City Center
Stamford House (Oranjie Building), 15 Stamford Road
Designed by Swan and Maclaren in 1904, the building Oranje Building carried out their business here until 1910. Owing to a shortage of hotel rooms, Raffles Hotel started taking rooms here for a number of years. During the Japanese Occupation, the building was used by the Japanese forces as a hotel. After WWII, the rooms were rented out. In 1963, the building was refurbished and renamed as Stamford House. It stands at a stone’s throw from the Capitol Theatre. It is also very close to the MPH Building on Stamford Road. Stamford Court stands on the side of the road, opposite to the Stamford House. In 1984, the Stamford House and the Capitol Theatre were acquired by the Urban Redevelopment Authority and preserved.
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Today the Stamford House has been rented to businesses that sell furnishings. Possessing an appeal of the bygone decades, the three storey Stamford House has an intricate facade, marble flooring and fine columns. All subsequent renovation work ensured that new additions do not clash with the original architecture.
Chinese Chamber of Commerce, 47 Hill Street
The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry started out in 1906 as a support network for Chinese immigrants. Since Singapore was under colonial rule in those days, chamber members primarily focused on raising funds to build schools and help the recently arrived immigrants. Since Singapore’s independence, its role has evolved to look after the interests of the Chinese business community. Its members are from the corporate world, trade associations, multinational corporations and SMEs. Together they leverage the Chinese network for business, education and community development, not only in Singapore but also among the overseas Chinese diaspora.
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Bukit Larangan (Fort Canning)
Today this hill is widely visited for a number of reasons. It certainly has a rich history to it and it serves as a dance school and concert venue (bands such as Alice in Chains, Megadeth and Whitesnake have played here). But long before that, it was once known as Bukit Larangan (the Forbidden Hill), since it was the residence of then kings. There were royal bathing ponds for princely women and also burial grounds. There are lush grounds all around and ghost stories about Bukit Larangan are plenty. There is a tomb, apparently, of the last of the Malay kings, Iskandar Shah. It is doubtful whether he is indeed buried here, since I recall reading elsewhere that Singapore was raided by invaders, during which time, he fled to Malacca in peninsular Malaysia and his forces in Singapore were decimated.
Stamford Raffles built his house on Government Hill (as it was known then). He also attempted to create the first botanical garden in Singapore, starting with cash crops such as cloves and nutmeg. The British Army used this place as their barracks and at one point, it was fortified with several canons at various spots, replicas of which exist today. The fort was named after Lord Canning, the Governor-General and Viceroy of British India at that time. The fort itself has since been demolished but the barracks built in 1926 still exist. For a brief period in the 1820s, there was a Christian burial area. Remnants of a Gothic gateway are partly visible today near the graves. During WWII, Lieutenant General Arthur Ernest Percival used the underground bunker here as his commanding base. Apparently, this was where he made the final decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Today this space provides a large patch of green in the city center and can be easily approached on foot from several directions. It is also a hit with nature photographers and soon-to-wed couples looking to get their photos. And for joggers, this serves as a perfect spot to run in some fresh air among the pleasant greens.
Stamford Raffles built his house on Government Hill (as it was known then). He also attempted to create the first botanical garden in Singapore, starting with cash crops such as cloves and nutmeg. The British Army used this place as their barracks and at one point, it was fortified with several canons at various spots, replicas of which exist today. The fort was named after Lord Canning, the Governor-General and Viceroy of British India at that time. The fort itself has since been demolished but the barracks built in 1926 still exist. For a brief period in the 1820s, there was a Christian burial area. Remnants of a Gothic gateway are partly visible today near the graves. During WWII, Lieutenant General Arthur Ernest Percival used the underground bunker here as his commanding base. Apparently, this was where he made the final decision to surrender Singapore to the Japanese. Today this space provides a large patch of green in the city center and can be easily approached on foot from several directions. It is also a hit with nature photographers and soon-to-wed couples looking to get their photos. And for joggers, this serves as a perfect spot to run in some fresh air among the pleasant greens.
Fullerton Building
The Fullerton Building, named after the first governor of the Straits Settlements Robert Fullerton, was conceived in 1919 and since then has worn several hats. Occupying the site of the 1829 structure, Fort Fullerton, it was the first General Post Office and then the Exchange Building. The Fullerton Building was completed in 1928. It continued to house the General Post Office and the Exchange, in addition to various government departments. In the time leading up to the capitulation of the British to the Japanese in Malaya, Fullerton Building was an hospital for the wounded and a refuge for Shenton Thomas and his wife, who moved in here from their previous residence at Government Hill (Fort Canning). During the occupation period, Fullerton Building became the headquarters of the Japanese military administration.
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After the war, it was used by the IRAS (Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore) and in 1997, it was gazetted as a conserved building. After renovations, it opened as the Fullerton Hotel in 2001. The building features prominent fluted Doric colonnades and that is what makes this (along with the former Supreme Court) one of my favourite buildings in Singapore. The Building faces the Singapore River on one side and the Marina Bay on the other. The side facing the river has an outdoor swimming pool upstairs and a cocktail area on the ground floor.
Goodwood Park Hotel
Once known as the Teutonia Club, it was an exclusive visiting ground for German expatriates. This club on Scotts Road was started to be constructed in 1899. A year later, it opened as the Deutsches Haus. When WWI broke out, it was seized by the British government in Singapore as enemy property. After the end of war, it was auctioned off to the Manessah family, who re-named it as Goodwood Hall in 1922. In 1929, it was turned into the Goodwood Park Hotel. During WWII, it was occupied by the Japanese Officers. Ironically, after the war, trials for war crimes were conducted on these very grounds and Japanese officers were tried. The hotel was renovated in 1947 and expanded. In 1989, it was gazetted as a national monument.
MICA Building (Old Hill Street Police), 140 Hill Street
In the early twentieth century Singapore, there was an increase in the number of Chinese secret societies. It was decided to reorganize the police force and in 1934, the Hill Street Police Station was opened, complete with living quarters for policemen and their families. During the Syonan years, it was used as prison for torture and interrogation by the Kempetai. After the war, it reverted to being a police station and owing to policy changes, several personnel began to choose to live elsewhere. It eventually closed and after a couple of years of renovation, it opened in 1983, housing the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. Gazetted as a national monument in 1998, it is better known as "MICA Building".
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Old Thong Chai Medical Institution
The earliest immigrants to Singapore could not afford traditional Chinese medicines. Thong Chai dispensed free medical advice and assistance, not only to immigrants, but also the family members and relatives accompanying hard working immigrants. They changed locations on several occasions, before moving to the present location. In early twentieth century, meetings were held to raise funds for mainland China. Gazetted as a national monument in 1973, the former Thong Chai Medical Institution stands at 50 Eu Tong Sen Street (at some point, known as Wayang Street) and was built in 1892. Traditional Chinese medicine physicians operated in the old medical hall, prescribing herbs and similar remedies for ailments such as the headaches, cough and cold. Traditional southern Chinese motifs feature heavily such as branches, blossom and so on, carved on timber. Thong Chai Medical Institution vacated the building in 1976. At one point of time, it was a pub and then a restaurant, and also received several restorations. Since 2005, it houses a healthcare company. But it is understood that the new owners abide by the stipulations laid down by the National Heritage Board. Visitors today arrive frequently to appreciate the building.
Old Supreme Court
It stands at the site of the former London Hotel, which was renovated and renamed the Hotel de l'Esperance and then again, the Hotel de l'Europe. The hotel was demolished in 1900 and rebuilt in 1905. In 1935, the 'new' Supreme Court building, inspired by the Old Bailey of London, was built and completed by 1937. Designed by Frank Dorrington Ward, this unmistakable, unmissable landmark on St Andrew's Road was the Supreme Court from 1939 to 2005. Japanese officers were tried here after the end of WWII for war crimes. It was gazetted as a national monument in 1992. Since 2015, it (along with the City Hall building next to it) is known as the National Gallery. The pediment sculpture depicts justice and is a work of art by Italian sculptor, Cavalieri Rudolfo Nolli, who created other pieces also in various Singapore locations. The front of the building is dominated by Ionic columns and the rotunda on the top forms a prominent feature. It is widely said to be the last classical building completed in Singapore. Standing very close to the Fullerton Hotel, it is one of my favourite buildings in Singapore.
In this new avatar, the Gallery has conducted art exhibitions (not only from Singapore but also from other Asian countries, such as Wu Guanzhong), children's programmes and design markets. It also promotes local musicians in the performance space of its atrium. |
Lau Pa Sat
I am told that Pa Sat (or Pasar) originates from the word bazaar, meaning market. And truly it once began its origin as a market place on the southern bank of Singapore River. It moved to its current location on Telok Ayer Street in 1822 and at that point, it was a simple wooden and attap structure. When the octagonal structure opened in 1825, it extended to the sea, allowing fresh to be unloaded directly here. Cast iron supports (they were shipped out from Glasgow) were added in to strengthen the structure in 1894. Lau Pa Sat became a national monument in 1973. It ceased operation as wet market in 1986 and renovated in 1989. In modern day Singapore, the area around Telok Ayer Market, (think of Shenton Way, Robinson Road, Cecil Street and Raffles Place) has become a busy commercial district and is a hit with office goers for weekday lunches.
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Lim Bo Seng Memorial
Lim Bo Seng was born in the Fujian province of China. He moved to Singapore for his education in his boyhood years. He inherited his father’s business after the demise of the latter. He, along with several other Chinese in Singapore, boycotted Japanese goods and raised funds to be used in activities against the Japanese. When his profile became too conspicuous, he fled to Malaysia and India. When he returned in 1944, he was captured and tortured by the military police, the Kempeitai. However, he refused to divulge information on the whereabouts of his companions. He died a few months later (at the age of 35) and his remains were brought to Singapore. This memorial in his honour was unveiled on the tenth anniversary of his death.
Chinatown
Trengganu Street connects Pagoda Street and Sago Street, over Temple Street and Smith Street. The entire stretch of it is pretty much a tourist area, selling souvenirs and hosting a couple of eateries. Although it is receives footfall from tourists, it also attracts a fair number of locals. In the run up to the Lunar New Year, it is positively packed. Just a little outside the Chinatown area (south of the South Bridge Road) is the region bounded by the roads of Ann Siang Hill and Club Street. Mostly populated by trendy bars, exotic restaurants and chic boutiques, this spot has some fine renovated shop houses and sit conveniently close to a green pocket right in the heart of the city. It is also a favourite spot for photographers seeking to capture architectural gems from the past decades. Weekends see visitations by water colour painters and sketch artists.
Blair Conservation District
The Blair Plain conservation (conserved since 1991) area includes Blair Road, Spottiswoode Park Road and Everton Road. It comprises of two and three storey terraced houses. Largely a quiet residential neighbourhood, there are some cafes. They possess a mix of Chinese (air vents, flower frieze), Malay (fretted wood panels, fascia boards, pintu besar – literally meaning ‘big door’, Pintu pagar – ‘fence door’) and European (French windows, shuttered windows) design elements.
Recent additions to this area are 3 murals painted by local artist Yip Yew Chong, who was inspired by the works of Ernest Zacharevic. Two of them are at the site of a motor garage run by businessman Choa Kim Keat. The artist has paid much attention to details and passers-by would sometimes stop to give further tips and inputs. Local residents have appreciated the tribute to local heritage from the bygone decades.
Yue Hwa Building, Eu Tong Sen Street
The first in Singapore to have a lift, the six storeyed Great Southern Hotel in Chinatown was built in 1936. Locally it was known as the "Nam Tin". In addition to the hotel, there were several shops and other businesses. At one point, it was a fashionable destination for shopping as well as for celebrities from the SE Asian region. In 1993, the building was acquired by Yue Hwa Chinese Products Emporium, a Hong Kong based departmental store chain. Most popular products on sale are jade carvings, handicrafts, antiques and medicinal products. In 1994, it ceased the hotel operations and now focuses mainly on garments, art and furniture.
Majestic Theater
Built by the tin and and rubber magnate , and philanthropist Eu Tong Sen, the Majestic Theatre was once a Cantonese opera house, built for his wife who appreciated Cantonese opera. It stands on 80 Eu Tong Sen Street and was designed by Swan and Maclaren. The architecture is a mix of Western and Chinese styles, featuring Cantonese opera scenes and dragon mosaic. The Majestic (aka Tian Yan theatre for a while) is a fine example of the use of imported tiles on the facade of a building. These panels depict scenes from Cantonese opera. It was completed in 1928 and operated as a Cantonese opera until 1938. It returned as the Queen's Theatre under the Shaw Brothers, until the Japanese took over in 1942. The theatre screened Japanese propaganda films till 1945, when it received its present name. In 1983, the Cathay purchased this place and continued to screen movies until 1998. After extensive renovations, it opened simply as The Majestic.
Istana Woodneuk
Built in early 20th century, Istana Woodneuk was a royal palace owned by the 21st Sultan of Johore, Abu Bakar and stands on modern day Holland Road and Tyersall Road and right next door to the Singapore Botanical Gardens. In the 1860s, William Napier (a lawyer and newspaper editor) sold his land to Abu Bakar, who wanted to maintain a presence in Singapore. A palace was built, complete with electricity, in 1894. There was another building next to it by the name of Tyersall House. A fire, thought to be caused by faulty electrical wiring, burned down the house in 1905. During World War II, this place was used as a place for 700 recuperating soldiers from the Indian Regiments, in a temporary military hospital. Unfortunately, it was bombed by the Japanese and not a soul survived. The original blue roof was lost in a 2006 fire. Today, the once handsome Istana house is covered by thick vegetation and in ruins. There are gaping holes in the roof and walls have caved in at several places. Apparently, the graffiti work could have been the hand of local gangsters. Apart from the discarded plastic bottles, I did not see any signs of people having recently visited this place. Looking at beams fallen all over the place, my companion and I abandoned any plans to go upstairs. This is a not a hugely promoted or documented place, but it was an hour well spent here, right in the heart of Singapore.
MPH Building
At the junction of Singapore's Armenian Street and Stamford Road is the Vanguard Building, aka MPH Building. A three storied building, this 1908 red and white Edwardian style brick building started as the headquarters for the Methodist Publishing House, later renamed Malayan Publishing House. As the Methodist Publishing House, it published materials for the Methodist mission. It is no longer a bookstore today, although there is another store on Robinson Road in the Central Business District. This building has been refurbished several times and changed hands a fair bit in recent times. At one point of time, the old MPH bookstore was regularly visited (along with the demolished National Library) by students and library-goers. Known as the Vanguard Building for a period, today it has been leased by the Singapore Management University to cater to its expanding programmes
Cathay Building
This cineplex in Dhoby Ghaut area (on Handy Road) is a delight and one of the oldest movie halls of Singapore. Remodelled in 1970s, it retains the original facade of the old Cathay Building and is a gazetted national monument since 2003. At 17 storeys, the Cathay Building was the tallest in South East Asia, and also with air conditioning. This building stood for over 40 years before it was demolished in 1934. It was conceived by British architect Frank W. Brewer and opened in 1939. At the time of its opening, it boasted of a 1,300 seat cinema (the first movie screened was Four Feathers) and the Cathay Hotel. During the initial phase of the World War II, it functioned as a medical relief station. When Singapore fell to the Japanese, it was used to play Japanese propaganda and severed heads of criminals were displayed outside – the much feared Kempeitai (Japanese Military Police) headquarters were not far from this location. It remained under the British control after 1945 (the Supreme Allied Commander of the South East Asia Command or SEAC), after which it was converted back to a cinema and a hotel in 1948. The hotel was converted into apartments in the 1950s.
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The last movie was screened in 2000 before closing for redevelopment. The Cathay re-opened in 2006. Built in 1949, the nearby MacDonald House is a brick building was the scene of a terrorist bomb during the Confrontation Period of 1965. The reason for this was to express resistance to the merger of Indonesia in to the Malayan Federation. The blast took the lives of three and wounded several others. Built for the HSBC, today Citibank occupies this building.
Jinricksha Station
Standing on the crossing of Tanjong Pagar Road and Neil Road, this was the former rickshaw station. Manual rickshaws were very popular in the late 19th century. This imposing station was built in 1904. Rickshaw pulling was hard work and living conditions were not too good as well. Most rickshaw pullers did not own their rickshaws. Opium usage among was very high among them. Slowly they started to reduce and their demise accelerated with the advent of buses and cars. This triangular plot of land on which the station was built in 1903 on Neil Road is a memory to the hard work of rickshaw pullers. Rickshaws were introduced from Shanghai and the pullers faced fierce competition. They were exploited by the rickshaw owners and lived in inadequate facilities.
Tanjong Pagar (Keppel) Railway Station
I will declare upfront that I have no hesitation recommending this place to other visitors. Today this 1932 built station is no longer in use and all railway equipment has been returned to the owners, the KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu). The station building is small (comparatively speaking), but the central area is fairly spacious, housing ticket counters and magazine stores. Four impressive sculptures adorn the station façade, depicting commerce, agriculture, industry and shipping. Once, trains ran from here to the Bukit Timah railway station and onwards to the Woodlands Station, before joining mainland railways (crossing over the Causeway built in 1923) in Malaysia, and even into Thailand. In the yesteryears, they were also used to transport goods (for example, beer from the Archipelago Brewery on Alexandra Road) to the ports for international trade.
The railway line was started in 1903 and sections of it were extended in 1920s and 1930s. eventually, the connectivity started from Tanjong Pagar railway station to Tanglin, Tank Road, Bukit Timah, all the way to Kranji and Woodlands, and then on to mainland Malaysia. Tin and rubber industries were most of the driving factors, in addition to the ABC beer factory. I had the pleasure of taking the train from here all the way to Kuala Lumpur and Alor Setar (the nearest railway station to Langkawi Island). Since the train was “international” in that sense, there were passport controls on the platform, before boarding the train. Diesel locomotives hauled passenger trains. I have to admit, with a tinge of sadness, that the closure of this railway station was not news well received. But the heartening fact is that there has been a healthy debate, including members of the public, revolving around the fate of this parcel of land. Today the railway land has been converted into the Green Corridor and the Green Corridor Run, an annual ten km run, flags off from here and ends at the site of the Bukit Timah Railway Station. On public holidays, Land Transport Authority of Singapore (the station building has reverted to them now) opens the station premises to the visiting public for free and there are temporary exhibitions showing photographs and video clips from the railway era. The Green Corridor can be easily accessed by the public and is well used by joggers, cyclists and schools that organize short trips to explore the butterflies, dragonflies and fauna seen here. Residents of nearby areas routinely visit this place, some with their dogs (dogs are legally permitted to be off leash here to stretch their legs and exercise their olfactory nerves).
As of 2016, I hear that the Green Corridor (formed after the closure of this Singapore segment and handover of railway equipment to KTM, Malaysia), will be used to construct a water pipeline to deliver water to the Tanjong Pagar region. This was welcome news for proponents of environmental conservation, since an underground water pipeline constructed here would automatically mean that the land above ground will no longer be available for other commercial developments. Let’s see how that shapes up! On a personal note, I love railway travel and had the good fortune of availing the KTM rides all the way from Tanjong Pagar to Alor Setar in the north of Malaysia. It is still possible to head up to Woodlands or Johor Bahru, to hop on to a KTM train. One of the activities on my wish list is to take the train to the north of Malaysia, and beyond. It would be quite a thing to cross into Thailand and ideally, take up on the Death Railway (Burma – Siam Railway).
Central Fire Station
This is highly recommended landmark on the crossing of Coleman Street and Hill Street . This particular location started out in the year 1909 and was initially run by volunteers to reduce the damages in life and property caused by fires. Over time, working conditions improved and professional standards were adopted. To be honest, in all my time in Singapore, I assumed that it is a functioning fire station (it is part of Singapore Civil Defense Force) and never really visited it. Turns out, it IS a fully operational fire station, but it also has an exciting museum. The museum is free. It is not a major attraction, so it is easy to get skipped. It really gives an idea how fire hazards ravaged Singapore during the kampong days (the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee comes to mind) and how the city has become safer over the years. The ideal time to visit the fire station is on Saturdays, from 9am to 11am, when there is an open house. Spread over two storeys, it is possible to see the modern fire fighting equipment. There is a fine collection of fire fighting vehicles, including the old fire-engines from the 1880s. There are a number of old films on fire fighting, which show how the city has changed over the years. For the young and the young-at-heart, it is possible to don fire fighting equipment and have a go at some of the displays.