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Natural History Museum

The first bank to open a branch in Kuala Lumpur in 1888 was the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China. In 1891, the bank moved to its new premises on this site. The site was chosen for its proximity to the police headquarters on Bluff Road (now Jalan Bukit Aman). As the two-storey building proved inadequate, it was replaced by the present structure in 1909.

The three-storey building was designed with arches on the ground floor to make the façade more compatible with the neighbouring Mogul buildings. Initially, there was a single-storey wing extending onto Jalan Raja. This section of the building was removed when the street was widened and arches were reproduced on the blank wall. The verandahs on the building have now been enclosed with windows. Take note of the four corner domes, covered with belian timber, a hardwood found in East Malaysia.

During the great floods of 1926, the bank's vaults were flooded and water rose to 1m (3 ft) above the floor. Business was transacted upstairs in the living quarters and the staff was transported by sampan to work. Later, millions of dollars of soggy bank notes were laid out on the Padang to dry, under the watchful eye of the police.

On 2 April 1996, the renovated building opened its doors to the public as the National History Museum with a permanent exhibition on Malaysia's historical development.

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