Kota warehouses will undergo transformation

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is striving to make the downtown, Kota, area in West Jakarta a major tourist site, by changing the function of old warehouses to entertainment centers, including discotheques and restaurants.

Wisnu Murti, head of the City Building Design and Renovation Office said over the weekend that a decision has been made by the city administration for the alteration of the function of old warehouses to entertainment centers.

"There will no longer be warehouses in the area. The alteration of these old buildings to entertainment centers, is expected to help support the city's tourism industry," Wisnu told The Jakarta Post.

The decision is part of the city administration's plan to revive the glory of the downtown area, the oldest part of the city. This is also designed to support the tourist industry in the area, especially the number of prominent museums, including the maritime, wayang (leather puppet show) and Jakarta History museum.

Wisnu said that warehouse owners have been ordered to relocate their activities, including to Pluit in West Jakarta, Ciracas in East Jakarta and Sunter in North Jakarta.

Data from the West Jakarta mayoralty shows that, at present, there are about 63 warehouses, built by the Dutch-Indies Company during the colonial era, in the downtown area.

Last week the City Museum and Historical Affairs Office held a seminar on the revival of warehouses in Amsterdam.

A.J. Bonke, an archeologist from the University of Amsterdam, said at the seminar that there are many possibilities to reuse the old warehouses and integrate them with modern architecture.

"In Amsterdam old warehouses are used as apartments, hotels, shops, offices, restaurants and theaters, as well as a university library," Bonke said.

He stressed that the most important thing is to keep the heritage, as part of the country's history, as well as making them one of many tourist attractions in the city.

Another speaker, Lodewijk J. Wagenaar, a curator of the Amsterdam Historical Museum, stressed that reviving or renovating old historical buildings will link the current society with its history.

"Old warehouses or other buildings reflect the ever changing environment of mankind, its history, socio-economy and cultural life," Wagenaar said in the seminar.

However, there are questions being asked about the plan: can the city administration keep the architectural structures of the old warehouse, and how will the city finance the project?

Wisnu guaranteed that the renovations will not change the architectural structures of the buildings because the Kota area has been earmarked as a protected area under a gubernatorial decree, which means that buildings, including warehouses, should be preserved. The buildings' owners are not allowed to renovate their buildings as they like.

"The office has been advising owners not to change the architectural structures of their buildings, so that the historical value of those buildings is not reduced," he said.

Building owners, he said, warmly welcomed the idea because they know that changing the function of those warehouses, to entertainment centers, will give them more benefits.

"It is a fact that using the old buildings in the Kota area as warehouses is not as profitable as entertainment centers. So it's natural that the owners welcome the idea," Wisnu said.

Currently, the city administration is trying to attract investors, interested in renovating warehouses, to work in cooperation with the owners.

Wisnu said the city administration will help build the infrastructures, including streets and pedestrian walkways. (yns)