Arthur Charles Alfred Norman

He achieved his professional qualification when he was made an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) on 23 May 1881 when he was 23.

As Norman held the position of the Government Architect, many buildings built in the period were credited to him, but were in fact largely the work of his subordinates such as Arthur Benison Hubback and R. A. J. Bidwell.

[2] During his time of service, Arthur Charles Alfred Norman contributed to the design of some of Malaysia’s most important buildings in the historic core of Kuala Lumpur lining the perimeter of Merdeka Square.

[4] Furthermore, the Indo-Saracenic style, first introduced to Kuala Lumpur in the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, came as a result of a suggestion by the State Engineer of Selangor Public Works Department Charles Edwin Spooner.

Hubback later became the department's lead architect, and eclipsing Norman who previously held the position with his building designs.

According to historian J. M. Gullick, Norman was a man of modest ability and did not have the flair and originality required for many of the works attributed to him.