KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — The 113-year-old Seri Negara finally reopened its doors to the wider public in December 2025 after an intensive 10-month restoration exercise.
The round-the-clock restoration work, led by Khazanah Nasional under the Warisan KL initiative, uncovered many fascinating facets of the heritage building’s colourful past.
Seri Negara was constructed in 1913 on Bukit Carcosa — which gets its name from the Carcosa that was built in 1898 for the British Resident-General of the Federated Malay States.
Fun fact: The Perdana Lake located in the vicinity was once called Lake Sydney, named after the wife of Sir Frank Swettenham, the first British Resident-General of the Federated Malay States.
The Seri Negara served as the official residence for the High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States and later, for the High Commissioner of Malaya.
The country’s Constitution was also drafted and deliberated in Seri Negara, culminating in the signing of the Independence Agreement by the nine Malay Rulers and the last British High Commissioner here in 1957.
After Malaya’s independence, Seri Negara served as Istana Tetamu, the state guest house, hosting eminent dignitaries like King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit of Thailand as well as Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia.
The Carcosa and Seri Negara were later turned into a luxury boutique hotel in 1989, which eventually ceased operations in 2015.
Both buildings became popular in the 2018 rom-com, Crazy Rich Asians, as the majestic Young mansion.
The inner part of the mansion was filmed in Carcosa, while the outer facade was shot at Seri Negara.
What was discovered and restored?
ThinkCity conservation advisor Justin Khoo, who was involved in the restoration exercise, said the primary goal was to keep Seri Negara as close as possible to its appearance during the Merdeka era — the period when it was most significant.
That, however, turned out to be a challenging endeavour — right from the entrance.
Khoo said the orientation of the grand timber staircase, originally located on the right side of the entrance, was flipped to the left side when the building operated as a boutique hotel.
The staircase has now been reinstated to its original orientation.
“We tried to rebuild the staircase as close as possible to what we saw in archival photos and early floor plans.
“The staircase and floors were restored using locally-sourced Merbau timber,” Khoo told Malay Mail during a media tour recently.
Khoo said old photographs and historical drawings were also used to reinstate several framed transom windows to their original design.
The lower steps at the arrival entrance, which gradually got buried beneath the raised road levels, were also restored and overlaid with new layers of mosaic and ceramic tiles.
“Some additional interior and exterior extensions, installed when the hotel was operating here, were also dismantled,” Khoo added.
Interestingly, conservation workers also uncovered a dog grave, said to be the pet of Sir Henry Gurney.
The grave was marked by a small plaque with the dog’s name, Rudi Von Rosentor, on it.
Gurney served as the British High Commissioner to Malaya from 1948 and resided in Seri Negara before he was assassinated by communist insurgents in 1951.
Sadly, one of the Seri Negara’s historical treasures — the dining table where the historic signing of the Independence Agreement happened — was lost in time.
Only a replica of the table is placed in one of the exhibition galleries, featuring mockups of the signed agreement.
Seri Negara currently has four galleries, narrating the timeline of Malaysia’s independence and modernisation.
What’s next for Seri Negara and Carcosa?
Khazanah Nasional is currently constructing a 600-metre pedestrian bridge to link Seri Negara to the Botanical Gardens.
The bridge is developed in partnership with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and is supported by the Finance Ministry.
“A guiding principle for our projects is inclusivity. We wanted Seri Negara to be more accessible to the wider public.
“In that context, it made sense to connect the site to the Perdana Botanical Gardens,” Khazanah said in an email reply to Malay Mail.
The elevated, canopy-style walkway is targeted for completion by the end of 2026.
Khazanah also plans to convert Carcosa into an eco-sanctuary hotel, but stressed that the complex process requires careful planning, operator selection and adherence to conservation standards.
