OUR CITY’S
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INTRODUCTI INTRODUCTION TRODUCTION What do you think of when someone mentions the words granite, tall, building, grayand architecture? Well, for most people, monuments will come to their mind as soon as these words are mentioned. As you may know, Singapore has undergone a vast amount of changes over the years, since its independence. What better way to commemorate Singapore’s achievements since its independence than to build monuments for our forefathers and past heroes? With monuments all over Singapore, we will always be reminded of our history
whenever we walk past the monuments or look at them. Not only can we appreciate our history, but we can also appreciate the design and architecture of the monuments in Singapore. This booklet contains monuments that are around the City Hall area, where most of Singapore’s history were formed. Therefore, this publication is about piecing Singapore’s past together through the monuments that are featured in this booklet so that these monuments will not be forgotten and will always be appreciated.
06 City Hall
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Old Supreme Court
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Central Fire Station
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Old Hill Street Police Station
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National Museum of Singapore
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The City Hall is a national monument gazetted on 14 February 1992. It was built from 1926 to 1929 and was known as Municipal Building. The building was built by G.D. Coleman in the 1830s.
Municipal Building, 1930
City Hall, 2006
HISTORY OF CITY HALL
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L
ocated in front of the historical Padang and next door to the Supreme Court of Singapore, it was designed and built by the architects of the municipal government, A. Gordans and F. D. Meadows from 1926 to 1929. A flight of stairs takes visitors from the Corinthian colonnade to the main building. The building was constructed to replace several houses designed by architect G.D.Coleman. It was first known as Municipal Building until 1951 when Singapore was granted city status by King George VI. During the World War II, when the Japanese occupied Singapore, they managed the civic issues from the Municipal Building but political affairs were already being conducted in the building. In 1943, leader of the Indian National Army, Subhas Chandra Bose, rallied for the Japanese support to let India to be independent from the British rule at the Municipal Building. British prisoners-of-war were rounded up in front of the building for a march to POW camps at Changi Prison and Selarang. On 12 September 1945, the Japanese General Itagaki surrendered to Lord Mountbatten in 1945 to end World War II in Singapore. In 1951, it was renamed to its present name as it was to mark Singapore as a city, after being granted city status.
Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South East Asia, reads the terms of surrender to the Japanese delegation before they sign the formal document of surrender.
Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten reads the surrender terms to the Japanese delegates
The Japanese delegation leaves the Municipal Building after the surrender ceremony on 12 September 1945.
During self-government, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew declared self-governance in Singapore in 1959, the playing of the new national anthem and the first time the people of Singapore saw the national flag as well as Singapore’s independence from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965. In 1959, Lee and his eight cabinet minister were sworn into political office in the chamber of the City Hall before the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara,Yusof bin Ishak, whose oath was taken at the City Hall as well.
The building was used for many government events over the years, it was used as a venue for the Singapore Biennale, and also for the IMF and World Bank Meetings when it was held in Singapore as a registration centre.
Singapore Biennale, Oct 2006
The City Hall, together with the adjacent Old Supreme Court Building, will be converted into the National Art Gallery of Singapore by 2015. A newspaper article on Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965
Lee Kuan Yew read out the Malaysia Proclamation at the City Hall in 1963, and declared that Singapore was no longer under British rule. The people celebrated the first Malaysia Day at the Padang which is outside the City Hall. The first National Day Parade was held there in 1966 and subsequent years. The steps of the City Hall is use as a VIP seating area at National Day Parades held there.
Current condition of the City Hall
National Day Parade 1966 at the Padang
ARCHITECTURE OF CITY HALL
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C
ity Hall was built from 1926 to 1929 and was known as Principal Building. The building was built by G.D. Coleman in the 1830s. It has windows and doors of the same size. The designs of the building are very intricate. Facade of City Hall
City Hall was designed and built by the architects of the municipal government, A. Gordans and F. D. Meadows from 1926 to 1929. A flight of stairs takes visitors from the Corinthian colonnade to the main building. The building was constructed to replace several houses designed by architect G.D. Coleman.
Close-up view of the pillars
Another important group of historic buildings were those built by the colonial government. These were often built in one or another European architectural style, which was in fashion at the time, such as the Palladian, Renaissance, or Neoclassical styles. City Hall is built according to the Neoclassical Style.
Facade of City Hall
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The Old Supreme Court is a national monument gazetted on on 14 February 1992. It was built from 1937 to 1939 by G.D. Coleman.
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Old Supreme Court, 1939
Old Supreme Court, 2006
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HISTORY OF OLD SUPREME COURT
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he Old Supreme Court Building is the former courthouse of the Supreme Court of Singapore, before it moved out of the building and commenced operations in the new building on 20 June 2005. The building was the last structure in the style of classical architecture to be built in the former British colony. It is planned to become an arts and cultural centre in future, with plans to refurbish the building.
Currently The Arts House, this building is one of the many colonial buildings around the City Hall area
By the 1830s, houses built in Madras chunam lined the streets that faced the sea. The residence of Edward Boustead designed by George Drumgoole Coleman stood there. The house was remodeled to become hotels of several names, namely London Hotel, Hotel de l’Esperance and later Hotel de l’Europe.
Hotel Grand De L’Europe, 1914
Many colonial-built houses were built before the courthouse was constructed in the 1930s, in addition to the Grand Hotel de l’Europe, which was demolished to make way for the new building. Raffles initially designated the site for public use, but his administrator in Singapore, William Farquhar, allowed private residences to be constructed there.
However, these houses made way for the Grand Hotel de l’Europe in 1900, the only other hotel in Singapore that could be comparable with the landmark Raffles Hotel. The Grand Hotel boasted a lounge, reading room, a bar, shops and a roof garden, a novelty at that time. In 1932, the hotel’s business declined and filed for bankruptcy. It made way in 1936 for the present building, the former building had good views of the Padang from its verandah.
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On 1 April 1937, the original foundation stone of the Old Supreme Court Building, (then the biggest foundation stone in the whole of Malaya) was laid by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Shenton Whitelegge Thomas. Buried beneath the stone, is a time capsule containing six Singaporean newspapers dated 31 March 1937, and a handful of coins of the Straits Settlements. The capsule is not due to be retrieved until the year 3000.
apsule buried underneath this hich can only be unearthed in ar 3000.
Singapore Cricket Club & Victoria Memorial Hall
The Old Supreme Court Building, together with the adjacent City Hall, was slated to be converted into the National Art Gallery of Singapore by 2015.
Time capsule buried beneath the tile
The building was declared open on 3 August 1939 by Sir Shenton Thomas and handed over to the Chief Justice, Sir Percy McElwaine, on the same day. The courthouse had 11 courtrooms and adjoining judges’ chambers. In 1988, a further 12 courtrooms from the City Hall were transferred to the Supreme Court to accommodate the needs of the main courthouse, as it needed more courtrooms. The building used to have many premises before moving to the premises at City Hall. Dorrington Ward’s plan was to demolish the Singapore Cricket Club, Old Parliament House and the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall to make way for a grand government scheme designed by his department. However, this plan was interrupted by the onset World War II.
Current condition of the Old Supreme Court
ARCHITECTURE OF OLD SUPREME COURT
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uilt in front of the historical Padang grounds between 1937 and 1939, the Old Singapore Supreme Court building was designed by Frank Dorrington Ward of the Public Works Department of Singapore, and was his last and most significant piece of work.
The former courthouse features Corinthian columns, classical design, and spacious interiors with murals by the Italian artists. The four-storey steel structure was erected by United Engineers. The building consists of four blocks surrounding a central courtyard which houses the circular law library with its significant dome and Travertine columns supporting two balconies on two levels. Behind the main dome, there is a smaller dome.
The pediment sculpture (an allegor y of justice) and the Corinthian columns which characterized the Supreme Court are works by Italian sculptor Cavaliere Rudolfo Nolli. Nolli also carried works for the general building, pre-cast works,imitation stone sculptures, artistic decorations, special plastering and bush-hammered facing works.
Pediment sculpture
Main dome
The 2 domes in Old Supreme Court
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The Central Fire Station is a national monument gazetted on 18 December 1998 In 1905, planning for Central Fire Station began under the supervision of the Fire Brigade superintendent, Montague Pett. The station was completed in 1908.
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N N O O I I T T A TT S S EE R R I I FF
Central Fire Station, 1908
Central Fire Station, 2012
HISTORY OF CENTRAL FIRE STATION It became so invaluable that during the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese retained British firemen in their jobs, who were thus spared incarceration.
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he Central Fire Station is the oldest existing fire station in Singapore, and is located at Hill Street in theMuseum Planning Area, within the Central Area, Singapore’s central business district.
The idea for a professional Fire Brigade was conceived after a fire in Kling Street destroyed S$13,000 worth of property on 7 November 1855. It was 14 years before a volunteer fire service was started and a further 36 years before Singapore’s first proper fire station, Central Fire Station, was built. In 1905, planning for Central Fire Station began under the supervision of the Fire Brigade superintendent, Montague Pett. The station was completed in 1908. Built at a cost of S$64,000, it included a watch tower and living quarters for firemen. Central Fire Station had four portable water pumps. Nonetheless, even this basic setting was a huge improvement over what existed before. Superintendent Pett fought for improved working conditions and initiated fire safety measures in public buildings. Standards of operations rose to a professional level and the degree of fire-related damage fell significantly. The handing over of the fire service to Pett and the setting up of Central Fire Station was a welcome and much needed change. From that time, the Fire Brigade hasconsistently grown and improved.
Firemen statues near the entrance of the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery
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Although the Singapore Fire Service was integrated with the Singapore Civil Defence Force in 1989 and is no longer an independent entity, the Central Fire Station remains in use today. The Civil Defence Heritage Gallery housed in Central Fire Station showcases the history of firefighting in Singapore, and reveals the developments of civil defence in Singapore from the 19th century till today.
Types of hat used by the firemen over the years
Visitors to the heritage gallery can learn about the civil defence’s progression in Singapore through the years, with displays of antique fire engines and other firefighting equipment. There are customised interactive stations for a close-up experience of what fire fighters and rescuers go through during a mission. The gallery’s highlight is a tour to the 30m high Lookout Tower, which was Singapore’s highest point during the 1920s.
Vehicle used during the early years of the Central Fire Station
Merryweather Steam Fire Engine
ARCHITECTURE OF CENTRAL FIRE STATION It also has 30 metre Lookout Tower, which was Singapore’s highest point during the 1920s and is the highlight of the Civil Defence Gallery Tour.
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entral Fire Station (1909), 62 Hill Street, Singapore. The so-called streaky bacon style of architecture embodied in the fire station is usually associated with Rogue Gothic, a style more associated with churches, colleges, and public buildings in the medieval revival mode but it appears classical in the images.
Facade of the Central Fire Station
What makes Central Fire Station stand out from the rest of the buildings in the City Hall Area is its red and white color.
Red and white bricks and red doors
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The Old Hill Street Police Station building was gazetted as a national monument on 18 December 1998. It was built in 1934 to house the Hill Street Police Station and Barracks. The architect was Frank Dorrington Ward.
Old Hill Street Police Station, 1934
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), 2012
HISTORY OF OLD HILL STREET POLICE STATION
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he Old Hill Street Police Station is a historic building in Singapore, and is located at Hill Street in the Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area, Singapore’s central business district.
Interior of MICA
Between 1845 and 1856, the Assembly Rooms, a space for public functions and a building that housed a theatre and a school, which occupied the current site of the Old Hill Street Police Station.The Old Hill Street Police Station building is the site of Singapore’s first jail. Following a meeting of soldiers in the Alexandra Barracks in 1915, the Singapore Police Force was reorganised. As a result of the reorganisation, from 1915 to 1935, the Singapore Police Force built several police stations to deal with increasing Chinese secret society activities. To provide vehicular access behind the building, the steep slopes of Fort Canning had to be cut back and shored up. In 1934, the Hill Street Police Station and Barracks was opened by Director of Public Works and Adviser for Malay States, G.Sturrock, who was also a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (FRIBA). In addition to the standard facilities for a police station, there were living quarters f or policemen and their families.
Entrace of MICA
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During the Japanese Occupation, Hill Street Police Station was used by the Kempeitai as a holding area for prisoners and some say, as tor ture chambers. After the war, it rever ted to being a police station. The Arms and Explosives Branch of the Police Depar tment operated there from 1949 to 1981. In the 1960s, a new housing scheme gave police personnel the option to live in government-built accommodation. Police staff gradually moved out, with the last occupant leaving in 1979. Two years later, the station was closed and, after renovations, the building was renamed Hill Street Building in 1983.
It housed the Official Consignee, the Official Trustees, Public Receiver and the Archives and Oral History Department (now the National Archives) and other government departments. Today, it is used by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Ar ts (MICA) and other associated departments and statutory boards, including the National Arts Council, the National Heritage Board and the Media Development Authority.
MICA
The Kempeitai National Arts Council (NAC)
Kempeitai torturing a suspected Chinese man deemed as anti-Japanese
Media Development Authority (MDA)
ARCHITECTURE OF OLD HILL STREET POLICE STATION
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he Old Hill Street Police Station was built in Neo-Classical style which was still fashionable for public buildings in England in the 1930s. The building was designed by the Public Works Department when F. Dorrington Ward was the Government Architect. The six-storey building has a thoroughly Italianate air with its corbelled loggias and balconies, arcades, stuccoed, rusticated surfaces and central courtyards, one large and one small. Because of the building’s height, the proportions of these internal spaces are somewhat over whelming but, as a solution to the problems of the Singapore climate, this is a sensible idea.
The building was considered amongst the finest in the world. Modern for its time, it had electric lifts by 1933. Upon its completion in 1934, it was the largest pre-war government building in Singapore and regarded as a modern skyscraper. The building has a total of 911 windows with colourful shutters. The main courtyard, the former police parade grounds, has been converted into an air-conditioned atrium, called The ARTrium for art activities. The spacious ARTrium, with its vibrant colours and ample space, regularly features artistic performances and also houses art galleries.
Neoclassical Architecture
Art galleries
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The National Museum of Singapore is a national monument gazetted on 14 February 1992. It was formed in 1849 and its architects were Henry McCallum who designed the original version and J.F. McNair who designed the scaled down version of the building.
National Museum of Singapore, 1950s
National Museum of Singapore, 2012
HISTORY OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SINGAPORE
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he National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849 when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution. After several relocations, the Museum was relocated to its permanent site at Stamford Road at the Museum Planning Area in 1887. The Museum is one of the four national museums in the country, the other three being the two Asian Civilisations Museums at Empress Place Buildingand Old Tao Nan School, and the Singapore Art Museum. The museum focuses on exhibits related to the history of Singapore. The Museum was named the National Museum of Singapore in 1965. For a brief period between 1993 and March 2006, it was known as the Singapore History Museum, before reverting back to its previous name. The Museum underwent a three-and-a-half-year restoration and reopened on December 2, 2006, with the Singapore History Gallery opening on December 8 of the same year.The revamped National Museum was officially opened by former President of Singapore S R Nathan and Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Lee Boon Yang on 7 December 2006.
Raffles Library and Musuem, 1887
Interior of the Raffles Library and Museum, 1874
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The museum was established in 1849 by the then Singapore Institution Committee. It was called the Raffles Library and Museum and it exhibited items of historical and archeological value in Singapore and Asia. The museum was part of an establishment of a public repository of knowledge of Malayan in a school, museum and library. This objective can be traced to a 1823 meeting called by Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore, to discuss a revival of the region’s cultural heritage.
In its early years, the museum was well known for its zoological and ethnographic collections of Southeast Asia especially Malaya and British Borneo before the World War II. The museum was a centre of research and knowledge, directors and curators were by and specialists of good research accomplishments including zoologists Richard Hanitsch, John Moulton, Cecil Boden Kloss, Frederick Chasenand anthropologists HD Collings and Gibson-Hill who were also interested in ornithology, Malay history, ethnography and photography.
The museum occupied a section of the library of the Singapore Institution, later became the Raffles Institution. In 1874, the museum moved to the Town Hall (now known as theVictoria Theatre and Concert Hall). However, due to the growing collection in the museum, it moved back to the Singapore Institution in 1876 situated at the new wing of the institution.
The museum was the seat of the editorial office of the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, it was visited by scholars who were en-route to their trips to Malaya and Indonesia. The collections included a selection of northern Nias objects from thefield trips of Elio Modigliani, as well as the basketwork gifted by Dr William Abbott, who collected them during the 1900s for the United States National Museum, later the Smithsonian Institution.
The Raffles Library and Museum later moved to Stamford Road in a new building that was commissioned by the colonial government in 1882. The museum was officially opened on 12 October 1887 which also marked the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The library was referred to by the locals in Malay as Rumah Kitab (house of books) orTempat Kitab (place of books). The museum was designed by Sir Henry McCallum but a scaled down version was used as the Colonial Office rejected the initial proposal, Major J.F. McNair co-designed the later version.
The Concourse of the museum, an amalgamation between Classicism & Modernism.
Current National Museum of Singapore - glass passage
ARCHITECTURE OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SINGAPORE
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ational Museum was designed in Neo-Palladian and Renaissance style and consists of two rectangular parallel blocks, with adome at the front of the building. Its architects were Henry McCallum who designed the original version and J.F. McNair who designed the scaled down version of the building.
The new glass clad building was designed such that the old building would still be the centrepiece of the museum. A six-metre gap exists between the back of the main museum building and its new annexe as conservation guidelines do not allow old and new buildings to be directly connected. In the gallery theatre, bricks are designed in a herringbone brick pattern, which helps tocontrol the echoes and acoustics in the space. Initially, the designers planned to use bricks from the old National Library building, but the cost was too expensive. Black concrete flooring was used for the new block instead of gray granite flooring as initially planned.
The building has two rotundas, a new glass-clad rotunda at the rear area of the building. Its glass rotunda is a cylindrical shaped building which is made up of two drums, with the outer one made of glass which sheathes an inner one made of wire mesh. Black out curtains has the same length of the inner drum with images projected on sixteen projectors in the day. The curtains are drawn after sunset, and projection can be beamed out through the glass to get a view of the city. Coats of arms are found on the building’s front.
Rotunda dome
The redeveloped building was designed by local W Architects with the glass-clad rotunda designed inspired by Chinese American I.M. Pei. The chief design consultant was Mok Wei Wei from W Architects, who was appointed in June 2004 and modified the designs of the glass rotunda and the atrium between the two buildings.
Glass rotunda
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PERSONAL THOUGHTS
I think that it is very important for Singaporeans to know more about their heritage so that they will be more informed about Singapore’s history and how Singapore has come this far to to be an independent and democratic country. Through publication like this, Singaporeans who have forgotten or were not well-informed, will have information on monuments like the ones in this publication. If more publication on monuments were to be designed nicely and attractively, people will not only would people want to read it when they first see it, but they would also want to know more about it. Hence, there ahould be more publication similar to this.
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