The Penang State Assembly Building is the home of the
Penang State Legislative Assembly
The Penang State Legislative Assembly is the legislature of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is a unicameral institution, consisting of a total of 40 elected lawmakers representing single-member constituencies throughout Penang. The state legis ...
. It is located at
Light Street
Maryland Route 2 (MD 2) is the longest state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from Solomons Island in Calvert County north to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/ US 40 Truck ( North Avenue) in Baltimore. The route ...
in the city of
George Town in
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, within the city's
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
. All State Legislative Assembly proceedings are held within the building
Built in the 1820s, the Anglo-Indian classical style building originally served as part of
George Town's Central Police Station.
It was only in 1959 when the building was converted into the current home of the State Legislative Assembly.
Architecture
![Visnu DUN penang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Visnu_DUN_penang.jpg)
The Penang State Assembly Building was designed in the Anglo-Indian classical style, and contains elements of
classical Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
and
Palladian
Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...
architectures.
For instance, the massive white colonnades supporting a large pediment were inspired by ancient Greek temples.
History
The building now known as the Penang State Assembly Building was built sometime in the 1820s, although its exact date of construction has not been determined.
As with many other buildings of that particular period, this building was constructed by convict labourers sent from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Originally, the building was part of
George Town's Central Police Station, housing the Recorder's and Magistrate's Courts.
It was renovated in 1874, while another administrative building was added to the police complex in 1890.
The building retained its judicial function until 1959, when it was finally converted for use by the newly-formed
Penang State Legislative Assembly.
The conversion of the building into the present-day State Assembly Building cost
$150,000 (
Malaya and British Borneo dollar
The Malaya and British Borneo dollar ( ms, ringgit; ms, رڠڬيت, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) was the currency of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo, Brunei and the Riau archipelago from 1953 to 1967 and was the successo ...
).
See also
*
Penang State Legislative Assembly
The Penang State Legislative Assembly is the legislature of the Malaysian state of Penang. It is a unicameral institution, consisting of a total of 40 elected lawmakers representing single-member constituencies throughout Penang. The state legis ...
References
{{Malaysian historical architectures and sites
Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang
Penang State Legislative Assembly
Government of Penang
Legislative buildings