Constructed in 1930 as the residence of the Indonesian-born architect Charles Prosper Wolff Schoemaker, this house is a cultural landmark. Considered one of the best Indonesian architects of his time, Charles Schoemaker rigorously explored the relationship between European designs and vernacular expression, blending ancient decorative elements and architectural features with modern architectural design, and his own residence was no exception. Located in a northern residential district, in the town of Bandung the house epitomizes his architectural vision.

Although the house was registered as being of special historical and architectural worth, the owners made plans to replace it with a modern structure in order to provide commercial spaces for lease and in 1995 demolition works began on the building. The intervention of the Bandung Society for Heritage Conservation led to the building’s rescue and agreement was reached with the owners to restore the building and adapt it for use as commercial space.

With a tight budget of a maximum of US$50,000 and a construction time frame of only five months, a conservation team was formed in January 1996, including young architects and students from the local design institutes. Therefore, in addition to conserving a historical landmark, the restoration project also served as a practical training workshop for students.

After restoration works were completed a schedule of maintenance and suggestions for conservation were provided to the owners in order to ensure its ongoing upkeep. The restored property now houses a commercial bank branch and offices of local airline.

The restoration commenced with a thorough photographic and architectural documentation of the house. Past research papers on Schoemaker and his numerous design projects provided insight into the design of the residence and assisted in the reconstruction of the parts of the house that had already been demolished.

The objective of the project was to restore the building as much as possible to its original appearance. As a result, original material and features were retained and restored wherever possible. For example, the interior and exterior woodwork was stripped of paint and varnished, while original brass fixtures were repaired and polished.

There was difficulty, however, in obtaining some of the original materials. In the investigation stage it was discovered, for example, that the original roofing had been sirap tiles, which had been replaced with terracotta tiles in the 1950s. Although the restoration team wanted to restore the building to its original appearance, sirap tiles were expensive and difficult to obtain. As a result, the terracotta tiles installed during the 1950s were retained. A number of other problems also came up, such as the difficulty in finding matching material to replace the missing panels of the glass ceiling in the central interior passageway. Similarly, in restoring the decorative wrought zinc ceilings, a popular feature of the 1920’s, certain parts had to be removed because surrounding sections which complemented the design could not be obtained.

Restoration has offered a new lease of life to the building and conserved a significant landmark that can now be utilized by the community. Furthermore, since the restored building now features as an attraction in cultural tours of the city, the project has illustrated the viability of heritage landmarks as attractions for tourists and the potential of heritage conservation to boost Bandung’s tourism industry. Also, the pride exhibited by the owners and the effective adaptive reuse of the residence has provided encouragement and initiative to the community in preserving the built heritage of Bandung.

In addition, the project has served as an opportunity to train the future generation in conservation skills. By equipping architecture and design students with experience and techniques in a real-life situation, this project has paved the way for future conservation of Bandung’s other heritage buildings.

The restoration and reconstruction of Residence of Charles Prosper Wolff Schoemaker is the result of the heroic effort of the Bandung Society for Heritage Conservation to rescue the residence of an influential Bandung architect from demolition. The project, of adapting a residence for reuse as a bank, demonstrates to the business community the viability of reusing historic structures for commercial purposes. It also proves that perseverance and activism in support of cultural heritage conservation is indeed worth the effort.