Gedung Kuning was formerly known as Rumah Bendahara before the late Haji Yusoff 'Tali Panggang' bought it in 1912. Bendahara in Malay meant "Chief Minister" and therefore it was home to Malay officials. The architecture of this building was fashioned after the Italian architect Andrea Palladio (1508 – 1580) designed Palladian-style houses in Italy. Two houses were built in this manner when the British came. One was built as the Sultan’s palace (Istana) and the other was built for the Chief Minister.
1. Who used to live in this house located at 73 Sultan Gate?
Its first occupant was to be Tengku Mahmud, heir to the Sultan's throne (Cornelius-Takahama, 1999). In 1912, a Malay businessman and philanthropist by the name of Haji Yusoff Bin Haji Mohamed Noor bought the Rumah Bendahara. Haji Yusoff was affectionately known as ‘Tali Panggang’ because of his trade as a belt merchant.
2. Why was the mansion painted yellow?
The mansion at 73 Sultan Gate only got its name, “Gedung Kuning” which means yellow mansion after 2003. It was painted yellow because yellow signified the royal colour of the Malays (Cornelius-Takahama, 1999).
References
1. http://www.gedungkuning.com/
2. http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_748_2004-12-24.html
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