More than 60 colonial shophouses in Soi Charoen Krung 52, or Soi Wanglee, are facing demolition by commercial developer JSP Sathon, which is planning to turn the area into a commercial complex and parking garage. Residents are against the project and have petitioned concerned agencies to help save the historical building. The shops, which were designed by a French architect in 1926, were once home to customs inspectors overseeing an international pier where immigrants from mainland China fled poverty, civil war and political revolution to live in Thailand. The site was also home to the Prasittibhol bar, which used to be one of Bangkok's most popular night entertainment spots for both Thais and foreigners.Bangkok Post