Three Decades of Memories

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Hill Street Blues, Greens, Yellows and Reds

One of my long time favourite Singapore bulldings, the Old Hill Street Police Station Building was designed by F. Dorrington Ward, the Government Architect attached to the Public Works Department. It was built in the Neo-Classical style fashionable for public buildings in the 1930s, started in 1931 and officially opened in 1934. At the time it was constructed, the six-storey building was the largest building in Singapore up to that time, and because of it's height, was regarded as a skyscraper.

Today the building is occupied by the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts (MICA). The main courtyard, formerly the police parade ground, has been converted into an airconditioned atrium, called the ARTrium, for art activities. The spacious area, with its vibrant colours and ample space, regularly features artistic performances and houses art galleries … but more about that later.

If you look at the left, in the background of the picture, you will see a dot on the side of the tallest building. Now take a closer look at the same building.

Old and the new - Elgin Bridge Singapore

This was the bridge where Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles once stood and decided which areas were to be set aside for Chinese commerce, Malay-Arabic settlements and the colonial seat. It was originally a wooden structure, replaced by an iron one and then, in 1926 replaced again.

It is named after Lord Elgin, a governor general of India.

Behind is the high rise of the commercial district.