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National Stadium
Singapore’s largest sport landmark is the National Stadium, which was opened on 31 July 1973. It has a seating capacity of over 50,000 with an additional 8,000 sq metres of space for exhibitions, shops and training facilities.
Plans for the National Stadium were drafted in 1965 and in 1966, the first pile was driven into the ground. In July 1973, the National Stadium was completed in time for Singapore to host the 7th Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games. Since then, numerous sports events, concerts and other events were held at the Stadium. During the peak of the Malaysia Cup soccer competition, the stadium overflowed with fans whose vociferous cheering gave brith to the fabled Kallang Roar.
The biggest non-sports event held at the stadium is the National Day Parade. As the Stadium will be torn down in 2007 to make way for a new sports complex (with seating capacity of 55,000 and a retractable roof), it hosted its last National Day Parade on 9 August 2006. The new stadium will be ready in 2010.
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The Singapore Indoor Stadium
The Singapore Indoor Stadium is located next to the National Stadium in Kallang Park. Designed by the famous Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, who also designed the 66-storey UOB Plaza and the NTU Campus complex, the Indoor Stadium was officially opened on 31 December 1989.
With its retractable seats, the Indoor Stadium can accommodate up to 11,800 spectators. The Singapore Indoor Stadium has hosted numerous sports events, concerts and performances.
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University Cultural Centre
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a landmark in Kent Ridge where it is currently located. The parentage of the NUS goes back to 1905 when a medical college, later named King Edward VII Medical College was founded in Sepoy Lines. In 1928, Raffles College at the Bukit Timah campus was established. The buildings of this beautiful campus are now home of the NUS’s Law Faculty and research institutes. In 1949, Raffles College and the King Edward VII Medical College merged to form the University of Malaya.
When a separate campus was established in Kuala Lumpur, the University was renamed the University of Malaya in Singapore. In 1962, it became the University of Singapore. It merged with Nanyang University to become the National University of Singapore in 1980. This stamp, which depicts the University Cultural Centre (built in 2000) was issued in 2005 as part of the NUS’s centenary celebrations.
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The National Theatre
This important landmark no longer exists. Its memory is retained through this stamp. The former National Theatre was built on the slope of Fort Canning Park facing Clemenceau Avenue, was officially opened on 8 August 1963.
The Theatre was designed by pioneer local architect Alfred Wong in 1963 after the firm won a design competition. It had 3,420 seats and was built with funds collected by public subscription.
The most significant feature of the National Theatre was its huge cantilevered roof which shielded the audience from the elements.
Many important performances were staged at the National Theatre and from 1966 to 1982, the National Day Rally was held at the Theatre.
The proximity of the proposed CTE underground tunnel to the Theatre combined with declining use due to the lack of air-conditioning, led a decision to demolish the National Theatre in 1986. It was demolished between June and August 1986.
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Since its opening, the Esplanade Theatres-on-the-Bay has attracted many world-class musicians and dancers to perform in Singapore. The characteristic thorny appearance of the Theatre’s roof has earned it the nickname of ‘Durian’ among locals and taxi-drivers. The pungent Durian, which has a spiky skin, is known locally as the King of Fruits.
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The Esplanade Theatres-on-the-Bay (“The Durian”)
If one travels down the mouth of the Singapore River, one will certainly see the Esplanade Theatres-on-the-Bay. Sited on the reclaimed land off Marina Bay, this eye-catching landmark was opened on 12 October 2002. It was designed by Michael Wilford & Partners (MWP) and DP Architects (DPA).
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In the 1970s, the Memorial Hall was renovated and transformed into a concert hall. It was renamed Victoria Concert Hall and was the first home of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall were gazetted as National Monuments on 14 February 1992.
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Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall
This building is really in three parts: the theatre, the clock tower and the concert hall. It was built in 1862 by John Bennett, the Municipal Engineer, as the Town Hall and stood in solitary magnificence till 1901 when the theatre was built in memory of Queen Victoria who passed away that year.
The theatre was designed by Regent Alfred John Bidwell. At the same time it was being built, the Town Hall was renovated and renamed the Victoria Memorial Hall.
The iconic clock tower was added in 1906 and the architecture of the three buildings were harmonised and fused into its current form.
On 6 February 1919, to mark 100 years of Singapore’s founding by the British, the statue of Stamford Raffles by Thomas Woolner was moved from the Padang to the front of the memorial hall.
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PERFORMANCE VENUES
The Arts House
The present Arts House served as Parliament House from 1955 until the new Parliament complex was built in 2002. Consequently, many older Singaporeans still refer to the Arts House building as the ‘Old Parliament House’. It is located beside the Singapore River too.
Built in 1826-1827 by George Dromgold Coleman, this building in High Street has the distinction of being the oldest, surviving construction in Singapore. At the entrance of the Arts House there is an elephant statue commemorating the visit of King Chulalongkorn of Siam to Singapore in 1871. The building and its annex was declared a National Monument in 1992.
