 |
| Gedung Merdeka Bandung, Indonesia |
 |
| Gedung Sate Bandung, West Java Governor office. |
 |
| Conference Hall of the Bandung Conference (Asian–African Conference 1955). |
 |
| The Savoy Homann Hotel at Bandung |
Europe in The Tropics
In it's heyday, Bandung would have been almost like any other quaint little European city, with its architecture and cool climates.
The architects influenced by the Art Deco movement conceived buildings that were not only practical for the tropics, but imbued with character too. Several of these illustrious building can be seen along Jl Asia Afrika in central Bandung.
Gedung Merdeka (formely Gedung Sociateit Concordia), once a gathering place for Bandung European community was first renovated by Schoemaker in 1921 and then added to by Aalbers two decade later.
The building is now home to the Museum of the Asia African Conference, in honour of the intercontinental meeting of heads of state in 1955. Across the road, is the Warenhuis de Vries, the city's first department store.
Just a short walk from this iconic building is The Savoy Homann, a still functioning Art Deco Hotel built by the Homann family from German in the late 1800s. The building served as Guest House for wealthy plantation owners for whom Bandung was a leisure and shopping destination.
In 1939 the building was re-designed by Aalbers to reflect the tastes of the period. During The Dutch East Indies era, famous guest at The Savoy Homann included silver screen idols Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickord.
Other buildings of architectural note include Gedung Sate and Museum Geologi (both along Jl Diponegoro). De Javasche bank building (Bank of Indonesia) on Jl Braga, St Pieters Church on Jl Merdeka and Villa Isola that was designed by Schoemaker for media tycoon Dominique Berretty.
