The Residency Of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra

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Historical Background

The Residency building is located at Lot 43-45, Jalan Dato Onn, Kuala Lumpur. The building is titled under Arkib Negara Malaysia and the land is belong to Federal Government.

In 1978, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra expressed hope that the Residency will be preserved as a National Monument. The Residency is historical, as it had housed the first British Resident, the first Chief Minister of Malaya, and then the first Prime Minister of Malaysia. Numerous official functions and activities have taken place within the walls of the Residency.

During British rule, the Residency was the official home of the British Resident of Selangor. In 1880, it was re-sited from Klang to its present side by the British Resident of Selangor, Captain W. Bloomfield Douglas at Brockman Road later renamed Jalan Dato’ Onn by Tunku in 1963. In 1888, Sir Frank Swettenham attempted a reconstruction of the Residency, on the same site, taking care to maintain the essential character of the original building. The entire structure was completed in 1889 and continued to be occupied by subsequent British Residents of Selangor until the outbreak of World War Two.

According to Tunku Ahmad Nerang who is a son of Tunku Abdul Rahman, the two-storey house was big the grounds around it were so large that it took eight servants and 20 gardeners to maintain it. Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra and his family stayed at The Residency for 14 years from the time he assumed the leadership of the country in 1956 until he stepped down in 1970. According to New Straits Times on 8 July 1992, page 1 and 2, Tunku Ahmad Nerang also stressed that his father had always wanted The Residency building in Jalan Datuk Onn to be preserved. He has also mentioned that the government could not have chosen a better place for the memorial for his father. In 1971, when Tunku Abdul Rahman was attending a conference in Jeddah, he found out that the building was to be demolished to make way for new building. Tunku Abdul Rahman immediately called the then Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein to request that the building be spared.

Several rooms in The Residency, comprising the study, the master bedroom and resting room will be preserved with their original furniture and knick-knacks. For example, the study where the late Tunku spent a great deal of his time, will contain the original table and chair, steel cabinet and two guest chairs while the bedroom will be decorated with the two single beds fitted with mosquito netting. A round table and four chairs will also be placed at the bedroom’s balcony where the late Tunku used to have his morning tea.




This building is listed as National Heritage under the National Heritage act


huge balcony


Tunku's Bedroom

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