SARINAH’S SECOND ACT

JAKARTA

naugurated in 1966 as the first modern shopping center and department store in Indonesia, () was the brainchild of the country’s first president, Soekarno, who intended it to become place to shop in Jakarta. But the 15-story landmark eventually lost its luster as successive generations of higher-end malls, each larger and glitzier than the last, lured visitors elsewhere. No longer. Sarinah reopened in March after a two-year, US$48 million makeover, and the transformation has been nothing short of extraordinary. The tower shed its ungainly additions from a previous refurb, while the expanded podium sports louvers inspired by traditional textiles. Instead of a featureless car park, Sarinah is now accessed through stepped gardens featuring native flora, lily ponds, and ample sitting areas (there’s also a third-floor terrace that comes alive at night). Indoors, the formerly cramped spaces are oriented around a soaring skylit atrium whose centerpiece is a rediscovered ’60s relief depicting farmers, fishermen, and market vendors. Its creator is unknown, though the style matches that of the late sculptor Edhi Sunarso, who designed the Welcome Monument just down the road.