Revisiting some pre-war buildings

There has been a spate of refurbishment or renovation of prewar buildings recently. Some have been torn down and completely rebuilt, while others have their interiors redone and given a new coat of paint. It is apparent that the Chinese character of the old town itself is slowly but surely changing. I suppose it is a sign of progress as the old will have to give way to the new. But sadly, that sense of uniqueness and timelessness which these buildings evoke will be lost and the people will be poorer for that.

The rather sorry state of Tai Kong, the iconic goldsmith cum pawn shop belonging to one of the richest families in Batu Pahat.

A new coat of paint, and new signboard to advertise its new pawn shop business

This block of building which used to house a coffee shop, a barber shop and a tailoring shop at Jalan Sultanah has been torn down to make way for a high rise building.

The new block under construction

The old Ong Ban Hong Leong vehicle spare parts shop

After renovation, the windows of this building resemble pigeon holes

Part of a row of shop houses near the old market. I am not sure if it is going to be torn down or renovated. Only the other hand, at the opposite end of the row, the owner has given it a new coat of paint, and the motifs that embellish columns and beams of the shops have been carefully painted

After repainting

Note that the owner has retained the wood slatted windows. None of those aluminum glass windows for him