HISTORY

In 1906, when Malaya was still under British administration, a London based Kuala Lumpur Rubber Co. Ltd. (KLR) was incorporated on 19 May 1906. KLR is set out to plant rubber trees around Kuala Lumpur to capitalize on the booming rubber price brought about by the introduction of the modern motor-car and pneumatic rubber tyres as replacement for horse-drawn carriages in the United States. Among KLR's first board members were a Mr Edouard Bunge and Alfred Grisar. The two men's names were contracted to create the name Bunge-Grisar rubber estate or Bungsar Estate.

The Bungsar Estate was owned by its plantation firm Socfin, before it was developed into a residential area. Bangsar Park was the first area to be developed for housing in Kuala Lumpur in 1969. From there Socfin began selling its land to private buyers and from then on, Bangsar began experiencing rapid development.

Eng Lian Enterprise Sdn Bhd developed the Bangsar Baru neighbourhood, comprising some 1,125 houses and a thriving business community in 1974. The 1970s saw Bangsar recover into a housing suburb catering to the baby boomers settling in Kuala Lumpur. As their children grew up and formed a large part of the city's youth, Bangsar became a sought-after place for the trendy during the 1980s. Today Bangsar is an affluent residential suburb on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.