List of colonial buildings in Medan

A variety of infrastructure were constructed in the city of Medan during the colonial period of Dutch East Indies, which is now Indonesia. Following the establishment of the Deli Company in 1869, the city was transformed rapidly from a small kampong of a few hundred people into the largest city in Sumatra. When the Sultan of Deli moved his residence there in 1891, Medan became the capital of North Sumatra. Subsequent rapid development ushered in a western-centric architectural style used in a number of colonial buildings built in Medan. These buildings range from houses, offices, hotels, stores, houses of worship, hospitals, and schools. Despite its relatively late modernization compared to older cities like Jakarta and Makassar, Medan has an abundant colonial architectural heritage. 42 buildings have been officially declared of significant historical value.
Medan is divided into three settlements. The colonial settlement is the city centre and contains central government infrastructure, the shopping area of Kesawan, the military area between the Deli and the Babura Rivers, the affluent tropical garden city of Polonia, the central market, as well as various churches, hospitals, schools, factories, train stations, and the former airport. The Chinese settlement is a dense area on the eastern side of the Deli River, and intersects with Kesawan. The sprawling Muslim native settlement is located around three Muslim architectural works: the Istana Maimun, Istana Lama and the Great Mosque at the southern end of the city next to Kesawan and the Chinese settlements. Here, the Dutch redesigned the main buildings in an Orientalistic-Imperialist style, symbolising the dominance of the colony's cultural and political control.
Medan's architecture, was closely linked to Penang Island's, as wealthy residents and the colonial government hired British and Dutch architects from the Straits Settlements. The central open plaza was called the Esplanade, similar to the one in George Town; it is now called Lapangan Merdeka. Shophouse construction and facades mimic those in the Straits. Kesawan's architecture fuses Dutch-British Tropical styles. Like other Indies cities, junctions were designed as nodes, where the corner buildings have a unique facade facing the junction. These included towers, a rounded or oblique construction, or a set-back, giving each building a unique look resulting in different urban nodes. Examples include the AVROS building and the warenhuis.
Despite this abundance, many colonial buildings are being demolished or in threat of being demolished. Non-governmental organizations claimed that almost 90% of the 42 protected buildings had either been demolished or modified, despite provincial ruling No. 6/1988 which bans the tampering of these buildings. 73 buildings had not yet been protected; an example is the Mega Eltra building, constructed in 1912. It has since been demolished. Other heritage buildings that have been demolished are the Kerapatan building on Jl. Brig. Jen. Katamso, a bank building on Jl. Pemuda and the Public Works office on Jl. Listrik. These events are reasoned to the lack of city planning by the city's officials and the minimal awareness of history in Medan.

List of buildings

Eclecticism (before 20th century)

Some of the first colonial buildings of Medan were concentrated around the "Esplanade", the station area, and around the Sultan's palace. Many of the first buildings were simple wooden structures, such as the hoofdkantoor van de Deli Maatschappij te Medan, which during the time of its opening in 1870 was also used for a church, an administration building, a hospital and a feast hall, and the large wooden Old Sultan's Palace.

Last official name	Former names	Year	Architect	Location	Latest image	Oldest image
Agentschap van de NHM Demolished in 1930, on its site the Nederlands-Indische Handelsbank was constructed	Agentschap van de NHM	1888	anonymous
Dharma Deli Hotel	Hotel De Boer	1896-1898
Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata,	Deli vrijmetselaarsloge	1892	anonymous
Grand Hotel Medan	Hotel de Vink	1884
Hoofdkantoor van de Deli Maatschappij	Hoofdkantoor van de Deli Maatschappij	1869-1870	anonymous
Istana Maimun	Istana Maimun	26 August 1888 - 18 May 1891	Theo van Erp, Ferrari
Kerapatan Deli, first building	Delische Rijksraadgebouw		anonymous
Lapangan Merdeka	de Esplanade	1880	anonymous
Masjid Raya Al-Osmani Mosque		1872
Old Sultan's Palace	Istana Lama	late 19th-century
Paleis van de Tengku Besar van Deli	Istana Tengku Besar Deli	late 19th-century
Piaggio/Vespa		1900s
Seng Hap	生合	1900	anonymous
Rumah Sakit PT Perkebunan Nusantara II Tembakau Deli, "PT Perkebunan Nusantara II Deli Tobacco Hospital"	Hospitaal Deli Maatschappij	1885
Rumah Tjong A Fie	張阿輝故居	1900s
Sociëteit De Witte	Sociëteit De Witte	1882
Standard Chartered Bank	Ambtswoning van de resident van het Oostkust van Sumatra, Governor's house in Medan	1898	anonymous

Rationalism and Traditionalism (1900s – 1920s)

New technological possibilities gradually transformed the architectural style used in Medan into a modern form. Two architectural movements appeared in the Netherlands and the Netherlands East Indies: Dutch Rationalism and Traditionalism.
The works of Hendrik Petrus Berlage were the main inspiration for Dutch Rationalism; the subsequent style in the tropical climate of Indonesia is known as the New Indies Style. The style is the result of an attempt to develop new solutions to integrate traditional precedents with new technological possibilities. The best example in Medan is the Medan Post Office, a fusion of Romanesque arch, traditional Dutch-styled gables, and new technology.
The Traditionalist movement appeared in the 1910s. It is basically the revival of the late 19th-century eclecticism, but was inspired mainly by classicism. The best examples in Medan are Bank Indonesia and the old Medan City Hall. Unlike earlier low-quality architecture, the new traditionalist movement made use of modern materials, for example reinforced concrete and steel frames behind its classical facade. The classical facades are mostly of natural stone. The monumental character of this style was popular for offices, warehouses and garages.

Last official name	Former names	Year	Architect	Location	Latest image	Oldest image
Chung Chow School	祌州学校
Abandoned building	Hoofdkantoor van Deli Maatschappij, head office of the Deli Company, Director's Office of PT Perkebunan IX	1910	D. Berendse
Angkatan Muda Pembaharuan Indonesia	Medan's Warenhuis, Kantor Departemen Tenaga Kerja Tk. I Sumut	1919	G. Bos
Asuransi Jasindo	Stoormvaartmaatschappij Nederland en Rotterdamse Lloyd; Nederlands-Indische Handelsbank, NIH	early 20th-century
Asuransi Jiwasraya	Nederlandsch-Indische Levensverzekerings en Lijfrente Maatschappij	1919	Thomas Karsten
Bank Indonesia	De Javasche Bank	1909	Eduard Cuypers
Bioskop Bali	Oranje Bioscoop; Gedung Kesenian; Restoran April Mop; Bioskop Bali	1908	possibly BOW
BKS PPS,	AVROS	1918	G.H. Mulder
Dharma Niaga	Carl Schlieper	1919
Ford Motors Reparatie Werkplaats	Ford Motors Reparatie Werkplaats
Gedung Balai Kota Lama	Raadhuis, Gemeentehuis Medan	1908-1909	Ch. M. Boon
Gereja Kristen Indonesia Sumatera Utara	Gereformeerde Kerk	1918	Tj. Kuipers
HKBP Sudirman Medan	Elisabethkerk	1 August 1912
Kantor Gubernur Sumatera Utara	Proefstation Deli Tabak	1913
Kantor Pos Medan	Medan Post- en telegraafkantoor	1909-1911	S. Snuyf
Katholiek schoolinternaat,		1920	anonymous
Kerapatan Deli, second building	Delische Rijksraadgebouw	1912
Kereta Api Divisi Regional I Sumatera Utara	Hoofdkantoor van de Deli Spoorweg Maatschappij	1918	Th. Karsten
London Sumatera	Harrisons & Crossfield	1909
Masjid Raya Medan	Grote Moskee Masjid Raya	1909	Van Erp, JA Tingdeman
Mega Eltra	Lindeteves-Stokvis ; BPM	1912
Tirtanadi Water Tower	Watertoren van Ajer Beresih Waterleiding Maatschappij en omgeving	1908
Pasar Boender,	Pasar Petissah, Pasar Petisah	1915	anonymous
Pengadilan Negeri Medan dan Pengadilan Tinggi Sumatera Utara,	Raad van Justitie	1911
Petodjo Ice Factory	N.V. IJsmaatschappij 'Petodjo'	1920	anonymous
Pusat Penelitian Kelapa Sawit Medan,	AVROS-proetstation voor de rubbercultuur te Kampong Baroe	1918
Telkom	Telefoondienst van de DSM

Modernism (1920s-1940s)

This period saw the emergence of Modernism and its varieties, namely Art Deco, Nieuwe Bouwen, Amsterdam School and other variations. Art Deco evolved from earlier Dutch Rationalism. The form is symmetrical and exudes technological progress and glamour, with rich colors and bold geometric shapes.
In the following period between the late 1930s and 1940s, Art Deco evolved into a new style known as Nieuwe Bouwen or Functionalism. Instead of creating decorative styles on the facade, the architect creates style in the clear arrangement of space. These Nieuwe Bouwen buildings were less symmetrical and more expressive in form, using simple universal form such as cylinders or tubes, apparent in buildings such as the de Rex cinema building, now the Ria Restaurant and the new building of the Medan railway station. Architect J.M. Groenewegen has made his mark on many of Medan's Nieuwe Bouwen buildings.
Medan also became the ground for the implementation of Amsterdam School-styled buildings not found in many parts of Indonesia. The St. Elizabeth's hospital by J.M. Groenewegen and the original plan of Centrale Pasar show the influence of the Amsterdam School.

Last official name	Former names	Year	Architect	Location	Latest image	Oldest image
	Gemeentelijke Vismarkt
	Stork	1920s
Bank BNI Kesawan	Chartered Bank of India, China and Australia
Bank Danamon Kesawan	Bank of China 中国银行	1930
Bank Mandiri	Nederlandsch-Indische Escompto Maatschappij	1927	Fermont-Cuypers
Bank Mandiri	Nederlands-Indische Handelsbank	1940	C.P. Wolff Schoemaker
Bank Mandiri Medan Lapangan Merdeka	de Factorij, Nederlandse Handel-Maatschappij ; Gunseikanbu ; Bank Exim	1929	J. de Bruijn
Bata	Warenhuis Cornfield	1951	H. van den Heuvel
Pusat Pasar	Centrale Pasar 大巴刹 Toa Pa Sat		J.H. Valk
Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata,	Boekhandel en Drukkerij Varekamp & Co., Drukkerij J. Hallermann	1926
Gereja Bala Keselamatan,	Weeshuis Leger des Heils; internment camp	Jan 18, 1937
Immanuel Church	Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk	1921
HKBP Uskup Agung	Batak Protestantschekerk	25 September 1927
Katedral Medan,	Rooms-Katholieke Kerk,	January 30, 1928	J.M. Groenewegen
Kesawan 34		First half of 20th-century
Museum Perjuangan TNI	Arnhemse Levensverzekeringsmaatschappij,	1930	J.M. Groenewegen
Oranjeschool	Oranjeschool	1941	J.M. Groenewegen
Paradiso Swimming Pool	Zwembad Medan, Zwembad Djalan Radja, Zwembad van de Medansche Zwemvereeniging	1939	J.M. Groenewegen
PD Pasar	de Rotonde; Djawatan Penerangan Propinsi Sumatera Utara
Perguruan Kristen Immanuel,	Prinses Beatrix school	1938	J.M. Groenewegen
Perusahaan Listrik Negara, Medan	Nederlandsch Indische Gasmaatschappij
PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV	Handelsvereniging 'Amsterdam'	1924	Hulswit-Fermont-Cuypers
Restoran Ria	de Rex	1930s
Restoran Tiptop		1934
Rumah Dinas Gubernur Sumatera Utara, "North Sumatra Governor's Residence"	Woning van 'eilandgewest' Sumatra ; Ambtswoning van de gouverneur van de Oostkust van Sumatra	1939
Rumah Sakit Militer Putri Hijau,	Kantoor van Deli Planters Vereeniging en Immigranten Bureau	1920s?
Rumah Sakit Santa Elisabeth,	Sint-Elisabeth Ziekenhuis	1929-1930	J.M. Groenewegen
Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah Dr. Pirngadi	Gemeente Ziekenhuis, ; Syuritsu Byusono Ince	August 11, 1928
Sutomo School	Su Tung School 蘇東中學	1926	anonymous
SMPN 1 Medan,	Gouvernements Muloschool Medan	Early 1920s	anonymous
Stasiun Kereta Api Medan,	Station, Medan Station	1937
Taman Sri Deli	Derikanpark	1931-1932