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Iversen's Ipoh: an Art Deco architecture walk from the hotel he designed

From D Eastern, itself an Iversen building, a loop of about 3 km on foot takes in four more standing buildings credited to him: the Cathay and Ruby cinemas, the Lam Looking Bazaar on Jalan Laxamana and the 1931 Mercantile Bank. Allow about 40 minutes of walking, or 1.5–2 hours with stops and photos.

By D Eastern front desk · Updated 2026-11-06

This plan on the map

The walk

  1. 12 min Cathay cinema, 60 Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar
  2. 22 min Ruby cinema (Mohd Chan), 56 Jalan Raja Musa Aziz
  3. 35 min Lam Looking Bazaar, Jalan Laxamana (street point)
  4. 49 min Mercantile Bank, 15 Jalan Dato Maharajalela

Stops in the order of the plan; dotted lines show the order, not the exact walking route.

Berthel Michael Iversen, a Danish architect, came to Malaya in 1928 and made Ipoh his base. His early work is sometimes described as Art Deco; after the Second World War it became increasingly modern. He designed over 38 cinemas for the Shaw Brothers and the Cathay Organisation.

This walk starts at our own front door. The building was the old Eastern Hotel (東方酒店), and Wikipedia lists "Eastern Hotel, Ipoh" among Iversen's works. According to the hotel's own history, it is the only operating hotel he designed in Ipoh, and we're told he had his office in the building for a time.

The loop below has four stops, about 2.3 km in a straight line, or roughly 3 km on real streets. That's about 40 minutes of walking, so allow 1.5–2 hours with stops.

How far is each stop? (estimates)

Distances are straight-line from OpenStreetMap and Wikidata coordinates. Walking times use about 1 minute per 80 m, multiplied by 1.3 for the street layout, so treat them as estimates.

LegStraight lineWalking (estimate)
Hotel to 1. Cathayabout 100 m2 min
1. Cathay to 2. Rubyabout 110 m2 min
2. Ruby to 3. Jalan Laxamana (north end)about 260 m5 min
Along Jalan Laxamana (north to south)about 540 m9 min
3. Jalan Laxamana to 4. Mercantile Bankabout 550 m9 min
4. Mercantile Bank back to the hotelabout 740 m12 min

The route

Start: D Eastern Hotel, 118 Jalan Sultan Idris Shah

Before you set off, step across the road and look back at the façade. Then turn up Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar, the old Cockman Street, which meets Jalan Sultan Idris Shah right by the hotel.

1. Cathay cinema, 60 Jalan Dato Onn Jaafar (about 2 minutes)

Cinema Treasures says the Cathay was built in late 1956 and opened on 31 August 1957 with The King and I. It had 1,174 seats, 798 downstairs and 376 in the balcony. It no longer shows films. Ipoh Echo reported in 2024 that it had been turned into a restaurant, so you can look inside if you stop for a drink.

Iversen's Lido (1957, according to an Ipoh Echo photo caption) stood across the road, Wikipedia says. It is no longer a cinema: Wikipedia says it was demolished by fire, then renovated and became a snooker centre, while Ipoh Echo (2024) lists it as a restaurant. We couldn't confirm which building it is today, so it isn't a numbered stop.

2. Ruby cinema, 56 Jalan Raja Musa Aziz (about 2 minutes)

Wikipedia notes the Ruby for its Art Deco style. It stands at the junction of Jalan Raja Musa Aziz (the old Anderson Road) and Jalan Sultan Abdul Jalil. British Resident Geoffrey Cator opened the Ruby on 4 October 1938, and Wikipedia says it was then seen as the most up-to-date cinema in the Malay Peninsula. It was built for tin-mining tycoons Lau Ek Ching and Ong Ee Lim. Most sources credit Iversen, though one 2012 heritage blog names the Ipoh firm Boutcher and Company. The cinema closed in 1990 and later housed a furniture shop. Today it's a branch of Mohd Chan, a Chinese Muslim restaurant that has kept most of the interior. It opens 11:30am–11pm daily (checked Nov 2026). Iversen's Rex cinema was on the same road; Ipoh Echo says it was demolished for apartments.

3. Lam Looking Bazaar, Jalan Laxamana (about 5 minutes to the street)

Jalan Laxamana runs north–south from Jalan Veerasamy to Jalan Sultan Iskandar. Walk its length from the north end, and look for the restored Lam Looking building. Iversen designed it for the Penang-born tin tycoon Lam Look Ing. Wikipedia dates it to 1933 and the SAH archive to 1932. A bazaar filled the ground floor, with the Celestial Hotel and Cabaret upstairs. IpohWorld records that the Japanese used part of it as a gambling casino during the Occupation. It later became the Movieland Theatre and, in the 1970s, the Perak Emporium. After a fire many thought it was finished, but IpohWorld reported in 2010 that its exterior restoration was complete. We couldn't confirm the exact street number, so keep your eyes up.

4. Mercantile Bank, 15 Jalan Dato Maharajalela (about 9 minutes)

From the south end of Jalan Laxamana, head west along Jalan Sultan Iskandar into Old Town. This Art Deco bank, on the old Station Road, was formally opened on 29 August 1931. Its façade has flag poles, festoons and frames. Wikipedia credits Keys & Dowdeswell, a firm Iversen worked for before setting up on his own, and says he "was considered to have been responsible for the design". The upper floors were let to tenants, the architects among them. Malaysia Traveller (undated) says a beauty products company occupies it and that it remains in excellent condition.

Back to the hotel (about 12 minutes)

Walk back east along Jalan Sultan Idris Shah. If you want more Old Town, the HSBC building and the railway station are close by. They're covered in the Old Town heritage walk.

What about Jubilee Park and the other Iversen buildings?

  • Jubilee Park, about 400 m from the hotel, was once Ipoh's main entertainment park, and IpohWorld says Iversen built it. The SAH archive has a photo of his 1939 entrance building. We couldn't confirm that any of his buildings survive there, so it isn't a stop.
  • Demolished: the Majestic, Rex and Odeon cinemas, the Art Deco Fair Park shophouses and his family home at 110 Tambun Road.
  • Not on the walk: we couldn't confirm the location of the MCA Building, or the current state of 62 and 74 Gopeng Road.

Further afield (Grab)

These are too far to walk comfortably in the heat; the front desk can help you book a Grab. The places below are there today, but we couldn't confirm that Iversen's original buildings survive, or for the clubs and the institute, that his building stood on the present site.

  • Geological Survey (Minerals and Geoscience) complex, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah: about 4 km. Iversen designed it, and its foundation stone is dated 1955. In 2009 the Perak Heritage Society criticised a newer museum entrance for spoiling the façade.
  • Ipoh Racecourse, Perak Turf Club: about 2.3 km. Wikipedia lists the grandstand at Ipoh Race Course among his works, and the Perak Turf Club has raced in Ipoh since 1913. Iversen began work on the turf club in 1930 and called its grandstand "fairly modern".
  • Ipoh Swimming Club, Jalan Kelab Renang: about 3.5 km. Iversen designed the club; view it from outside.
  • Veterinary Research Institute, Jalan Sri Cempaka: about 4.2 km. The SAH archive dates Iversen's building to 1953. View it from the road.

Practical tips

  • Heat: go early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Carry water and a hat, and use the shady five-foot ways.
  • Photography: cross the road for the façades. The Ruby's corner and the Mercantile Bank's front read best from the opposite pavement.
  • Private buildings: the Lam Looking building, the bank and the clubs are in private or commercial use, so view them from the street. At the Cathay and the Ruby, the easiest way to see inside is as a customer.
  • Shorter version: stops 1 and 2 are within about 200 m of the hotel and take under 15 minutes.

Sources

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