For most visitors, one of the most captivating parts of Rangoon is the regimented grid of streets known as Downtown, with a large concentration of colonial-era buildings built during British rule from 1824 to 1948 (when this was briefly one of the busiest ports in the world). The edifices’ faded grandeur is undeniably evocative, but after decades of neglect, many are dilapidated. The Yangon Heritage Trust is a nonprofit organization leading the charge to preserve the structures. Pansodan Street is lined with some fine colonial-era buildings including the Telegraph Office, the former Accountant General’s Office and the High Court Building, while the vast, red-hued Ministers’ Building occupies an entire block on Maha Bandula Road.
