Nestled in the heart of the city, the historic Category One-class heritage building was once the home of powerful Acehnese merchant Syed Mohd Al-Attas in the mid-19th century and was known as the Syed Al-Attas Mansion.
It was later owned by a businessman from the Southern Indian Chettiar community and subsequently became the Penang Heritage Centre in the late 1990s.Currently owned by the Penang Island City Council , the sprawling bungalow with the address 128 Armenian Street is at the junction with Acheh Street.The mansion had been left in disuse, leading to termite infestation, rotted timber flooring, a leaking roof and damaged walls.MBPP councillor Wong Yuee Harng said the local council had spent RM1.
Wong said the council hoped to rent it out for commercial purposes but was open to ideas from applicants."From the year 2000 to 2015, it was in fact a museum."It is a nice heritage building and we hope to have a good tenant to help maintain and protect the building.