Skyrocketing Shophouses in Penang

When you visit Malaysia, a common feature you will notice is the prewar shophouses just like the ones in the image below. These are shophouses found in the inner-city of Penang Island. These shophouses retain almost the original look especially in the color scheme and the facade.

The standard features of these prewar shophouses are their high ceiling, wide wooden frontdoor, wood-panel windows out front while windows upstairs have full length shutters and natural ventilation from the placement of the wooden strips on the panel. These shophouses come in various sizes, one shophouse can be of 10ft by 36ft size, while another can be 17ft by 100ft. Shophouses are normally of two floors but can be as high as three floors in densely populated locations.

These shophouses have been refurbished and repainted in various color schemes.

When Penang was gazetted a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, prices of these prewar shophouses have been going up ever since. Currently in Penang, the price of such a heritage building has reached RM2,000 per sq ft along prime streets — equivalent to the price of the poshest Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) condominium unit.

A glimpse of other famous heritage buildings in Penang..

Bought for RM2mil in 2008, Campbell House in Jalan Campbell is a 10-room hotel owned by Malaysia-born Nadya Wray and her Italian husband, Roberto Dreon.

Sold: The Nam Wah Hotel property on Lebuh Chulia was sold for RM7mil recently.

Old is gold: Located within the heritage zone, the centre shophouse (painted in yellow and white) in Lorong Carnarvon was sold for RM1.2mil while the derelict unit on the left sold for about RM700,000.

For more information on shophouses in Penang, read The Star..Skyrocketing shophouses

All images here are from The Star