The Jakarta Arts Building, often abbreviated as GKJ, is an old historical relic of the Dutch colonial government. The ancient building, located at Jalan Gedung Kesenian No. 1, Central Jakarta, is still strong. The old building is a venue for performances by artists from all over the archipelago and abroad, such as drama, theatre, film, literature, to musical concerts. The public can use this Jakarta art building for commercial activities.

The classical building was built in a neo-renaissance style, originally called the Schouwburg Weltevreden Theatre, and is often referred to as the Comedy Building. The Dutch East Indies Governor General Herman Willem Daendels (1808 – 1811) drove the creation of this magnificent building. The construction was realized by the Governor General of England, Thomas Stamford Raffles, in 1814. The building was used for the Pemoeda Congress during the physical colonialism period, the first in 1926. And in this building also, on August 29, 1945, the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno inaugurated the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP) and held several meetings in this building.

The interior of this building consists of two floors. The first floor consists of the main performance room flanked by two other rooms on the right and left. On the performance stage, the audience seats lined up. In the past, lighting in GKJ only used oil lamps and candles. However, in 1864 the lighting system began to use gas lamps. Lighting using electricity was only used in 1882 and limited to the inside of the building; until 1910, the outside still used gas lamps. Behind the stage is a green room (a room that functions as a waiting room for talent when waiting for performances).

While on the second floor, there are several rooms, namely a balcony, a sound control room, a projector room, and a lighting control room. On the terrace, you can use rows of chairs to watch performances on the stage on the first floor.

On the second floor's left wing are a dressing room and storage, while on the right wing is a small room used for offices. In addition to the previously mentioned rooms, there is a toilet at the back of the second floor. This building was restored in 1984-1987, and in 1993, its status was designated as a cultural heritage building under the auspices of the DKI Jakarta Cultural Department.

Building Address: Jl. Gedung Kesenian No.1, Ps. Baru, Sawah Besar Subdistrict, Central Jakarta

Contact Person: 0813-8936-4655

Building Capacity: ± 450 People

(processed from various sources)