At the edge of a five-way intersection in Jakarta¡¯s most illustrious neighborhood, a $16 million mansion that¡¯s a century old is rotting away.
Empty for more than 10 years, the white plaster facade is flaking, the red-tiled roof has caved in and the green canopies that shade its windows are turning moldy.
Built in 1912 by the Dutch as part of an ambitious garden city away from the sprawling kampungs, or local villages, in the bustling capital, the one-story house has been witness to the Japanese occupation and ensuing independence, Suharto¡¯s dictatorship and Prabowo Subianto¡¯s rise to power.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.