The Badan commemmorated the Old Victoria Institution (Old
VI) in an exhibition launched on Heritage Day. This building later became
a performing arts centre known as the Panggung Derama, which was devastated
by fire on 26 July 1999.
About two years ago, the Badan, with the sponsorship of a corporate donor,
commissioned a complete set of measured drawings of the Panggung Derama.
This structure was the last remaining building from the campus of the
Old VI. These drawings anchored the exhibition. We were very fortunate
to be able to borrow a large line drawing depicting the campus in the
1920s. This remarkable recreation by Chung Chee Min, a graduate from the
school, is based on his exhaustive research on the subject. Also on display
were a brief history of the site, a reproduction from a 1929 map showing
the location of the two campuses and photographs of the Panggung Derama
prior to, and after, the fire, taken by Gerald Lopez and Lim Huck Chin,
respectively.
The original campus of the Old VI was completed in 1894. It was located
on High Street, on the bank of the Klang River, in the heart of Kuala
Lumpur. This street is now known as Jalan Tun H S Lee. In 1929, the campus
moved to its present location and the buildings on High Street became
the home of three different educational institutions. With the straightening
of the Klang River and the construction of a viaduct at a later date,
buildings were removed until the only remaining structure was the Infants'
school of the Old VI. This was known as the Panggung Derama, a performing
arts centre and rehearsal venue.
Over the years the building fell into disrepair and was left vacant until
the recent fire. The future of the site is unknown at this writing As
part of the Heritage Day activities, Lim Take Bane, an architect who is
a Badan member, talked about the history of this site, the need for a
community performing arts school and centre and the possibilities of adaptive
reuse.
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Photographs of the Panggung Derama prior to, and after, the
fire
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