The architecture of Penang reflects the 171 years of British presence on the island, coalescing with local, Chinese, Indian, Islamic and other elements to create a unique and distinctive brand of architecture. Along with Malacca, Penang is an architectural gem of Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Unlike Singapore, also a Straits Settlement, where many heritage buildings had to make way for modern skyscrapers and high-rise apartments due to rapid development and acute land scarcity, Penang's architectural heritage has enjoyed a better fate. Penang has one of the largest collections of pre-war buildings in Southeast Asia. This is for the most part due to the Rent Control Act which froze house rental prices for decades, making redevelopment unprofitable. With the repeal of this act in 2000 however, property prices skyrocketed and development has begun to encroach upon these buildings, many of which are in a regrettable state of disrepair. The government in recent years has allocated more funding to finance the restoration of a number of derelict heritage buildings, most notably Suffolk House, City Hall and historic buildings in the old commercial district.
The City Hall is the local government headquarters of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Built by the British, it now serves as the seat of the Penang Island City Council and was previously the seat of the George Town City Council.
As the core of Malaysia's second largest conurbation, Penang has a relatively developed transport infrastructure. The state is well-connected by land, air and sea. The Penang International Airport is Malaysia's third busiest by passenger traffic and the busiest by export volume, while the Port of Penang is the main transshipment hub of northern Malaysia. The island city of George Town is physically connected to mainland Seberang Perai by two road bridges and the oldest ferry service in the country. The North–South Expressway and Keretapi Tanah Melayu's west coast line – two major arteries along western Peninsular Malaysia – run through 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.
Tanjong Pinang is a suburb within the city of George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. It lies 4.5 km (2.8 mi) northwest of the city centre and was created on land reclaimed off Tanjong Tokong in the 1990s. The suburb also encompasses Gurney Bay and the ongoing reclamation project of Andaman Island.
Beach Street is a major thoroughfare in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Part of the city's central business district, it is also one of the oldest streets in Penang, having been created soon after the founding of the state by Captain Francis Light in 1786.
Robert Norman Bland (1859–1948), or "R. N. Bland," as he was more commonly known then in The Straits, was Resident Councillor of Penang and a career civil servant in the Colonial Administration of the Straits Settlements.
Charles Geoffrey Boutcher (1884–1964) was a London-born architect and a partner of the Penang, Ipoh and Johor architectural firm, Stark & McNeill, in Malaysia. His most recognized project is the construction of the Zahir Mosque in Alor Setar. In 1932, he started his own practice under the name of Boutcher & Co., located at 9 Weld Quay, Penang. Boutcher & Co. was the sole Penang-based architectural company to have been resuscitated after the European war. Boutcher also had offices at 19 Beach Street in Penang and at 21 Hale Street in Ipoh. The practice was terminated only after Boutcher retired in 1953.
Straits Quay Retail Marina is a shopping mall-cum-marina within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Located at Tanjong Pinang, it was opened in 2010 and includes a marina designed for small recreational vessels, as well as a convention centre.
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.
Weld Quay is a coastal road in the city of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. One of a handful of places worldwide that was named after a Prime Minister of New Zealand, the road runs along the city's eastern shoreline, connecting the Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu Expressway with Light Street and Beach Street.
Downing Street is a minor side street in the city of George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. It is one of the few places worldwide that share an identical name with London's famous Downing Street, where the official residence of the British prime minister is located.
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 Town Hall is a British-built administrative building in George Town, Penang, Malaysia. It is located adjacent to the City Hall, which now serves as the seat of the Penang Island City Council.
The Port of Penang is a deepwater seaport within the Malaysian state of Penang. It consists of terminals along the Penang Strait, including five in Seberang Perai and one in George Town. The Port of Penang was the third busiest harbour in Malaysia in terms of cargo as of 2017, handling 1.52 million TEUs of cargo, as well as the busiest port-of-call within the country for cruise shipping.
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.
The HSBC Building is a historical building in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Opened in 1951, the office building, situated at Downing Street within the city's Central Business District (CBD), houses the Penang branch of HSBC.
JKP Tower, formerly known as UMNO Tower, is an office building within George Town in the Malaysian state of Penang. Built in 1998, the tower is located at the junction of Macalister Road and Jalan Zainal Abidin, within the city's Central Business District (CBD). It is owned by the Penang Bumiputera Development Council and functions as the state headquarters of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). The building is recognised as the first skyscraper in Malaysia to utilise a wing wall system and other bioclimatic features to facilitate natural ventilation.
The Tuanku Syed Putra Building is an office building in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Completed in 1962, the building, situated at Downing Street within the city's Central Business District (CBD), is owned by the Malaysian federal government 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.
