An Introduction to Brickfields

Brickfields

Brickfields was originally a simple residential neighbourhood in Kuala Lumpur, with Bangsar as its immediate neighbour. However, over recent years, the area has rapidly evolved into a commercial extension of downtown Kuala Lumpur, thanks to the KL Sentral development project.

Brickfields is served by several main roads, namely Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Jalan Bangsar, Jalan Travers, Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad and Jalan Syed Putra. Major highways nearby are Lebuhraya Mahameru, the New Pantai Expressway, and Federal Highway. The area is separated from Taman Seputeh by the Klang river.

Brickfields, one of the pioneer settlements in Kuala Lumpur, was initially developed by Yap Kwan Seng, who foresaw an increased demand for bricks in the fast-growing city. A kiln was established and before long, Brickfields became the centre for brick-making (hence its name).

During the British administration, the area used to be the site of the main depot for Malayan Railway, now Keretapi Tanah Melayu or KTM. Sri Lankans were brought in to work the railway and depot, with many living in quarters around Brickfields. Since then, the Indian community have resided and remained there, eventually becoming Malaysian citizens.

Tagged as a ‘divine location’, Brickfields houses many religious structures including the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple, Arulmigu Sree Veera Hanuman Temple, Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple and The Sri Kandaswamy Temple, which is one of the most prominent Sri Lankan Tamil or Ceylonese Tamil temple located on Jalan Scott.

Churches of different nominations can also be found here. These include the Holy Rosary Church, Our Lady of Fatima, Zion Lutheran Church and St. Mary's Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in Jalan Tun Sambanthan Satu. A surau, the Madrasatul Gouthiyyah, sits on Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad. As it is mainly attended by Indian-Muslims, sermons are often conducted in Tamil.

Trade

As Brickfields is made up of a large Indian community and businesses, it is affably known as Kuala Lumpur’s Little India. Most of the shop lots here are occupied by eateries, grocery outlets, textile shops, goldsmiths, flower stalls, spice shops as well as small hotels.

The headquarters of the Malaysian Institute of Accountant (MIA) is located here, with a number of second tier audit firms scattered around. Meanwhile, the printing and paper distribution business is concentrated along Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad.

Infrastructure and Facilities

Brickfields has over twelve educational institutions, consisting of primary and secondary schools, and colleges. These include:

• Public primary schools: SK La Salle Brickfields 1&2, SK Brickfields 1&2, SK. St. Theresa 1&2, Methodist Girls School 1&2, SRJK (T) Vivekananda, SRJK (C) St Theresa, SRJK (C) La Salle

• Public secondary schools: SMK Vivekananda, SMK La Salle School

• Private schools: Methodist College Kuala Lumpur (MCKL), Global Indian International School

• Colleges: Brickfields Asia College

Among the cultural/social organizations located in the area include the YMCA, Temple of Fine Arts and Rukun Tetangga Sektor Brickfields - a government base social body for Brickfields residents.

The Malaysian Association of the Blind (MAB), located along Jalan Tebing provides shelter and training for the blind. Walking along the streets of Brickfields, it is hard to miss the extensive tactile guided pathways designed to aid them along the way.

Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens are the nearest shopping malls to Brickfields.

Transportation Hub

The area is serviced by a wide array of public transportation. Two KL Monorail stations, Tun Sambathan & KL Sentral are situated in Brickfields. KTM Komuter, RapidKL LRT and KLIA Express (ERL) lines pass through Stesen Sentral, which is a short stroll away from Brickfields. There are plenty of buses that stop/drop off passengers at the area.

Developments

Kuala Lumpur Sentral, one of the city’s largest development project spans across 72 acres of land in Brickfields. The development, with its ‘City-within-a-city’ concept, comprises a world-class transit hub (Stesen Sentral), corporate office towers and business suites, international hotels, luxury condominiums, serviced apartments and retail malls.

Much of the development is built on the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu marshalling yard. Kuala Lumpur Sentral is targeted for completion in 2016 and is valued at RM11.76 billion upon completion. View more