Penang State Museum to Reopen on 23 July After Nearly a Decade of Restoration
The Penang State Museum on Farquhar Street will finally reopen its doors on 23 July, ending a closure that began in 2017. State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai confirmed the date at the launch of the Traditional Trades Campaign 2026.
“We will be officially opening the newly upgraded museum on 23 July,” Wong said in his speech. He noted that July aligns with Penang’s heritage celebrations, with Heritage Day falling on 7 July.
The RM18 million restoration project has been dogged by delays. The museum closed in late 2017 for a two-phase upgrade: the first covering the building’s exterior, the second its interior. Phase one was completed in 2023, but the contractor failed to deliver phase two on time. According to The Star, the Penang Public Works Department (JKR) terminated the contractor for failing to meet deadlines. A new contractor was appointed, and JKR handed the building over to the Penang State Museum Department on 9 March this year.
The Covid-19 pandemic compounded the setbacks. Restoration works were suspended from 2020 to 2023, and the project faced multiple deadline extensions before the July 2026 date was confirmed. was confirmed.
The building itself has a history spanning about 200 years. The first phase was constructed in 1896, with the second completed in 1906. It housed Penang Free School until 1927, then Hutchings School, before its old wing was destroyed during the Second World War. The building was repurposed as the state museum in 1965.
Wong said the museum is expected to attract thousands of visitors per month. The interior restoration includes an extensive new layout and the placement of historic artefacts, as reported by Buletin Mutiara.
The museum reopening is part of a broader heritage push by the state government. Two days later, on 25 July, Fort Cornwallis will also reopen following the restoration of its moat. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and guests from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture are expected to attend that ceremony.
The Fort Cornwallis moat, originally built in 1804 to protect the fort during the Napoleonic Wars, was filled in 1921 due to a malaria outbreak. The restored moat now forms a 4,000-square-metre water basin, 0.9 metres deep, capable of holding about 3,600 cubic metres of water.
Together, the two reopenings mark the end of years of restoration work across Penang’s most important heritage sites. The state has also opened the Galeri Automotif at Macalister Road, a RM6.1 million project showcasing historic vehicles and horse carriages, as a complement to the main museum.
