Amidst the bustling activity of Jakarta\u2019s city centre, several\nhistoric buildings stand that harbour long historical narratives. One\nsuch structure is the Loji Bintang Timur (Eastern Star Lodge) building\non Jalan Budi Utomo, which remains standing today.<\/p>\n
This historic building is currently used as an office for PT Kimia\nFarma Tbk, a state-owned pharmaceutical company. However, in the past,\nthe building served a different purpose, having functioned as a meeting\nplace for the Freemason organisation, also known as Vrijmetselarij.<\/p>\n
Freemasonry is one of the world\u2019s oldest fraternal organisations,\nfocusing on the moral, spiritual, and social development of its members.\nRooted in the medieval stonemasons\u2019 guilds, the group is today known as\nan association emphasising values of brotherhood, charity, and religious\ntolerance, although it is often associated with secret rituals.<\/p>\n
Each member of the organisation at that time contributed 100 guilders\nto support the construction of their meeting building. The accumulated\nfunds were then used to construct a sufficiently grand lodge or meeting\nhouse for the era.<\/p>\n
The building was designed in neoclassical architectural style\ncombined with local elements. This fusion is evident from the\nsymmetrical form with large columns characteristic of European\narchitecture, whilst adapting to local climatic conditions.<\/p>\n
In the past, the building featured a distinctive emblem on its front:\na symbol in the form of an Eastern Star. This emblem became a symbol\nassociated with the Freemason organisation. The presence of this symbol\nled the community to refer to the building as the Loji Bintang Timur. In\ncolonial tradition, the term \u201cloji\u201d referred to buildings used as\nmeeting places or venues for activities of specific organisations.<\/p>\n
After Indonesian independence, the building\u2019s function underwent\nchanges. The Loji Bintang Timur was subsequently used as an office for a\nDutch-owned pharmaceutical company. Significant changes occurred in the\n1950s when the Indonesian government undertook the nationalisation of\nvarious foreign companies. In this process, the Dutch pharmaceutical\ncompany using the building was also nationalised.<\/p>\n
Since then, the historic building became part of the national\npharmaceutical company and has been used as an office for PT Kimia Farma\nuntil the present day.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Freemason organisation in Indonesia ceased operations\nafter the government took action to dissolve it. In 1962, President\nSukarno formally dissolved the Freemason organisation in Indonesia. This\npolicy marked the end of the organisation\u2019s activities, which had been\nquite active during the colonial period.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traces-of-freemasonry-in-jakartas-historic-building-1773712439", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }