Last Saturday cultural enthusiasts, activists, journalists and the public gathered at The Bangkok Folk Museum on Charoen Krung to discuss the next moves.
It was an event that followed the headline news last week when 81-year-old museum owner Waraporn Suravadee implored the public to contribute to a 10-million-baht fund in order to buy a plot of land next to the handsome museum. The plot is soon to be turned into a new eight-storey building that will spoil the beautiful green scenery and old architectural style in the area surrounding the museum. According to Waraporn, the owners of the plot in question have agreed to part with it for 40 million baht, 30 million of which has already been paid by Waraporn herself, and now she has asked the public to chip in, 100 baht each should be fine she said, to save this little oasis of culture in the heart of the city.
Her campaign to raise funds has drawn rapturous support — while many have questioned the cultural policy (or lack thereof) of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration that should lend a hand in protecting this urban heritage.
As of July 25, with a little over a month left until the Sept 2 deadline, the museum has received almost 4 million baht in donations. According to Waraporn, the newly acquired property will be used to build a parking space for museum visitors.
The Bangkok Folk Museum, situated in a picturesque WWII-era teak house on Charoen Krung road, has been dedicated to the nurturing of appreciation in art and culture for Bangkokians ever since Waraporn decided to turn her family’s lavish private residence into a museum for the public in 1937. Aside from the museum itself, which works to showcase the European influences present in Thai architecture of the time, the many other items exhibited at the museum are various cultural artefacts as well as the Suravadee family’s own heirlooms, which date back as far as the Rama V and Rattanakosin eras. Today, the museum is commonly recognised as one of the very few places dedicated to showcasing Thai lifestyle in the years during and after World War II (1937-1957).
The museum’s beautiful architecture has also been recognised as an outstanding example of Classical Thai Architecture in the Private Residence and House category from the Association of Siamese Architects in 2010 and 2013. It currently welcomes an average of about 700 tourists each month.
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This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.