Saturday, September 28, 2013

Snapshots to "de Javasche Bank" Building


Based on historical notes, the building is already existed in the year of 1927 during Dutch Colonial Era. This is another building have designed by Thomas Karsten, a well-known Dutch Architect who designed many famous colonial buildings in Semarang City. Many years ago, Semarang citizen have recognized this building as Bank Indonesia, an Central Bank Institution owned by the Indonesian government. The building ever known also as government's archive building. Nowadays, this building is known as "Bank Jateng" Building, a regional Bank Institution owned by Central Java Government.


This building is situated at eat-end side of Bodjong Street (today is known as Pemuda Street) near Semarang Central Post Office Building. Building orientation is facing to the east where "mBerok Bridge" is situated nearby, and it makes the building looks more prominent from the direction of Old City Conservation Area.


The building itself is simply identified by the existence of its tower beside of main building block with its clay roof structure in triangular prism shape. Windows arrangement is simply generates vertical strip patterns on building facade. I think we can also see some other old buildings in Semarang are found in this similar style.