1969 and Malaysia's first Ambassador to Rome.
Karpal Singh Drive is a seafront promenade in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Bandar Sri Pinang, it faces the Penang Strait and was named after Karpal Singh (1940-2014), a prominent opposition politician and lawyer who hailed from the city.
The Pinang Peranakan Mansion in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, is a museum dedicated to Penang's Peranakan heritage. The museum itself is housed within a distinctive green-hued mansion at Church Street, George Town, which once served as the residence and office of a 19th-century Chinese tycoon, Chung Keng Quee.
Penangite Chinese are ethnic Chinese Malaysians of full or partial Chinese ancestry who either hail from or live within the State of Penang. As of 2020, 45% of Penang's population belonged to the Chinese ethnic group, making ethnic Chinese the largest ethnic community within the state.
Light Street is the oldest road in the city of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. It was named after the founder of Penang, Captain Francis Light. As the epicentre of George Town, the street was created soon after Light established the settlement in 1786 and has been serving as a major thoroughfare within the city centre ever since.
Northam Road is a major thoroughfare along the northern coast of the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It continues on from Gurney Drive towards Farquhar Street to the east. Since the 1990s, Northam Road has been part of the city's Central Business District, and along with Gurney Drive, it has seen a significant increase in financial activity.
Padang Kota is a state constituency in Penang, Malaysia, that has been represented in the Penang State Legislative Assembly since 1974. It covers George Town's historic city centre, including its old administrative core and the central business district (CBD) at Beach Street.
The 14th Penang election was held on 9 May 2018 to elect the State Assemblymen of the 14th Penang State Legislative Assembly, the legislature of the Malaysian state of Penang. The legislature had been dissolved on 9 April by the state's Governor, Abdul Rahman Abbas, on the advice of the then Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who also led the state's ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.
The 12th Penang election was held on 8 March 2008. Polling took place in 40 constituencies throughout the State of Penang, with each electing a State Assemblyman to the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The election was conducted by the Malaysian Election Commission.
The Seri Teratai is the official residence of Penang's head of government, the Chief Minister of Penang. It is located in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. The colonial-era double storey mansion was constructed in the early 20th century.
Jimmy Lim Cheok Sang, born 1944, Penang, Straits Settlement, is an ethnic-Chinese Malaysian architect.
The Standard Chartered Bank building is a historical building in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Completed in 1930, the office building, situated at Beach Street within the city's Central Business District (CBD), was one of the tallest in the city at that time. It served as the Penang branch of Standard Chartered until 2017, after which the bank relocated to its new premise down the street. The building has since been reopened as Spaces Beach Street, one of IWG's coworking spaces in Malaysia.
Woodville is a mansion in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Built in 1925, the building is situated at Northam Road within the city's Central Business District. It was originally the residence of Chinese tycoon Lim Lean Teng. The building is distinguishable from other mansions along the road due to the addition of a dome with a cupola, hastily designed by British architect Joseph Charles Miller.