City Hall (Singapore)
| City Hall | |
|---|---|
 City Hall |
|
| Data | |
| place | Singapore |
| Construction year | 1926-1929 |
The City Hall (Malay: Dewan Bandaraya; Chinese: 政府 政府; Tamil: நகர நகர) in Singapore is a national monument that was inaugurated on February 14, 1992. It is located in front of historic Padang and next to the Singapore Supreme Court . It was designed and built from 1926 to 1929 by Singapore Municipal Commission architects A. Gordans and FD Meadows. A staircase leads visitors from the Corinthian colonnade to the main building. The building was built to replace several houses designed by architect GD Coleman. It was first known as a municipal building until 1951 when Singapore was granted city status by King George VI .
history
The urban building was planned and designed by urban architect SD Meadows and then Alexander Gordon, who took over the location in 1925. The London construction company Perry and Co. (Overseas) Ltd. began construction in 1926 and completed the building in 1929. In April the congregation moved into their new home. Governor Hugh Clifford officially opened the new parish building on July 23, 1929. During the Second World War, when the Japanese occupied Singapore, they administered the civil affairs of the parish building. Political affairs were already being carried out in the building. In 1943, Subhas Chandra Bose, the leader of the Indian National Army, called for the support of the Japanese to help India achieve independence from British rule in the meetinghouse. British prisoners of war were rounded up in front of the building to march to POW camps such as Changi Prison and Selarang. On September 12, 1945, the Japanese General Itagaki 1945 surrendered to Lord Mountbatten to end the Second World War in Singapore. After Singapore received city status, the building was renamed "City Hall" in 1951.
In 1959, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew declared self-government in City Hall. It was also the first time the people of Singapore heard the new national anthem and saw their national flag. Lee and his eight cabinet ministers were then sworn in before Singapore's first head of state , Yusof bin Ishak , in City Hall. Lee Kuan Yew read the Malaysia Proclamation in City Hall in 1963 and declared that Singapore was no longer under British rule. The people celebrated the first Malaysia Day in the Padang, which was outside the City Hall. When Singapore was no longer part of Malaysia , the first national holiday parade was held there in 1966. The steps of the town hall are also used as VIP seating when parades were held there for the national day.
In 1987 the building underwent a major modernization to accommodate government offices. In 1988, twelve city hall courtrooms were relocated to the Supreme Court. This restoration work received the Good Effort Award from the city administration in 1994. City Hall was the location where Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong held his inauguration ceremony and the swearing-in of his cabinet in 1990. The building has also been used for many government events over the years and served as the venue for the Singapore Biennale and the IMF and World Bank meetings when they were held in Singapore in 2006.
In 2015 the building was converted into the National Gallery of Singapore along with the former Supreme Court .
Web links
Coordinates: 1 ° 17 '25.8 " N , 103 ° 51' 6.2" E