National monuments of Singapore: Former City Hall

What is a National Monument? Who gazettes them? How many national monuments are there in Singapore? To date, the Preservation of Sites and Monuments, a division of National Heritage Board, has identified and gazetted 75 buildings, structures and sites of national significance as an integral part of Singapore's built heritage.

And we're here to tell you all about them — one National Monument at a time!

You've probably passed by or stepped into more than a few of them without realising they were National Monuments: Al-Abrar Mosque, Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM), the Civilian War Memorial, Saint Andrew's Cathedral, the Esplanade Park Memorials, Fort Siloso on Sentosa — no need to plan an itinerary for friends visiting from overseas; just show them this article 

In this edition, we throw the spotlight on a historied building: The Former City Hall.

It housed the Japanese forces after the Fall of Singapore (1942), saw the formal announcement of the surrender of the Japanese on its steps (1945), and was the site for the swearing in of our first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew (1959).

Location

The 25th building to be gazetted a National Monument of Singapore is located right opposite the Padang (also the location for National Day Parade 2023), with the nearest MRT stations being City Hall MRT or Raffles Place MRT.

Significant dates

Dates built:

• 1926-1929: Municipal Building (part of the National Gallery today)
• January 2011-November 2015: National Gallery

Dates unveiled:

• 23 Jul 1929: Municipal Building
• 22 Sep 1951: Renamed City Hall
• 24 Nov 2015: National Gallery

Date gazetted: 

• Feb 14, 1992

History

Municipal Building

Completed in 1929, the edifice was built to house the Municipal Council and was originally known as the Municipal Building.

The Municipal Council had been formally established in 1856 to oversee the maintenance of public infrastructure and the provision of water, electricity, and gas in Singapore.

Initially, it operated from rooms in the Town Hall before moving to other locations in the town area; it eventually into the Municipal Building upon the structure's completion.

Prior to land reclamations in the 20th century, the Municipal Building was part of Singapore's seafront Neoclassical façade. Vessels approaching the harbour or sailing past would be greeted by the sight of the impressive colonial buildings that exhibited the prowess and might of the British Empire.

World War II

When the Japanese began to launch their attacks on Singapore, the Municipal Building was opened to the public who sought shelter from air raids. The building became the municipal headquarters of the occupying forces after the fall of Singapore to the Japanese on Feb 15, 1942.

At the start of the Japanese Occupation, the Japanese gathered Allied prisoners-of-war in front of the Municipal Building, and marched them to the infamous camp in Changi.

It was also in this building that Supreme Commander of the Southeast Asian Command Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten accepted the surrender from General Seishiro Itagaki on Sept 12, 1945.

On the same day, a huge victory parade took place on the Padang in front of the Municipal Building and the Supreme Court to celebrate the end of the Japanese Occupation in Singapore.

A funeral service was conducted for Singapore's war hero, Lim Bo Seng, outside the Municipal Building on Jan 13, 1946. His mortal remains were then interred near MacRitchie Reservoir, and a memorial was erected in his honour.

Road to Independence

The building was duly renamed City Hall when King George VI granted city status to Singapore in 1951.

After the landslide victory of the People's Action Party in the 1959 Legislative Assembly General Elections, Lee Kuan Yew was sworn into political office as Singapore's first Prime Minister with his eight cabinet ministers in the Former City Hall. Singapore's full internal self-governance was formally declared on the building's steps.

On Dec 3, 1959, large crowds congregated outside the Former City Hall to witness the installation of Yusof bin Ishak as Singapore's first Malayan-born Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State in Malay). They were also introduced for the first time to the state anthem, Majulah Singapura, state crest, and state flag.

On Sept 16, 1963, Lee read the Proclamation of Malaysia from the steps of the Former City Hall, announcing the end of colonial rule and the formation of the Federation of Malaysia with Singapore as a member state.

The City Council was abolished that same year; its function to oversee electricity, water, and gas supplies was transferred to the newly formed Public Utilities Board.

After Singapore gained independence on Aug 9, 1965, the edifice housed various government offices, such as the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, and offices of the Judiciary. It also remained the venue for swearing-in ceremonies of high government office holders. 

As part of the National Gallery today

Since 2015, the Former City Hall and Former Supreme Court have combined to form the National Gallery Singapore, the largest museum in Singapore.

Design and architecture

The Former City Hall stands imposingly in front of the Padang, the large open field in Singapore's civic centre that Sir Stamford Raffles ordered to be included in the Town Plan.

When designing the building, Municipal Architects F. D. Meadows and Alexander Gordon cleverly exploited its prestigious location by creating a front that is both stately and colossal.

The edifice was erected on a solid plinth (the lower square slab at the base of a column) and has a grand stairway leading to its main entrance. It has a flat roof. Undoubtedly, the most outstanding feature of the edifice is the luxurious row of Corinthian columns of gigantic proportions.

Cavaliere Rudolfo Nolli, an Italian architect and a sculptor who was based in Singapore, was commissioned to supply the columns and granolithic stone cladding. Later, he was also appointed to decorate the Former City Hall's neighbour, the Former Supreme Court.

Touted as a forerunner of the post-war International Style, the Former City Hall combines both Neoclassical and Modernist architectural elements in its design. Behind its symmetrical faux stone façade, colonnade (a row of columns supporting a roof), and entablature (a horizontal part that rests on the columns) is actually a steel structure.

The windows and interior are stripped of the usual treatments and decorations befitting of Neoclassical architecture, and adopt instead a simpler design that is characteristic of Modernist buildings.

Admission

General admission is free for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, with ticketed tours and exhibitions available as well. Find out more here.

Opening hours: 10am-7pm daily

Due to National Day Parade 2023, The Gallery will be closed on July 28-30, Aug 8-12.

ALSO READ: National monuments of Singapore: Parliament House Block C

This article was first published on Wonderwall.sg.