Remaining Old House at Sompok Lama Street (Part-3)

There is an old house in the street intersection of Sompok Lama Street and Manggis #1 Street near an open park with a hippopotamus statue. Seemingly, this is another well preserved remaining old house at Sompok Lama Street.The house is nicely hidden and set back behind lush trees and greenery belong to its front courtyard.

A cozy verandah is found in the east-end side of the house to make the entry door is recessed against the direction of the street. A suspended roof canopy is located at verandah entry opening. This roof canopy is simply suspended by the using of steel rods and turnbuckles. Typically, this kind of suspended canopy detail could be found in some another old houses, particularly in Semarang City.

It seems the living room area is elaborated as a protruding faceted part belong to the house facade. Tall rectangle wooden louvered windows in combination with window transom above and stone cladding below are becoming the major exterior part of the protruding living room.

Remaining Old House at Sompok Lama Street (part-2)

There is another colonial old house at Sompok Lama Street. It look well preserved in its original appearance including its rich details on building facade. The house is situated at Sompok Lama Street No.8, the location is about 60 meter from the other remaining old house previously described in this blog or about 100 meter from 'T-junction' of Mataram Street. The house is facing to the south.

Just like typical tropical house, a veranda is found as the front part of the house. This veranda is a covered open lounge space that is protruding from the main part of the building. Actually, this veranda is becoming an interesting part of the house. Rich detailing is found on its roof fascia where Gothic floral patterns at roof fascia with triangular shape that is combined with local Javanese patterns on wooden lower fascia under clay roof cover.

 Corinthian columns are also found and become another prominent elements from the house facade. These columns are found in rectangular shape and also in smaller round shapes around the protruding veranda.

Nowadays, the house is utilized as a kind of small public health service building. The house is easily recognized when somebody passing the street, it found as a white painted house with rich architectural detailing on roof facade and nice green landscaping on the courtyard. This is one of remaining old house from Colonial Era. A well preserved old house from Semarang old city master plan. I think some old houses with similar details also found in Kampung Kauman and Kampung Barusari as I have described in my older blog post.

Remaining Old House at Sompok Lama Street (part-1)

Sompok Lama Street is about 400 hundred long street within a 'T-junction' against M.T. Haryono Street. This is one of remaining old street in Semarang have originally planned by Thomas Karsten and became part of Dutch Colonial old city master plan. 

There are some colonial old houses are still found here. One of the house is situated at Sompok Lama Street No.21. Nowadays, this house is found as a house that painted in blue colors. The house building is nicely setback at about 15 meters from the street, it creates a nice and spacious courtyard in front of the house. A strong symmetrical composition is directly recognized where a kind of long covered verandah is placed in-between two block of rooms within attics at the right and left-end side of the house.

Based on Semarang Government official website, the architectural design style of the house is described as European Romanticism Style with strong influence of renaissance style. This is could be recognized by the existence of the attic window within arch shape and also the elaboration of external wall corners with stone cladings.

The existence of wooden roof fascia within its rich ornamental details are described as obvious influence of the local Javanese design. Combination of clay roof, wooden louvered windows and doors are actually makes this house appears in colonial-tropical style.

Jomblang Reservoir, and a Silhouette of a Dome on a Hill

Jomblang Reservoir is another remaining old clean water reservoir in Semarang that built during Dutch Colonial Era. Jomblang reservoir looks slightly bigger than The Siranda Reservoir. As similar as Siranda Reservoir, the building consist of two big domes.The appearance of the reservoir building is always visible as a silhouette of big dome with a cupola tower on Tanah Putih Hill.

The reservoir building is situated about 300 meter from 'Pasar Kambing Mrican' the goats market. The Jomblang Reservoir is part of Tanah Putih uphill road scenery. Always concealed under the lush big trees around Tanah Putih Hill.

Actually, the building appearance of Jomblang Reservoir is similar as the first older reservoir building belong to Siranda Reservoir. It also found at the Jomblang Reservoir same grass covered big domes, same small copula tower on the of the dome and also same entry facade. Anyway, the existence of these two old clean water reservoir buildings becomes one of the evidence that originally Semarang City is already well planned since almost hundred years ago.

Pasar Kambing Mrican, a Traditional Goats Market at the Traffic Lights

The place is situated less than one kilo meter from Peterongan market place, directly situated at the traffic light at the intersection of 'Mrican' Street and south end side of Mataram Street. Yes, this is a goats market, a place where we can found street traders who sell life goats. There is a goat statue that could be found as a sign of  market existence.

There is a row of bamboo shed at one of street pedestrian side where the traders displaying the goats. At the peak selling time the goats just loosely displayed along the both street pedestrian sides around the traffic lights area. Traditionally, the peak selling time is around the Eid al-Adha', an Islamic annual holiday. The need of life goats is also related with another traditional Moslem's need to sacrifice of an animal, particularly goat on the occasion of a child's birth.

When Semarang Citizens mention about goat market, it will always refers to this place as an almost semi permanent market place that sells life goats. Actually, this is one of another unique traditional market places that are still found in Semarang City.

Pasar Peterongan, a Traditional Market and Legend of an Old Tamarind Tree

Nowadays, Pasar Peterongan is known as one of remaining traditional market in Semarang City. The existence of this traditional market is already found in old city master plan have prepared by the Dutch during Colonial Era. The market place is prepared and planned as one of important daily trading place in eastern side of Semarang City. Based from old vintage photo, there was originally a train railway existed at the foreground of the above picture.

The existence of many old market places in Semarang City are associated with the name of trees, such as Pasar Johar is related with the name of johar tree (senna siamea), Pasar Randusari is related with the name of randu or kapok tree (ceiba pentandra) and Pasar Jatingaleh might be related with the name of teak tree (tectona grandis). And the existence of Pasar Peterongan might be associated with the existence of an old tamarind tree, but in this case, the name of the the tree was not becoming the name of the market place. 

Currently, the old tamarind tree is directly situated behind the market office building. When somebody pass the main street, it looks like a green background over the market office building and shadowing messy traditional trader shelters behind. Local folktale told that this tamarind tree is much older than the current market building is.

Siranda Resevoir; a Remaining Piece of Semarang War History

Siranda Reservoir is an old clean water reservoir built during Dutch Colonial Era. A lettering on the wall mentions a text of '1912', this may indicates that the building is already there since more than hundred years ago. 

Siranda itself is relates with an uphill road, a transition road that connecting Semarang's down town to upper town area. The reservoir building is actually a dome-roofed building that covers with green grass layers over. A small copula tower with ventilation louvers is situated on the peak and around the roof domes. There are two reservoir domes in Siranda Reservoir complex. The new on is built around the year of 1923.

The older dome is the bigger one with its interesting main entry facade. A strong symmetrical arrangement that consists of a double louvered timber door in the center of the facade within timber louvered windows at both sides. A plaster arch shapes are strongly dressing the entry facade of the reservoir building.

The Siranda Reservoir is noted as one of the important part in related with Semarang history in related with five days war against Japanese invasion in the year of 1945. There was an incident that involving a young medical doctor who killed by Japanese trooper when he tried to do a verification regarding poisoned reservoir water. Dr. Kariadi, the name of the heroic doctor finally is memorialized as a name of the main public city hospital in Semarang City.