Phnom Penh Post - In pictures: The last years of the White Building

 

As the final pieces of Phnom Penh’s iconic White Building are pulled down, we look back at how our photographers have captured life in the dilapidated structure — which until recently housed almost 500 families as well as businesses, an art gallery, and a longtime community.

White Building residents look out onto a rainy Sothearos Boulevard in June 2017 (Left);
A woman stands next to electricity meters at the White Building in July 2015 (Right).
Images: Heng Chivoan; Pha Lina

Kourn Lyna (left) and Seng Simouy (right), residents and young creatives who were part of art project the White Building Collective. In 2014, they discussed their aim to photograph the diverse inhabitants of Phnom Penh.
Image: Charlotte Pert

Pen Robit, an artist who both lived and painted in the White Building, pictured in 2013 (Left - read more here);
Residents enjoy artwork on display in the White Building for the Cambodian Youth Arts Festival in 2012 (Right).
Images: Scott Howes; Andy Jones

Key Mom, an 80-year-old retired singer, at home in the White Building. “The White Building used to be full of people with the same background – singers, dancers, artists – but there are new people living in the White Building now. I am no longer happy living here,” she told The Post in 2015. Read more residents' stories here.
Image: Charlotte Pert

An alley lined with shops leading to units in the White Building, pictured in 2016 (Left);
Seamstress Moeun Thary depicted on a mural on the north side of the White Building in 2015 (Right - read more).
Images: Moeun Nhean; Victoria Mørck Madsen

The view from the White Building on a sunny day in July 2017.
Image: Pha Lina

A two-bedroom house, pictured in 2016 (Left);
Residents watch TV in 2015 (Right).
Images: Pha Lina

When news came out of the While Building's proposed demolition in 2016, White Building resident Tha Borany told Post reporters a message: “Government, please don’t let the people leave in tears. We want to live, or leave happily.”
Image: Pha Lina

A portrait of the late King Nordom Sihanouk, who was in power when the building was built, remains in an otherwise empty apartment.
Image: Sahiba Chawdhary

Residents leave with their belongings ahead of the White Building's demolition.
Image: Sahiba Chawdhary

A child plays in the hallway outside her family’s home as the White Building is cleared out.
Image: Sahiba Chawdhary

Builders begin tearing down the White Building in July 2017.
Images: Pha Lina

A bulldozer tears down the last block of the White Building as workers spray water to quell the dust in August 2017.
Image: Sahiba Chawdhary