Fascinating Deeds
The Cosmopolitan History of a Plot in Bangrak
Abstract
This article offers a window into the cosmopolitan history of Bangkok through focus on a single plot of land in Bangrak district. The study was made possible by the nature of chanot (land title deeds), which record successive transactions. Americans, Portuguese, and Chinese characters figure in the history of the plot. Protestant missionaries acquired the land through association with the adjacent Portuguese consulate. The land increased in value as Bangrak became a commercial center, and was sold in the 1890s. A Portuguese family from Macao, who arrived in 1840 and became prominent in royal service and rice milling, acquired an adjacent plot. During 1922-1923, both were sold to Lert Sreshtaputra, the most successful Teochew entrepreneur of his era. The warehouses on the site were commandeered by the Japanese in the Second World War, then sold in 1946, and converted into the Warehouse 30 project in 2017. The story of the land showcases the changing usage and ethnic complexity of the city center.
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