Enjoying the Holiday through Observed the H.Spiegel Building

H. Spiegel building (left side) visible on a postcard from the Dutch-Indies era (source: Olivier Johannes) 

Happy New Year! Its 2013 already and this holiday, was really a breakthrough for my history passion because of I met a lot of people and saw a lots of chance also supports to preserve the historical asset in Semarang city. One of them is Mas Khrisna, an Architect who works for Balai Pelestarian Peninggalan Purbakala (eng: Historical Preservation Council) who have an ideas to increase the awareness of Semarang people about the importance of Kota Lama (eng: Old Town) preservation through an event this October. He choosed a building, formerly used by NV Spiegel, to become the site of this event who has a theme Kuno-Kini-Nanti (eng: previous-now-future), such a history exhibition like Pameran Sentiling 1914, but this in the large scale. As His plan to renovate then re-functioned this building, He want to socialize it to the people in Semarang, through this event  the importance of this building and all of the heritage asset in Old Town generally. Thus He need people to support it, and one of them were me and my friends from @lopenSMG. Tuesday, January 2^nd 2013, we were invited by Mas Khrisna to observe the current condition of Spiegel building, then here we go!

The Spiegel Building, front facade.
 taken on 2007

The Spiegel building, still in good contion from the outside, some of its details are remaining visible on its facade. There is a combination of decorative pattern in round shapes and horizontal lines on the facade walls.  The entrance is situated at the corner side of the building, faced directly to the street without any courtyard in front of it, a common building form in Kota Lama. Moving inside to the building, there’s a large hall with four green pillars who functioned as a 2^nd floor buffer. The floor was formed by marble, but the condition were badly damaged because of once its functioned as a workshop for the heavy equipment. Moving to the 2^nd floor, we’ll goonna walk through the wooden staircase which the condition is getting rotten. So as the condition on the 2^nd floor, who formed from teak wood, its also already getting rotten.  Thus mas khrisna iniciate to covers it by plastic sheet, in order to protect it from the raindrop who often come inside the building because of the leaked roof. Next I moved the balcony, and suddenly the scenery of Kota Lama on the evening fascinated me. Then I imagined, how it was on the past? Where Kota lama still as the centre of people activity in Semarang city.

Inside the Spiegel Building, upon the 2nd Floor,
its appears what Mas Khrisna did, with
covered the floor with plastic sheet in order
to protect the wooden floor from the raindrop.

Generally, the building condition are 80%. But to renovate it and brought it as it origin condition , its couldn’t be easy. There’s a lot of recast by its former owner, who functioned it as the workshop. Then another problem like leaked roof, that almost happened in every corner of the building also wooden structure which already rotten. Anyway, there’s nothing that couldn’t be realize if we give our best isn’t? Just like my favourite Javanese quotes from my friends Mas Gatot, “Dalan kui raono nek alase rak dibabat, desa kui raono yen alase ora dibuka, lan kutha kui rak kedaden nek raono desa” (eng: In the Jungle, there will be no way if the bush aren’t cleared away, there’s no village if the timberland aren’t opened, and there’s no town if there’s no village who formed it). Cheers up! The hardwork are heading in the way ;)