Customs House, Bangkok

The Customs House

The old Customs House in Bangkok (Thai: ศุลกสถาน, RTGS: Sunlakasathan) is a historic building built in 1888. It was designed by Joachim Grassi. Built in the Palladian style, it is a fine example of the prevalent use of Western architecture in public buildings during Siam (Thailand)'s modernisation under the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).[1] The building sits on the eastern bank of the Chao Phraya River in Bang Rak District, on Soi Charoen Krung 36, and was symbolically considered the gateway to the country. The customs office moved to Khlong Toei Port in 1949, and the building later came to serve as residences for staff of the Bang Rak Fire Station. The building has much deteriorated since, and while multiple plans for its restoration were proposed, none came to fruition. In 2005, real estate consortium Natural Park won a 30-year concession from the Treasury Department (which administers the building as state property) to renovate the site as an Aman Resorts hotel. However, in the ten years since, no development had taken place, due to difficulties in relocating the previous tenants. The residents finally moved out in early 2016,[2] and the Treasury Department confirmed in 2017 that the project would go ahead under Natural Park's successor, the U City company.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Pittayawattanachai, Piriya (2011). สถาปัตยกรรมของโยอาคิม กราซีในสยาม [The Architecture of Joachim Grassi in Siam] (PDF) (Thesis) (in Thai). Silpakorn University. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  2. ↑ Citrinot, Luc (4 April 2016). "Once Again, Some Hope for Bangkok's Old Customs House". Bangkok 101. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  3. ↑ Chantanusornsiri, Wichit (17 July 2017). "Treasury to kick-start delayed projects". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 29 July 2017.

Coordinates: 13°43′31″N 100°30′50″E / 13.72528°N 100.51389°E / 13.72528; 100.51389

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