Menteng, The Elite Area Since Colonial Era

Since becoming the first exclusive housing in Batavia, Menteng has been favoured by the European foreigners and upper-middle-class locals since inauguration in 1810 by General Daendels. At that time, the Dutch Indies government designed Menteng to become the development area. In 1910, they built Menteng with the help of architect Mooijen with former name “Nieuw Gondangdia”.

Until now, Menteng is still one of the recommended places to live for expatriates in Jakarta. Here are some of the reasons why you should consider this area.

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Pioneer Area in Downtown Jakarta

Unlike other recommended areas for expats such as Kemang and Kebayoran Baru, which are close to the city centre, Menteng is ALREADY in the centre of J-town. So in comparison, Menteng is clearly the most strategic place to quickly reach the centre of government and country’s business area.

In addition, Menteng is also the first place to apply the road network pattern during its construction. This makes Menteng the first place to expand with very careful planning. Not only that, Menteng is also the first place to adopt the “Blokkenbouw” construction method. This is the kind of constructional method that builds a block or row of houses along with one or several parallel streets that are designed as a unit.

The Residence of Well-known Statesmen

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Many national figures, both from Indonesia and international, have experienced living in Menteng. This gives Menteng strong integrity and reputation as the preferred area of the elite people in the capital city of Jakarta. From Indonesia, our founding fathers, Ir. Soekarno and Mohammad Hatta, had both lived in Menteng. The house was then used by a high-ranking Japanese naval officer - Admiral Tadashi Maeda, at Jalan Imam Bonjol No.1, to be precise. The house of Admiral Maeda will not be forgotten by all Indonesians because it is the house where the Indonesian Independence proclamation script was formed.

After that from international society, is none other than Mr Barack Obama! The 44th US President lived in Menteng when he was a boy. Obama was moved to Jakarta in 1967, then became student of SD Santo Fransiskus Asisi for three years before moving to SDN 1 Menteng until he’s ten. Young Obama’s house is located in Jalan Taman Amir Hamzah No.22, Pegangsaan – Menteng.

The Big Streets

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People who are currently living in Menteng are usually those who are economically established. Therefore, they tend to use their own cars for mobilization. Supported by the historical fact that Menteng has been expanded by the Dutch Indies government, since then Menteng is known for its excellent road access. The big streets, the adequate sidewalks, all the way to the entrances and exits are pleasantly accessible.

But bear in mind, we also need to remember the benchmarks and the turns when we hit the Menteng roads. Menteng has countless one-way streets, so make sure that you’re not making the wrong turn if you don’t want to get honked at by other cars from the other lane. Make sure you remember the exact turn or route for your destination, unless you want to go touring around Menteng because believe me, it will take a long time for you to return to the same position.

Beautiful City Parks

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Menteng is a residential area that has been favoured by foreign settlers and upper-middle-class locals since the Dutch colonial era. Smart city Jakarta wrote that after originally designed by the Mooijen architect team, Menteng was modified by F.J. Kubatz. In addition to changing the road layout, Kubatz also added some parks. Thomas Karsten, an environmental management expert in the 1930s and 40s then said that this made Menteng a decent residential area.

There are many city parks we can visit here, whether for recreation, for sports, or just relaxing. The biggest one is Taman Suropati. Then, there are Taman Lawang, Situ Lembang, and Taman Cut Mutia. Situ Lembang is said to be the shadiest place in Central Jakarta. This is very reasonable because we can find lots of thick trees around the lake. FYI, for Denizens who likes fishing, Situ Lembang is also the place to go.

Last but not least is Taman Menteng. This is the public area known for its iconic modern-style glasshouse. Located on Jalan HOS Cokroaminoto, the park was previously a stadium before being transformed into one of the city’s beautiful and Instagrammable landmarks. Yes, in the past, the glasshouse is poorly maintained, but now the usage is being optimized, namely by making it one of the places for the 2021 Jakarta Biennale Art Exhibition.

Different Vibes than Any other Recommended Areas

Source: Cinema Poetica

As an area with rich historical background, the vibes when we were in Menteng hits differently than any other area. The reason is because there are some neo-classic buildings that bring back a taste of the Dutch colonial era. The buildings are still there, such as Kunstkring which is now a restaurant, as well as Bappenas Building which was built in 1925.

Another building that is distinguishably European is Metropole. Being the first cinema ever built in Jakarta, the operational of the building is currently under the XXI cinema chain. Metropole still carries its original concept - a cinema that stands on its own building, not located in a mall like cinemas in general. From the outside, we can feast our eyes with the art deco style architecture. When entering, we are greeted with interior that exudes a perfect mix of modern-classy and classic mix. One detail that makes Metropole stand out is the classic movie posters that hang on its walls. Again, this is something that is not done by any other cinema in town.