During the late 50sand 60s,

Phnom Penh underwent a huge transformation with an abundance of newly built public monuments and buildings, and between the 50s and the 70s, the city’s population grew from about 350,000 to one million people. This created an urgent need for more housing solutions. One of these solutions was the White Building project (originally known as the Municipal Apartments). The White Building project housed 468 apartments, and was the first attempt to offer multi-story modern urban lifestyle to lower- and middle-class Cambodians.

After forced evacuation during the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime, some of the former residents including many artists returned to the neighborhood, The community grew again as a community of artists. For many in Phnom Penh, the White Building is perceived as an irregular community, cloaked in stigma associated with poverty, drugs, sex work, petty crime, dangerous construction and poor sanitation. However, the White Building is one of the city’s most vibrant communities, housing more than 2,500 residents, including classical dancers, master musicians, skilled craftspeople, cultural workers, civil servants, and street vendors.

Since its early beginnings, the White Building has deteriorated and become structurally unsound. Recently, during September, the White Building was condemned and plans to demolish it are underway. The apartment block flourished into a community of artists and civil servants. Since the building has been deemed unfit and no longer safe for residents, some 600 families will need to find new homes.