Former Standard Charter Bank

Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas


One of the most handsome pieces of architecture around Merdeka Sq, this was the Standard Charter Bank when first built in 1891. It's currently closed.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas attractions

1. National Textiles Museum

0.02 MILES

This excellent themed museum occupies an elegant Mogul-style building originally constructed for the railway works department. The lower floors cover the…

2. KL City Gallery

0.03 MILES

The former Government Printing Office of the British Malaya Administration was designed by AC Norman and J Russell and built 1898. It now houses a small…

3. Victorian Fountain

0.07 MILES

This fountain dating from 1904 is said to have been built in memory of an inspector of the Selangor Military; at one time horses would have lapped water…

4. Sultan Abdul Samad Building

0.11 MILES

Seizing attention with its 41m clock tower, coppery domes and lacy arches, this was the first public building in Malaysia designed in the Mogul (or Indo…

5. Merdeka Square

0.11 MILES

The huge open square, where Malaysian independence was declared in 1957, is speared by a 95m flagpole, one of the world's tallest. In the British era, the…

6. Medan Pasar

0.15 MILES

Pedestrianised Medan Pasar was once the heart of Chinatown. Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, often cited as one of KL's founders, lived here, and in addition to…

7. RUANG by Think City

0.16 MILES

The urban rejuvenation outfit Think City has taken over the elegant art deco OCBC building, originally designed in 1938 by British architect Arthur Oakley…

8. Royal Selangor Club

0.16 MILES

Founded in 1884, this exclusive members-only social club is where the running-and-drinking club, the Hash House Harriers, kicked off in 1938. The present…