Page 34
The Malay Cultural Centre (former Istana Kampong Glam)
The Malay Cultural Centre is in the heart of Kampong Gelam (sometimes spelt ‘Glam’), one of the earliest Malay settlements. The building was once known as Istana Kampung Gelam and was the palace of the family and followers of Sultan Hussein Mohamed Shah, the man Stamford Raffles brought in from Pulau Penyengat in Riau to become the titular head of his new-found colony.
In 1820, the Istana occupied an area twice the size of the present compound. This property was halved when Victoria Street was built across the compound.
Over time, the compound and building became dilapidated. In 1999, the Malay Heritage Foundation was formed to restore the premises and building so as to transform it into a beautiful and meaningful Malay Heritage Centre. The museum’s 9 galleries present the history, culture, role and contributions of Singapore’s Malay community.
Page 33
The Empress Place Museum was originally built as a Court House and it housed the Supreme Court of the Straits Settlements from 1867 to 1877. The building was designed by Colonial Engineer, John Frederick Adolphus McNair. In 1877, the Court moved back to its original home (Old Parliament House or now, the Arts House) and the Empress Place complex was transformed into a building for Government departments, and at one time, the entire colonial bureaucracy. To locals, it was simply known as Government Offices. In 1907, it was renamed Empress Place in memory of the late Queen Victoria.
Page 31
Asian Civilisations Museum (Empress Place Building)
The Asian Civilisation Museum at Empress Place is next to the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. The Empress Place Building houses the second wing of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) and focuses on Southeast, South and West Asian collections.
The Empress Place Building was built in 1865 and was named after Queen Victoria, Queen of England and Empress of India. The building housed many government departments in its history, including the Registry of Births and Deaths. It was gazetted as a National Monument on 14 February 1992.
Page 30
Asian Civilisation Museum (Armenian Street)
The first Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) is also located in the Civic District, along Armenian Street. It opened on 22 April 1997. Among its galleries focusing on Southeast Asian Civilisations is a permanent exhibition known as the Peranakan Legacy. The Peranakan culture is a blend of Chinese, Malay and European cultures.
The ACM building was previously the home of the well-known Tao Nan School for about 70 years until the school moved to Marine Parade in the mid-1980s. Plans are afoot to convert this museum into a Peranakan-themed museum by 2008. It was gazetted as a National Monument in 1998.
Page 28
Singapore Philatelic Museum
A country’s political, social and economic milestones are often highlighted in its stamps. The Singapore Philatelic Museum (SPM), opened in 1995, is the custodian of Singapore’s postal history and Southeast Asia’s first philatelic museum.
The building housing the museum was originally part of the old Anglo-Chinese School. It was designed by Tomlinson and Lermit Architects and commissioned by the Trustees of the Anglo Chinese School in 1906 as an additional school building to Oldham Hall which had been built in 1897. The building was used as a Methodist Book Room from the 1970s until it was restored to its original glory in 1995.
An antique red-painted postbox graces the entrance of the museum. A vestige of Singapore’s days as a British Colony, this heritage mailbox may be used for mailing letters and postcards.
This unique little museum in the Civic District is located on the Coleman Street side of Fort Canning Park and faces Singapore’s oldest surviving church, the Armenian Church.
Page 27
(cont’d from previous page)… was demolished in 2005 to make way for a traffic tunnel. After a multi-million-dollar renovation and expansion (2002-2006), the museum reopened as the National Museum of Singapore in December 2006. The National Museum was gazetted as a National Monument on 14 February 1992.
Page 26
Singapore History Museum
The first purpose-built museum building in Singapore is the Singapore History Museum or National Museum located at the junction of Stamford Road and Fort Canning Road. The museum was originally a section of the Raffles Library, located at the Singapore Institution. Between 1872 and 1876, the Library and Museum was situated at the Town Hall (now Victoria Concert Hall), but moved back to Raffles Institution when space proved insufficient. In 1882, the Colonial Government commissioned a brand new building for the Library and Museum. The original design for this building was by Sir Henry McCullum but it proved too expensive to build. A scaled down version of McCullum’s building was designed by Colonial Engineer JFA McNair.
The building was extended in 1906, 1916, 1926 and 1934. In 1960, the Library split from the Museum and occupied its own building just next door. The National Library Building… (to be cont’d in next page)
Page 25
Singapore Art Museum
The Singapore Art Museum, which opened in December 1996, has a large collection of Southeast Asian art works, including Singapore’s national art collection. The museum complex was, for many years, the home of the well-known Catholic school, St Joseph’s Institution (SJI). The school was set up by Father Jean Marie Beurel in 1846 in a wooden shed in the grounds of the Cathedral of Good Shepherd across the street from this building. The foundation stone of the central block of this building was designed by Brother Lothaire, a French priest-architect.
Over the years, new features and extensions were made to the school. Many of these features have been well preserved.
St Joseph’s Institution occupied this building from 1855 to 1988 when it moved to its new premises in Malcolm Road.
This building was gazetted as a National Monument on 14 February 1992.
