KOTA KINABALU, March 16 — One of Sabah’s last pre-war buildings, the old Post Office, that has become one of the city’s landmarks, marks its milestone as a centenarian today.

The two-storey building remains one of three structures — the Atkinson clock tower and the Land and Survey building are the other two — that did not get bombed during World War 2.

Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said it is very rare to witness a centenary anniversary of a structure such as this one as Jesselton (the old name for Kota Kinabalu) was almost in ruins during the war.

"Today it is one of the 24 heritage sites gazetted in Sabah. We hope our next generation will conserve and learn to love our history,” he said.

The building used to sit on the waterfront of Jesselton, but now sits on the edge of the central business district of the city, along Gaya street.

It was originally designed and its construction supervised by a Public Works Department executive engineer JW Norman with Ong Seng Teck as the main contractor.

Construction started in 1916 and it was officially completed and officiated by British North Borneo Charter Company Governor AC Pearson on March 16, 1918 and declared "the best in Borneo.”

It was occupied by the government’s printing department until 1935 when they moved back to Sandakan. In 1936, the building was then converted to accommodate the Audit, Treasury, Bank and Post Department.

According to records, during the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945, it was occupied by the Yokohama Specie Bank, Treasury and Posts.

An old photo of Jesselton with the historical building on the left when it was fronting the sea.

After the war, it was used for temporary shelter by the Attorney General, Resident’s Office, District Office and Town Board in addition to those already there until they moved out in the 1950s with the exception of the Posts and Telegraphs.

In 1957, extensive renovation was carried out on the building.

It was used as the Post Office until September 15, 1986 when they moved to their new premises.

It was also gazetted as a historical building in July 1988 and underwent restoration again in 1989 and opened on January 19, 1991, to house the Sabah Tourism Promotion Board, now the Sabah Tourism Board Office.

Through the decades, it kept its 100 ft frontage and 40 ft depth and maintains its architectural design.

On March 16, 2011, a spot in front of the building was earmarked as Kilometre Zero or KM0 by the Royal Institute of Surveyors, Sabah to mark it as the starting measuring point of all the places in Sabah.

"This is a historical moment for the city as it adds value and characteristic to its landscape. It is also a milestone for Sabah Tourism, its employees as well as the public to witness a centennial celebration of a heritage building,” said Bangkuai.

To celebrate its history, Bangkuai said a series of activities have been organised leading to March 16, today.

Events will be held at the building location and stretching as far as the end of Gaya Street for the ‘Night @ Gaya Street’, for food outlets, food trucks and vendors to operate till extended hours that day.

The North Borneo History Society will put up a virtual reality booth for public to ‘experience’ Jesselton as a city in the past while the Sabah Animation Creative Content Centre will put up the first ever 3D projection mapping showcasing the history of the building.

There will also be a 100 metre long cake co-hosted by Sabah Tourism and Shangri-la’s Tanjung Aru Resort.

Public are welcome to join in the event and road closure notice will be announced on press and social media. Motorists are also encouraged to find alternative ways to Gaya Street.