The former UPD Parking Office is part of an architectural complex integrated with Pasar Gedhe Hardjonagoro, a prominent market in Surakarta. Pasar Gedhe was designed by Dutch architect Ir. Thomas Karsten in 1927 and completed in 1930. The market was officially inaugurated on January 12, 1930, by KGPAA Paku Buwono X, the King of the Surakarta Sunanate.

Pasar Gedhe symbolizes a harmonious collaboration between the visionary PB X and Ir. Herman Thomas Karsten, who was deeply respectful of local culture. The 1927 renovation of Pasar Gedhe transformed it into the first two-story market building in the archipelago (present-day Indonesia). Architecturally and culturally, Pasar Gedhe is considered a key part of the old urban fabric of Solo, with spatial and historical ties to the Keraton (Royal Palace) and the Chinatown area in Kampung Balong.

The interaction between local traditions and the Chinese community was further emphasized by the appointment of Tjan Khay Sing as the head of Pasar Gedhe’s management. His descendants later adopted the name Hardjonagoro, linking the market’s identity to both royal and Chinese heritage.