Old Photos Around Suleiman Court

The stairs going up to higher ground opposite Odeon Cinema. Now is the bus stops between Sogo and Pertama Complex.

The row of shops in the background are at the junction of Campbell Road and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. The corner shop is Odeon Cafe. Photo is taken in 1964. If you enlarge the photo, you can see some torn up posters of the 1964 General Election on the stone wall.

Part of Block A in the background. 

The curve stairway to the DBKL office at Block C. 

The common corridor where we used to play rollerskates, hopscotch, throw slipper at picture cards game, rubber band jumping game, etc.

The holes on the corridor wall were used to hold long bamboo pole for drying cloths. We also used them as launching pad for 'flrework rockets' to the opposite block during Chinese new years. 

The new two way street of Jalan Raja Laut. The white car is on Jalan Kuching. There were many night time accidents of car driving off Jalan Kuching into the Gombak river.

The trees in the background is where Pertama Complex is now. This picture is taken beside Block C next to Jalan Raja Laut.

Growing Up in Sulaiman Court KL

By Alex Lye

Sulaiman Court was Malaysia's first apartment building.. the original high-rise community! Constructed in the early '60s, this was Kuala Lumpur's (and Malaysia's) tallest building in those days.

A.k.a. Mido Flats in the earlier days because of the huge neon Mido Watch signboard hanging on top of one of the 3 blocks, the Sulaiman Court community comprised 520 families resting on slightly more than 2 acres of land.

Exactly where Sogo stands today, Sulaiman Court was smack in the middle of everything that went on, overlooking the city from its vantage point on an island between 4 of KL's major roads: Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Campbell and Jalan Hang Jebat.

Sandwiched between 2 of KL's earliest shopping malls (Pertama Complex and Campbell Complex), with Odeon Cinema, Coliseum and Globe Silk Store within sight and reach, this was Kuala Lumpur's prime location in the '60s and '70s, until they demolished it in 1984 to make way for development.. Sogo!

Growing up in Sulaiman Court, we have fond memories of..
..Lee Wong Kee Restaurant where many chinese weddings and anniversaries were held,
..F&N factory where we bought special-sized 350ml glass bottles of sarsi and ice-cream soda for festivities and celebrations,
..the infamous Kowloon backlane pondan hangout,
..KL's most popular hokkien mee for many a supper,
..Rose Chan's night club & cabaret next door for the unruly hormones,
..KL's upmarket departmental store May May across the street selling British wares,
.. the then-popular Lifting Shirts where our fathers bought their working clothes,
..Kee Huat Radio selling electrical products,
..one of the earliest music shops C. Nang Hong,
..Shanghai Furniture where royalties and VIPs came to shop for authentic Shanghainese furniture.. the list goes on and on!

The boys and girls of Sulaiman Court have since grown up to become illustrious personalities and influential characters.. these include Country Head of one of the world's leading IT companies, former state badminton player, and some famous and infamous names.

Ah.. the good old Sulaiman Court days! This group is dedicated to those who grew up there, had friends there, hung out there, and had memories there. Sign up folks, if you still remember the glory days, and tell us all about your fondest Sulaiman Court memories!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15212120132

200 former residents of Suleiman Court reminisce at gathering

By CHARLES FERNANDEZ, TheStar

Tuesday August 21, 2007

THE feelings of nostalgia ran high as more than 200 former residents of Suleiman Court, the first high-rise building in Kuala Lumpur, where the Sogo Shopping Complex stands today, held a gathering at the PDRM golf course in Titiwangsa.

It was a time to reminisce – to talk about the enjoyable experiences these former residents and their families had there in the past.

Had it still stood, the building would be 50-years-old this year.

Many of them who came for the gathering were bachelors when they moved into Suleiman Court.

The three-blocks of high-rise low-cost residential flats with 295 units, known to KLites as the Mido flats because of the huge watch advertisement board on the rooftop of one of the blocks was the pride of the city then.

It was a landmark building initiated by the first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman as he wanted to give affordable low-cost flats for the people within Kuala Lumpur.
The Tunku wanted these flats to be completed as soon as possible and have residents move in before Independence Day in 1957.

Former resident and Suleiman Court Residents pro-tem committee assistant chairman Karuna Netty said the Tunku had come personally to make sure the flats were in order.

“I was told that during one of Tunku’s visits, there were only 13 families who had moved in and he was not happy with the conditions and told the authority to rectify the defects,” said Karuna.

The 13 families were temporarily moved somewhere near the Campbell (now Dang Wangi) police station until the defects were corrected.

“Many were afraid to live in high-rise flats and the Tunku, to encourage more people to move in, waived the rent for the first six months,” said Karuna.
Then the joy of being the first batch of people to live in the first pre-independence high-rise flats turned to despair when the residents were asked to vacate their units as the building was to be torn down.

And in 1986, after just 29 years, the last two residents moved out making way for the demolition of Suleiman Court and the dream of the people and that of the late Bapa Malaysia was reduced to dust.

“Today, 21 years after parting ways, we have gotten together to reminisce.

“If the building was still standing today, it would be 50-years-old and we would be an important part of the Merdeka Day celebrations,” said Karuna.

S.A. Muthu, 73, and Goh Chok Ling, 68, said they vividly remember the quiet days they had there.

They said life was much less hectic then and the only comfort they had was that everything was within walking distance.

“Some of the old landmarks that still stand today are the Odeon and Coliseum theatres and the Globe Silk Stores. We even walked to Merdeka Stadium to be a part of the big day on August 31, 1957,” they said.

Goh said he was 18-years-old when his family was one of the first to move in and they operated a coffee shop in Block C while the family stayed in Block A.

Muthu said he had a feeling of sadness when he was told to vacate his premises and was given an alternate housing unit in Bandar Baru Sentul.

The History Of Suleiman Court

Suleiman Courts was the first high-rise apartment building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The building was constructed at the direction of Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, who intended the Courts to provide affordable housing.

The Courts were built in 1957, as the Federation of Malaya neared official independence from the United Kingdom. Tunku Abdul Rahman had hoped for the building to be not just complete, but already occupied, in time for Hari Merdeka (the official proclamation of independence) on August 31; however, the first apartments were not occupied until February of 1958.

The three blocks of the Courts (Block A, Block B, and Block C) were located on Batu Road (now Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman), and had 295 apartments between them. They were demolished in 1986, to make room for the Sogo shopping complex.
Source: Wikipedia

This black and white photo was taken in 1964. In the background is Block B. Behind the people in the photo is a small field. This family seating on the foyer seat facing Odeon Cinema.

Sogo shopping complex has now replaced Suleiman Court.