The idea for the creation of a theater in Batavia (the colonial name for Jakarta) came from the Governor-General of Batavia at that time,
Herman Willem Daendels. This idea was realized by
Stamford Raffles, who was known for his passion for the study and preservation of local culture. In 1814 Raffles ordered the construction of a simple bamboo theatre near
Waterlooplein (a square in Jakarta, now
Lapangan Banteng), under the name "Military Theater Venue". Inauguration was planned for October 1821 but had to be postponed until December 7 because of a
cholera epidemic. The first performance in the building was Shakespeare's
Othello. During the mid 19th century, the development of
Schouwburg Weltevreden was slow, and it had difficulty making a profit, because Batavia lacked European female opera singers and did not have a complete orchestra. The government took over the theater in 1848, when the private company failed, and held it until 1892. In 1911 its administration was assigned to the city of Batavia. At first, lighting inside the building was done using candles and kerosene lamps. Gas light came in 1864. Electricity was first used inside the building in 1882, but gas light was still used outside until 1910. In 1926, during Indonesia's period of
National Awakening, the building was used by the local Youth Alliance for the first
Kongres Pemoeda (Youth Congress). During the
Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, the building was used temporarily as a military headquarters. In April 1943 it was used as a theater under the name ''Sin'tsu Cekizyoo'' (). In 1951 the building was used by the Faculty of Economy and Law of
Indonesia University. And from 1957 to 1961, the building was used by the Indonesian National Theater Academy. In 1984 a Law was enacted to return the building to its original function. It was renovated at a cost of 3 billion
rupiah. On September 5, 1987, it was renamed the
Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, replacing the former name
Gedung Kesenian Pasar Baru. ==Facility==