Yangon building's 'rebirth' points way for city's crumbling heritage

Yangon

HOME to Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Muslims and a collage of businesses that burst into life as Myanmar's largest city wakes up, the colonial-era building known simply as "491-501 Merchant Street" holds a mirror up to Yangon. It has also just received a US$325,000 facelift, sprucing up its grand but crumbling edifice with the support of the community it houses.

Heritage specialists now hope that collaborative process will serve as a blueprint for saving the city's other architectural treasures ravaged by years of neglect under the former junta.