Kalaw was developed as a British hill station in the late nineteenth century, and a surprising number of the original buildings survive. Mock-Tudor bungalows with pitched roofs and deep verandas line the streets around the central area, set among gardens that the colonial administration planted with English flowers — roses, marigolds, and sweet peas — alongside the local pine trees. The effect is peculiar and rather charming, a slice of Surrey transplanted into the Shan hills.
The railway station is one of the best-preserved colonial buildings, still in use and little altered since it was built. The area around Pine Hill is worth a slow walk to see the bungalows and small churches. Kingswood High School, originally a Methodist mission school established in the early twentieth century, is another landmark of the era. The town's colonial past is also reflected in the Indian community, whose ancestors arrived as merchants and workers during British rule and have remained, running tea shops and spice stalls around the market.