Macalister Road, George Town

Macalister Road is a major thoroughfare in the city of George Town in Penang, Malaysia. The road stretches out of Magazine Circus next to Komtar in the city centre towards the leafier western edge of the city.

Macalister Road
Malay: Jalan Macalister
Chinese: 中路
Route information
Maintained by the Penang Island City Council
ExistedEarly 19th century–present
Major junctions
West endWestern Road
East endMagazine Circus (next to Komtar)
Location
StatesPenang
Major citiesGeorge Town
Highway system
JALAN MACALISTER
Macalister Rd10400 P. PINANG

The road was named after one of the Governors of Penang in the early 19th century.[1] Originally a dirt track, the eastern section of Macalister Road has become urbanised as part of the city centre. Notably, the westernmost section of Macalister Road still retains a quieter, greener character, with mature Angsana trees providing shade along this particular section of the road.[2]

Etymology

Macalister Road was named in honour of a Scotsman, Colonel Norman Macalister, who served as the Governor of the Prince of Wales Island (now Penang Island) between 1808 and 1810.[1][2]

History
Formerly the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, this building has been converted into a branch of the Penang State Museum.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Centre

During the colonial era, the Europeans tended to build their residences at Macalister Road.[3] Tall Angsana trees were planted along the westernmost section of Macalister Road by Charles Curtis, who was the curator of the Penang Botanic Gardens in the late 19th century.[4] In addition to the Angsana trees, a baobab tree, planted by Captain Speedy, was planted at this section of Macalister Road as well and still remains at the same spot to this day; it is one of the only three baobab trees in Penang.[2]

Among the European residences at this particular stretch of Macalister Road are the Mayfair, Union Villa and Seri Teratai, the latter of which is the official residence of the Chief Minister of Penang.[2] St. George's Girls School, one of the premier English schools in Penang, was relocated to its present grounds at this stretch of Macalister Road in 1954.

Further east, the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, named after King Edward VII who was the British monarch between 1901 and 1910, was completed in 1915. This maternity hospital was in operation until 1955; the building now houses a branch of the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery.[5]

In 2013, a thunderstorm led to the collapse of the spire of Menara Umno, a high-rise at the eastern section of Macalister Road.[6][7]

Landmarks

Education
DISTED College was founded in 1987 as the first Penang-based private tertiary institution.

Health care

See also

References
  1. "Several Penang roads named after distinguished Scotsmen | Wong Chun Wai". wongchunwai.com. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  2. Khoo, Salma Nasution (2007). Streets of George Town, Penang. Penang, Malaysia: Areca Books. ISBN 9789839886009.
  3. Ooi, Keat Gin (2015). "Disparate Identities: Penang from A Historical Perspective, 1780–1941" (PDF). Universiti Sains Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-07.
  4. http://www.pht.org.my/newsletters/1988_11.pdf
  5. "A Brief History of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital Building, No. 57, Macalister Road, Penang | Official Website Penang State Museum Board". www.penangmuseum.gov.my. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  6. "Storm victim's final resting place". www.thesundaily.my. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  7. "Woman wails for husband said to be buried 5m in the ground". news.asiaone.com. Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
  8. "St. Christopher's International Primary School | Contact". www.scips.org.my. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  9. "An Evening with Parents". allevents.in. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
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