Early establishment

Following the establishment of the upper town (bovenstad) of Batavia, Justinus Vinck, a Dutch entrepreneur, decided to develop two markets to serve the upper town. On 30 August 1733, Vinck established two markets: Pasar Tanah Abang (erroneously spelled as Tanabang) to the southwest of Koningsplein and Pasar Senen (variously spelled as Pasar Senin, Bazaar Senin, Passar Senen, Passer Senen) to the east of Koningsplein and its broader Weltevreden suburb (meaning well-contented), a European-centric neighborhood of the upper town.^[1] Both markets were connected with a road simply known as weg van Tanabang naar Weltevreden, which would later become Jalan Kwitang & KH. Wahid Hasyim. The market site stood straddling today's Segitiga Senen ("Senen Triangle") and Pasar Senen (the government-owned market between the train station and Senen Street).

In the beginning of the 19th century, Pasar Senen became the focal point of Weltevreden, hosting the military heart of Weltevreden, the Kampementen along the road from the old town to Meester Cornelis (Matramanweg, then Kramat Raya / Salemba Raya streets). Settlements also prospered along this road, such as Kampung Kwitang, Kampung Kramat, and Kampung Salemba or Slemba. Several forts and military complexes were established to keep the security of the road.

Pasar Senen also became the gateway of the city for people coming from the kampung to the east.^[2]

Modern colonialism

As time went on, Pasar Senen grew into a mainly Chinese commercial center. Its heart became partly filled with Chinese-style shophouses and narrow alleyways (Dutch gang[en]). Among these were Gang Wang Seng, Gang Kenanga Noord, Gang Kenanga Zuid in what is now Segitiga Senen; and Gang Senen Binnen in what is now Pasar Senen.^[3][4]

The road to or from Meester Cornelis thrived as well. It was much-lined with the formidable façades of three key employment sites with commanding Ciliwung river views behind the STOVIA, an opium factory, and a military complex.

In the late 19th century, Pasar Senen was traversed by a railway and street tramlines. In 1886, a railway station was established to the east of Pasar Senen, serving as a logistic station for the area. A newer station was built a few yards to the east of the older station in 1925. Pasar Senen became Jakarta's busiest commercial and entertainment center.

The beginning of the 20th century saw several theatres/cinemas set up locally such as the Rex and Grand Theater Cinemas.

Post-independence period

Senen Station, the main station of Senen Subdistrict.

Following the independence of Indonesia, people from around the country began to flock to the new capital in search of opportunities.^[5] The Pasar Senen area, originally a Chinese-dominated area, became populated by Bantenese, Sundanese, Minang, and Batak traders and employees during the 1950s.^[3]

By the late 1950s, Pasar Senen had deteriorated into a slum and became a hub for criminal gangs, illegal gambling, prostitutes, and pickpockets. This reputation continues to this day despite the multiple revitalization of the area.^[6] During the period, part, especially next to Pasar Senen railway station became Jakarta's main red light district.^[1] Economically and socially marginalized people were drawn to Senen, such as the homeless, market sellers, prostitutes, criminals, gamblers, and lower-income artists and contract laborers. The red light district received the nickname "Planet Senen", a playful term alluding to the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1960s, as well as its relative isolation from the rest of Jakarta.^[7] This was quoted as "a black place" (daerah hitam), a place without governance, with dead bodies on the side of the road.^[8] Quasi-prostitution was common in downtown Senen, with doger dancers (penari doger). The dances are performed by women wearing a very tight and very thin kebaya dress and a batik cloth. They wore locally-made lipstick and powder as imported cosmetics were too dear. These dancers were mostly immigrants from eastern areas such as Klender and Bekasi. Such dancers began to earn from the early evenings onwards. Men may touch and kiss them for a price. Such paid performance and companionship even took place in carriages when close to the Pasar Senen railway station.^[9]

Planet Senen also became a popular meeting place for young artists, poets, and writers in the 1950s and '60s.^[1] Every such Seniman Senen (senen artist), would congregate in local venues to discuss the philosophies and aesthetics of Jakarta.^[5] Among these were Sukarno M. Noor, Rendra Karno, Dahlia, Nurnaningsih, A.N. Alcaff, Benyamin Sueb, Bing Slamet, and Misbach Yusa Biran.^[10] The melting pot of artists in Planet Senen would give birth to Jakarta's recording stars of the 1970s and 1980s.

Dangdut, a genre of Indonesian urban music, developed in marginalized urban neighborhoods in the late 1960s and early 1970s such as Bangunrejo in Surabaya, Sunan Kuning in Semarang, and Planet Senen in Jakarta. Dangdut musicians who started their career in Planet Senen were Asmin Cayder, Rhoma Irama, Mukhsin Alatas, Husein Bawafie, and Mashabi.^[11]

Project Senen (1960s)

Proyek Senen, a revitalization of Pasar Senen initiated in the 1960s.

In 1962, the government of Jakarta and several private investors formed PT Pembangunan Jaya as a joint public-private partnership to revitalize Senen and replace the old shops. The strategy, known as the Project Senen (Proyek Senen) replaced the old Chinese shops with a complex of modern shopping centers, consisting of six modern market blocks numbered I to VI. This plan displaced many urban dwellers from the original Planet Senen. Construction of Block I started in 1962 and was completed in 1966. The last Block, VI, was completed in 1977; a new bus terminal was built next to this in 1980.^[1][12]

In 1973, as part of the revitalization strategy of Pasar Senen, the Planet Senen prostitution and gambling complex was shut down.^[1] Senen sex workers were displaced to Kramat Tunggak, North Jakarta, by Governor Ali Sadikin, which would also become the largest red light district in later years. In 1968, the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center in nearby Cikini was established as a new congregation point for Senen artists and poets.^[5]

On 15 January 1974, students from the Planet Senen youth center demonstrated against the government's policy regarding the role of foreign investment in Indonesia. Starting at the front of the Senen market, the demonstration led to a series of riots known as the Malari incident. The riots attacked the visible Japanese presence in Indonesia such as an Astra dealership selling Toyota-brand cars on Sudirman Street. Later the riots shifted to an anti-Chinese Indonesian pogrom, attacking stores owned by ethnic Chinese, including the Senen shopping complex.

Grand Senen Theatre

Grand Theater cinema complex, Jakarta's oldest surviving cinema, dates back to the 1930s.

The Grand Theater was a cinema hall located at Senen in Jakarta, Indonesia. The historic cinema dates back to the 1930s when it was called Rex Cinema and was centrally located in Batavia's trade and entertainment district Senen. Despite its history, the cinema was in extremely poor condition and survived by offering low-budget movies (usually horror or erotic), finally closed operation in 2016.^[13][14]

Grand Theater dates back to the 1930s when it was called the Kramat Theatre. The cinema was prominent as it was centrally located in Weltevreden's entertainment district, Senen. In 1935, Kramat Theatre was renamed Rex Theatre. In November 1946, the cinema received the name November 1946 after a total renovation. The cinema's golden age was during the 1930s up until the 1950s, an era in Jakarta before television was available.^[14]

When television is available in Indonesia, many cinemas are closed in Jakarta, including Jakarta's oldest cinema, the Globe, which was opened in 1910 but has to be closed in 2009. Grand Theater on the other hand survived by offering low-budget movies e.g. horror and erotic movies. With the closing of the Globe, Grand Theater was the oldest cinema hall in Jakarta that was operating until 2016.^[15][14] Attempts by director Joko Anwar to revive the cinema for a screening of Impetigore in 2019 were cancelled due to permit issues.^[15]

Senen Monument of Struggle

Senen Monument of Struggle (Monumen Perjuangan Senen) is a monument located within the complex of Gelanggang Remaja Senen (Senen Youth Center). The monument was officially inaugurated by the mayor of Central Jakarta A. Munir on 2 May 1982. It was erected to commemorate the revolutionary struggle in maintaining the self-proclaimed independence of Indonesia from the Allied occupation, specifically the arrival of the warship of the Allied in Jakarta Bay on 29 September 1945.^[16]

The monument was designed by native sculptor Sadiman, Suhartono, and Haryang Iskandar, and painter Suyono Palal. It is made with cement concrete cast from Sleman Regency, Central Java.^[16]