Beach Street, George Town

Beach Street was created soon after the founding of Penang by Captain Francis Light in 1786. The concentration of Malaysian and international banks on Beach Street has made George Town the financial nexus of northern Malaysia.

Beach Street started out as a coastal road on the eastern shoreline of George Town. Because of land reclamation in the 19th century, the street has shifted further inland. The eastern coastal road is now Weld Quay. Beach Street may be the oldest road in Penang. It is older than some cities of Malaysia and older than Singapore.

From the beginning, Beach Street has been the financial heart of George Town. The street was literally at the port, convenient to vessels from the British East India Company and regional traders from China, India and the Malay archipelago. To this day it is George Town's Central Business District.

Most of the international banks of Penang are here. The Chartered Bank of India opened its doors here in 1875. Since then quite a few banks and mercantile institutions have set up shop on Beach Street.

Among the landmark buildings on Beach Street are: Palladian Art Deco Standard Chartered built in 1930; HSBC, rebuilt as Art Deco in 1948; Neoclassical Penang State Islamic Council built in 1905; The Art Deco OCBC Building built in 1938; the Victorian 1886 Building; the Victorian Logan Building built in 1883; and India House, another Art Deco building built in 1937.