Traces Of New East Indies Architecture, Manggarai Water Tower Becomes Cultural Heritage

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government has designated the Yasa Manggarai Air Tower in Manggarai Village, Tebet District, South Jakarta, as a cultural heritage building.

The determination was made on May 14, 2025 through the Decree (SK) of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Number 403 of 2025.

"The Water Tower of the Yasa Manggarai Center has been designated as a Cultural Heritage Building based on the Decree of the Governor of DKI Jakarta Number 403 of 2025," said Head of Culture Protection Division of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Culture Office, Linda Enriquey when contacted in Jakarta, Antara, Wednesday, September 10.

According to Linda, the tower determination belonging to PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) was carried out considering its age of more than 50 years. The tower, which was built in the 1920s, has the architectural style of nieuwe Kunst or the New Indies which was popular in the late 19th century to early 20th century.

The tower building is square-dense with a size of 8x8 meters and a height of 18 meters equipped with a roof of a roof in the shape of a limas. On each side there are the same ornaments, namely two balconys with seven rosters and two iron-termalist rectangular windows.

"The Water Tower of Yasa Manggarai Hall has a unique shape. The water tub structure is piled up by a brick wall and is the only one in Jakarta," said Linda.

In addition to architectural value, this tower also holds the history of the development of modern rail infrastructure in Indonesia as well as evidence of learning water management technology during the colonial period.

Determination of the tower as a cultural heritage is based on the recommendations of the Cultural Heritage Expert Team on May 19, 2020. Linda hopes that this determination will not only serve as an effort to preserve, but also open a space for developing historic areas as educational and tourism destinations in Jakarta.