Buildings That Were Once the Tallest in Kuala Lumpur

Before the development of the modern and Greater Kuala Lumpur that we have today, do you know that some of the buildings that is now considered not so tall was once the tallest in the city and even Malaysia?

As of 2019, the city of Kuala Lumpur has over 1,900 completed high-rises building, of which over 700 are buildings standing taller than 100 m (328 ft); 170 buildings over 150 m (492 ft), 42 buildings over 200 m (656 ft) and 5 buildings over 300 m (984 ft), the majority of it being located in the KLCC, Golden Triangle, Mont’ Kiara and Old Downtown.

Let’s go through the history to revisit buildings that were once the tallest in Kuala Lumpur.

1945 – Lee Yan Lian Building, 73 meters

Built by the late Tan Sri Dr. Lee Yan Lian, he was a famous industrialist across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. He is also one of the entrepreneur that has contributed to the development of the city as well as philanthropic activities. Before the Malaysian Parliament was built, it was the tallest building in Malaysia.

Location: Jalan Tun Perak, City Centre, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.

1959 – Malaysian Houses of Parliament, 77 meters

The Malaysian Houses of Parliament, is a building complex where the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara assembles. The complex comprises two parts, a 3-story main building and a 17-story 77 metre tall tower.

Location: Bangunan Parlimen, Jalan Parlimen, 50680 Kuala Lumpur.

1971 – Takaful Tower, 110 meters

Originally known as the UMBC Building, and subsequently Sime Bank Building and then Takaful Tower, it was the tallest building in the city during the early 1970s. It is the first high-rise building that is over 100 meters.

Location: 4, Jalan Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung Attap, 50000 Kuala Lumpur.

1978 – Menara Bank Mualamat, 150.5 meters

Also known as Menara Bumiputra, it houses the headquarters of Bank Mualamat, a full-fledge Islamic bank in Malaysia.

Location: 21, Jalan Melaka, City Centre, 50100 Kuala Lumpur.

1980 – Bangunan Dewan Bandaraya, 150.9 meters

As the name states in Malay language, which literally means ‘City Hall Building’, it is the main office of the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

Location: Jalan Raja Laut, 50350 Kuala Lumpur.

1983 – Menara KH, 152 meters

Menara KH, the 35-storey office tower is famous for its rooftop Helipad which has been converted to a restaurant which allows the customers to enjoy dining with a beautiful view of the Kuala Lumpur city from the top.

Location: Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

1984 – Dayabumi Complex, 157 meters

One of the earliest skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Dayabumi Complex is blended with Islamic and contemporary architecture designs. it remains as one of the significant towers around the city.

Location: Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.

1985 – Menara Dato’ Onn, 175 meters

The tower is named after Dato’ Sir Onn Jaafar, the 7th Menteri Besar of Johor and also the founder of political party, UMNO. The 40-storey building has a convention centre which hosts many prestigious events.

Location: 45, Jalan Tun Ismail, Chow Kit, 50350 Kuala Lumpur.

1988 – Maybank Tower, 243.5 meters

When it was built, this headquarters of Maybank was the tallest building in Malaysia and the third tallest building in Asia. The site of Maybank Tower is formerly the Sessions Court building during the colonial era.

Location: 100, Jalan Tun Perak, Bukit Bintang, 50050 Kuala Lumpur.

1994 – Kuala Lumpur Tower, 421 meters

Different from the other skyscrapers, the Kuala Lumpur Tower is not a commercial nor office building. The 421 meters tall skyscraper is actually a telecommunication tower which is technically 15-storey tall. It is the seventh tallest telecommunication tower in the world.

The upper deck on top features an observation platform for tourists as well as a revolving restaurant. The tower also acts as the Islamic falak observatory to observe the crescent moon which marks the beginning of Muslim month of Ramadhan, Syawal, and Zulhijjah, to celebrate fasting month of Ramadhan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Aidiladha. 

Location: 2 Jalan Punchak, Off, Jalan P. Ramlee, 50250 Kuala Lumpur.

1998 – Petronas Twin Towers, 452 meters

A major landmark in Kuala Lumpur city, this beautiful Twin Towers has grabbed the attention of many tourists and travellers to Malaysia as it is the world’s tallest building when it was built in 1998 until 2004.

It was also the tallest building in Malaysia, until it was surpassed by the Merdeka 118 in the year 2020.

Location: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur.

2022 – Merdeka 118, 678.9 meters

The tallest skyscraper in Malaysia, Merdeka 118 will be completed by end of 2022, and it is the world’s second tallest building, only behind the Burj Khalifa.

The building is designed with a mixture of diamond shaped glass facades to signify the diversity of Malaysians. The design was made to resemble and inspired by Tunku Abdul Rahman’s outstretched hand gesture while chanting “Merdeka!“, when he proclaimed the independence of Malaysia on 31 August 1957. 

Curious about Merdeka 118? Read more about: Merdeka 118, the World’s Second Tallest Building