When Ancient and Present Share in Philatelic Buildings

From a collector to becoming more famous -

Syefri Luwis

When Ancient and Present Share in the Philately Building

The Jakarta Philately Building on Jalan Pos Pasar Baru is now part of the Pos Bloc, after being made into a kind of city hall, a place for urban people to gather and eat snacks. The class A cultural properties building which is an asset of PT Pos Indonesia is now boisterous and lively. In Pos Bloc covering an area of 2400 square meters, there are coffee shops, rice stalls, art stalls, to “warungs” for recreation and relaxation. Various activities were also held there, from book discussions to fashion shows. Revitalizing or reviving the building which was founded in 1923 certainly requires accurate planning and curation, as well as the will and determination of the building owner.

Why does it need a determination? Because revitalizing cultural properties buildings must meet a number of conditions as stated in Law No. 11 Year 2010 concerning Cultural Conservation, one of which is not allowed to change the original shape of the outside of the building. Revitalization which means rearranging the function of space, cultural values, and strengthening information about cultural heritage must also provide benefits to improve the quality of life of the community. In addition, turning historic buildings into contemporary spaces often raises concerns, will the historical value and content gradually disappear? Will the cultural properties later only become an attractive location for instagramable photos?

We know that cultural properties, referring to the Cultural Conservation Law, is cultural heritage that is material in the form of cultural properties objects, cultural properties buildings, cultural proper-

ties structures, cultural properties sites, and cultural properties areas on land and/or water that need to be preserved because they have value. important for history, science, education, religion, and/ or culture through the determination process. Therefore, changing just a few things requires a lot of consideration.

Cultural Retail

We spoke with one of the founders of Pos Bloc, Handoko Hendroyono, a brand expert and film producer who previously revitalized the old Perum Peruri asset building into M Bloc Space in South Jakarta. “We really understand and agree with the strict rules regarding the use of cultural properties. Before opening Pos Bloc, we, my team and PT Pos also attended several hearings with the cultural properties and historian team,” said Handoko at a booth at the Jakarta Philately Building, in November 2021. For Handoko, today’s museum or cultural properties must become one with retail. With a long-term mindset, historic buildings can become town halls, as has happened in almost all countries. “Including countries in Southeast Asia where Indonesia is actually not inferior, namely Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia. So, when PT Pos offered it, we welcomed it. Just like at M Bloc, we were also offered by Peruri two years ago,” he added.

M Bloc Place as a creative space for urbanites which opened on 26 September 2019 was immediately sensational. Music performances from indie groups are present every day and peak in December when there are 23 days of music performances. Handoko said the turnover reached Rp 20 billion in the first three months after opening. What started as a stalled building that blended with housing and factories, eventually became

Handoko Hendroyono

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a fun hangout place. M Bloc and Pos Bloc are examples of the application of cultural entrepreneurs (culturepreneurship) and creative entrepreneurs creativepreneurship.

The Charm of the Past in the Present

In today’s era, when times move so fast and everyone seems to be required to always penetrate technology, the past – it is said – actually sells. People need balance in life. When the world around is spinning so fast, people need the brakes, to slow down. At a time when modernity surrounds, some of us want to return to traditional life. Acceleration begets deceleration. Acceleration breeds deceleration. When the world talks about the present, people also long for the ancient.

When modern meets the past, its charm can be seen in the commotion at Pos Bloc in November 2021. A number of visitors are tasting gelato ice cream, leaning on the pillars of a building that is almost 100 years old. Several young women in casual clothes and international branded jackets pose for a photo in front of the door in classic style. The cyclists relax and chat in front of Via Bata Via, an outlet that sells old and antique items.

While eating spaghetti, visitors to Pos Bloc can enjoy the Dutch colonial architecture which was built when Indonesia was ruled by the Dutch from the early 17th century until 1942. The most prominent feature of colonial architecture, according to Djoko Soekiman in Indies Culture from the Company Age to the Revolution (2011) is the facade and a symmetrical building plan and an entrance gate with two doors.

Pos Bloc has signed three contracts with PT Pos to revitalize three old postal buildings which are currently “stagnant” with a partnership pattern, namely in Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya. PT Pos Indonesia is indeed rich in historically valuable assets, considering its long history since it was first established by Governor General

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Gustaaf Willem Baron van Imhoff under the name Batavia Post Office on 26 August 1746, which was also the first post office of the Dutch East Indies (referring to records at the Bandung Postal Museum). Currently there are about 3900 postal buildings in almost all cities that need to be revived.

Bringing museums and historic buildings closer to millennials will revive the Indonesian postal ecosystem whose names are less familiar to Generations Y and Z as internet “original citizens”. Post Bloc makes a great branding for the post. According to Handoko, the good image of PT Pos Indonesia has also been lifted because it accommodates local brands that need creative space to sell. Its role is not like that of a ministry that facilitates small businesses as a business unit that must be assisted, but provides a respectable window for local brands.

The culture business can thrive and the ecosystem grows because of public involvement, thus becoming an icon of the city and a tourism destination. Small but alive, constantly throbbing. There is no need to be anti-retail culture, as long as we do not deny the cultural values in it. The Jakarta Philately Building will remain majestic and classic, not losing its traces and historical value.

(Susi Ivvaty, Majalah Indonesiana).

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