The Yangon Excelsior Hotel on Bo Sun Pat Street, Pabedan Township, Yangon, will become the 33rd site to receive a Blue Plaque from the Yangon Heritage Trust (YHT) on 28 September, according to the trust.

The building was constructed around 1930. It housed the offices of the Steel Brothers Company and even served as a merchant trading place at one point. The Yangon Excelsior Hotel was refurbished and the heritage building and the British colonial-style architecture was restored, according to the YHT.

The hotel won the 2019 Best Adaptive Reuse Award at the 2019 YHT Conservation Awards.

The YHT is also planning to install blue plaques at the Inya Lake Hotel and the Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) headquarters near Sule Pagoda by the end of the year. In the coming years, heritage buildings and houses of famous people will get blue plaques.

“Some buildings have already got the attention of the people, while some have still not been noticed. The city’s landmark heritage buildings have been marked with blue plaques, which serve as historical markers. People will have easy access to observe their deep historic and cultural significance and enduring legacy through the blue plaques. It will also encourage the people to conserve the heritage of the city,” said U Thurein Aung from YHT. “Yangon has the highest number of colonial buildings among South East Asian cities. It is the finest place to view colonial architecture. The city’s cultural significance and heritage benefit the tourism business. Yangon has several heritage sites,” he added.

“This heritage will pass on to the future generations. Yangon Region is aimed to be shaped as a livable, economic capital through sustainable development and heritage conservation,” the Yangon Region Chief Minister had said at the event held to mark the Rosewood Yangon Hotel as Yangon’s 31st heritage site.

Zar Ni Maung/ Ko Khant

(Translated by Ei Myat Mon)