| HSBC Building | |
| Address: | 1 Downing Street, George Town, Penang, Malaysia |
| Location Town: | George Town |
| Location Country: | Malaysia |
| Coordinates: | 5.4183°N 100.3433°W |
| Completion Date: | 1951 |
| Opened Date: | 1951 |
| Owner: | HSBC |
| Top Floor: | 6 |
| Floor Count: | 6 |
| Architectural Style: | Art Deco |
| Current Tenants: | HSBC |
The HSBC Building is a historical building in George Town within the Malaysian state of Penang. Opened in 1951, the office building, situated at Downing Street within the city's Central Business District (CBD), houses the Penang branch of HSBC.
HSBC established its presence in Malaysia in 1884 with the opening of its first branch in George Town.[1] The branch was initially housed within the Logan Building at Beach Street.[2]
The present-day HSBC Building occupies the site that was previously home to a telegraph office. As banks began to establish offices around the northern end of Beach Street, HSBC acquired the site and commissioned a three-storey building with a domed tower. The building was designed by architects and civil engineers Wilson & Neubronner in Neoclassical style, with its domed tower bearing resemblance to that of the adjacent Bank of China Building. Construction was completed at a cost of $250,000 (Straits dollar) and HSBC moved into the premises in 1906.[3] The building, standing at a height of 120feet, was considered the tallest in George Town until the completion of the nearby railway station, and held the distinction of being the first in Penang to be equipped with electric lifts.
The original HSBC building was destroyed by Allied bombardment during World War II. Following the war, in 1948, HSBC made the decision to reconstruct the building while temporarily operating its Penang branch from the India House. By 1949, the 200 piles required to support the new foundations had been driven. The new building cost $1.5 million (Malayan dollar) and was inaugurated by British high commissioner Henry Gurney in 1951. The first building in George Town to be completed after the war, it was also the tallest in the city, until the completion of the adjacent Tuanku Syed Putra Building in 1962.[4] [5]
The building was designed in Art Deco style, featuring elements commonly found in bank offices in Shanghai. The lower two levels are rusticated while the four upper floors incorporate a different façade.