A.A. Maramis Building
| A.A. Maramis Building | |
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| Gedung A.A. Maramis | |
The A.A. Maramis Building, formerly dubbed the Witte Huis or Gedong Putih, the "White House".
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location within Jakarta
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| Former names | Palace of Governor-General Daendels, Paleis Waterlooplein (Palace of Waterloo Square), Het Witte Huis or Gedong Putih ("The White House"), Het Grote Huis ("The Big House") |
| General information | |
| Type | Government building |
| Architectural style | Indies Empire style |
| Location | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 6°10′09″S 106°50′14″E / 6.169257°S 106.837096°E |
| Current tenants | Ministry of Finance |
| Construction started | March 7, 1809 |
| Completed | 1828 |
| Owner | The Ministry of Finance of Indonesia |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Ir. J. Tromp |
The A.A. Maramis Building is a historic building and a national heritage located in Jakarta, Indonesia. The building is currently the headquarter of the Indonesian Ministry of Finance. The building was built following Daendels intention to move the official residence of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from the decaying Old Town to the southern suburb of Weltevreden, although it was never used as an official residence of the Governor-General. The turn of the 19th-century building is the second oldest surviving building in Central Jakarta (after Istana Negara on Jalan Veteran) in terms of when the construction was started.
Weltevreden was a southern suburb of old Batavia. The land had been purchased by The last Governor-General of the VOC era, P.G. van Overstraten, from his predecessor, Governor-General P.A. van der Parra. The area began to develop with the gradual decay of the increasingly unhealthy old city. The initial migration began after the old city's malaria epidemic in 1732.
Development of the area as the new seat of government started with Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels. He ordered the destruction of Batavia Castle and the city wall of the old town to provide bricks for a new palace. The chosen site for the new building is the Waterlooplein in Weltevreden. Construction of the palace began on March 7, 1809. The plan shows a grand residence intended as the private palace for the governor-general flanked with much smaller buildings for administrative work. Despite Daendels' intention to reside in the new palace, he never had the chance to stay because he was ordered by Napoleon to command the Grande Armée and was soon stationed in Modlin Fortress, Poland. Daendels' successor, Governor-General Janssens, installed thatched roof on the unfinished parts of the building. When construction stopped in 1811 following the British invasion of Java, the work was only half finished. With the governor's palace unfinished, the Governor-General of Batavia would reside at the mansion of van Braam in Rijswijk (now Jalan Veteran)
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