The National Textile Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, fist began its construction in the late 19th century . It was built alongside the Sultan Abdul Samad building and was completed in 1896. The architect, AC Norman designed this building to house the headquarters of the Federated Malay States Railway.
In 1917, the building was then given to the Selangor state government and became Selangor Public Works Department. The façade was given a facelift to harmonize with the Islamic style of the adjacent government buildings.
The 2 and a half storied building was gazette on 13 October 1983 as a heritage building. Under the 9th Malaysia Plan between the years 2006 to 2010, the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture through the Department of Museums Malaysia managed the implementation of the project ‘Proposal for Conservation, Interior Design and Display for the National Textile Museum Kuala Lumpur’ beginning August 2007 until its completion in Jun 2009.
The museum was opened to the public on the 9th January 2010.
The Building
Timeline
Architect
A. B. HUBBACK
Hubback, Arthur Benison (1871–1948), architect and army officer, was born on 13 April 1871 at 74 Rodney Street, Liverpool.
Hubback began his Malayan career in July 1895 as chief draughtsman of the Selangor public works department, when it was fully extended in the construction of new government offices (later the Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad), which the forceful state engineer, Charles Edwin Spooner, had decided should be designed in an eclectic style, new to Malaya, variously known as neo-saracenic or British raj. It had originated in India by a process of ‘architectural miscegenation’ (Davies, 188) that combined Indian Muslim, Hindu, Gothic, and other traditions, as an expression of imperial achievement.
Arthur Hubback was also prominent in what became the Federated Malay States Volunteer Force, used both for local defence and in support of the police in maintaining law and order.
List of buildings designed by General Hubback:
The KL Railway Station
The Railway Administrative Building, Kuala Lumpur
Jamek Mosque, Kuala Lumpur (Masjid Jamek)
Carcosa Sri Negara, Kuala Lumpur
The Extensions of The Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur
Ubudiah Mosque, Kuala Kangsar, (Masjid Ubudiah, under the auspices of the Sultan of Perak).
The Railway Station, Ipoh, Perak
Ipoh Town Hall Building, Perak
The Old City Hall, Kuala Lumpur (Now Panggung Bandaraya)
The White House of Klang (Now Galeri Diraja Sultan Abdul Aziz, under the auspices of the Sultan of Selangor)
State Secretariat Building, Seremban (Now State Library
Hubback, Arthur Benison
(1871–1948)
References
History of National Textile Museum (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.muziumtekstilnegara.gov.my/main/content/sejarah_131/?menuid=63 on 20th February 2014
Guide to Kuala Lumpur Notable Buildings. Kuala Lumpur: Pertubuhan Akitek Malaysia [Malaysian Institute of Architecture], 1976. P. 27.
National Textile Museum (n.d.) Retrived from http://www.pico.com.my/env-textile.php on 5th March 2014
Official Taylor's University Website
Official Textile Museum Website
Related websites:
Official MASSA Website
