Tuanku Syed Putra Building
{{Short description|Government offices in George Town, Penang, Malaysia}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Tuanku Syed Putra Building
| native_name = {{nativename|ms|Bangunan Tuanku Syed Putra}}
| native_name_lang = MS
| image = Tuanku Syed Putra Building.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| address = Downing Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia
| location_town = George Town
| location_country = Malaysia
| coordinates = {{coord|5.4177|100.3439|region:MY|display=inline,title}}
| start_date = 1959
| completion_date = 1962
| opened_date = 1962
| owner = Malaysian federal government
| cost =
| top_floor = 10
| floor_count = 10
| references =
| map_type =
| map_caption =
| map_dot_label =
| map_dot_mark =
| building_type =
| architectural_style = International
| current_tenants = Malaysian federal government
Pos Malaysia
| height = {{Convert|126|ft|abbr=on}}{{Cite news |last=Oh |first=Kee Tiang |date=30 Aug 1962 |title=A NEW HOME FOR BOMBED-OUT GOVT. OFFICES |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19620830-1.2.93 |access-date=15 Oct 2024 |work=The Straits Times |page=13 |via=National Library Board}}
| floor_area = {{Convert|125000|sqft|abbr=on}}
| grounds_area = {{Convert|1|acre|abbr=on}}
}}
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).{{Cite web |title=Bangunan Tuanku Syed Putra |url=https://www.mypenang.gov.my/all/directory/336/?lg=en |access-date=15 Oct 2024 |website=Penang Global Tourism}} It once served as the seat of the Penang state government and, until 1966, was the tallest building in George Town.
Background
File:Gezicht op het Gouvernementsgebouw en oude Pier te Penang aan het water Het Gouvernementsgebouw en de oude Pier te Penang (titel op object), RP-F-F01153-AJ.jpg as seen from the Penang Strait {{Circa|1892}}.]]
File:Beach Street Penang Dec 2006 003.jpg survived the Allied bombing of Penang in 1945 and is now occupied by the Penang Islamic Department.]]
Prior to the Japanese invasion in 1941, the U-shaped Government Offices at the junction of Downing and Beach streets functioned as the administrative seat of Penang, then part of the British crown colony of the Straits Settlements.{{Cite book |last=Langdon |first=Marcus |title=A Guide to George Town's Historic Commercial and Civic Precincts |publisher=George Town World Heritage Incorporated |year=2014 |location=George Town |page=34}}{{Cite book |last=Khoo |first=Salma Nasution |url=https://archive.org/details/streetsofgeorget00khoo |title=Streets of George Town, Penang |publisher=Areca Books |year=2007 |isbn=9789839886009 |location=Penang, Malaysia |url-access=registration}} The complex, built in phases between 1884 and 1909, consisted of three two-storey blocks accommodating the Governor'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) for the construction of a new government office building as part of the First Malayan Five-Year Plan. The new building was planned for a {{Convert|1|acre|abbr=on|adj=on}} site at Downing Street where the destroyed Government Offices had stood. Construction of the new building commenced in 1959 and was expedited to meet a 1961 deadline.{{Cite news |date=10 Jul 1959 |title=New govt. offices: First pile |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19590710-1.2.81 |access-date=27 Oct 2024 |work=The Straits Times |page=6 |via=National Library Board}}
The new building, designed in the International style, has a total floor area of {{Convert|125000|sqft|abbr=on}}, with the Penang General Post Office (GPO) occupying {{Convert|35000|sqft|abbr=on}} on the ground floor. Office spaces make up {{Convert|80000|sqft|abbr=on}} and the remaining {{Convert|10000|sqft|abbr=on}} is designated for the staff canteen. Named after the then Malayan King Tuanku Syed Putra, the 10-storey building eventually cost $3.2 million.{{Cite news |last=Gunn |first=Chit Thye |date=30 Aug 1962 |title=Penang is expanding—skywards: Now a multi-storeys trend |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19620830-1.2.94 |access-date=15 Oct 2024 |work=The Straits Times |page=13 |via=National Library Board}}
Upon its completion in 1962, The Straits Times 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.{{Cite news |date=16 Mar 1951 |title=Penang's Tallest Building Ready Soon |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/singstandard19510316-1.2.51 |access-date=15 Oct 2024 |work=Singapore Standard |page=3 |via=National Library Board}}{{Cite news |date=23 Apr 1966 |title=PENANG'S NEWEST (12 STOREY) HOTEL |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19660423-1.2.93 |access-date=15 Oct 2024 |work=The Straits Times |page=12 |via=National Library Board}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Council of Justices of the Peace, State of Penang, Malaysia |url=https://www.jppenang.org/aboutus.html |access-date=2024-10-15 |website=www.jppenang.org}} Penang's seat of government relocated to the newly completed Komtar in 1986, while the building remains in use by federal government agencies.{{Cite news |last=Trisha |first=N. |date=28 Mar 2024 |title=Building ecosystem for industries |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2024/03/28/building-ecosystem-for-industries |access-date=15 Oct 2024 |work=The Star}}{{Cite news |date=15 Jul 1980 |title=Federal Govt to take over State office complex |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VqlUAAAAIBAJ&dq=komtar&pg=PA8&article_id=6854,3198562 |access-date=16 Oct 2024 |work=New Straits Times |page=14}} The Penang GPO was eventually moved to Komtar in 2025.{{Cite news |last=Nambiar |first=Predeep |date=13 Apr 2025 |title=A quiet farewell to George Town’s telegram-era post office |url=https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2025/04/13/a-quiet-farewell-to-george-towns-telegram-era-post-office/ |access-date=16 Apr 2025 |work=Free Malaysia Today}}