Notable Landmarks in the Bras Basah Bugis and Civic District Areas

Curiocity: Places & Perspectives

Looking at Singapore today, it is easy to forget that it was once dotted with kampungs and plantations. And as we have changed, so has our cityscape. By spotlighting selected leisure and entertainment places in downtown Singapore as well as presenting fascinating histories hidden in plain sight, Curiocity gives us an opportunity to examine the evolution of our spaces and reflect on our relationship with them.

Accessible both in-person and online, Curiocity invites you to discover, learn and engage with our island’s history through the content and collections from the National Library Board and its partners. Presented in partnership with the Light to Night Festival 2022, Curiocity: Places & Perspectives is held at the National Library Building (3 January – 3 February 2022) and across several locations in the Civic District (14 January – 3 February 2022). Find out more about the showcase at https://curiocity.nlb.gov.sg/events/curiocity-showcase-2022.

This resource guide has been produced to complement the satellite installation ‘A Tessellation of Memories’ at The Arts House, exploring the thematic focus of ‘Notable landmarks in Bras Basah.Bugis and the Civic District’.

Introduction

Bras Basah.Bugis and the Civic District are home to some of Singapore’s most recognisable landmarks such as Raffles Hotel, St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall. Built during the colonial era, these historically and culturally significant buildings are integral to our cityscape. Some of these buildings have been repurposed and given new life. For instance, City Hall and the former Supreme Court were restored and transformed into National Gallery Singapore, a museum of modern Singapore and Southeast Asian art.

Yet, there are many buildings that are no longer part of our built environment because of redevelopment. This guide highlights some of these notable landmarks in Bras Basah.Bugis and the Civic District.

The Grand Hotel de l’Europe was once one of the finest hotels in Singapore and used to occupy the site of the former Supreme Court building at the turn of the 20th century. The Empress Hotel, one of the leading hotels in the 1950s and a popular wedding and anniversary dinner venue, previously stood where the National Library building now stands. The National Library moved from Stamford Road to Victoria Street in 2005.

Bras Basah.Bugis and the Civic District, particularly North Bridge Road and High Street, were also popular with shoppers in the 1960s. The Metro store, a two-storey shophouse on High Street, was the go-to destination for those looking for the latest in fashion. The Treasury is now located there. The area was also known for food. For example, the row of hawker stalls along Waterloo Street was well-known for Indian food especially Indian rojak, and the Satay Club at the Esplanade, a waterfront food centre, was popular with locals and tourists during the 1970s and 80s.

This guide provides resources for those who are keen to further explore this topic. To search for more resources, go to https://search.nlb.gov.sg/. To view other resource guides created by our librarians, please visit https://reference.nlb.gov.sg/guides/.

This resource guide was prepared in December 2021 by Toffa Abdul Wahed, an Associate Librarian at the National Library, Singapore.

Grand Hotel de l’Europe

Journal article

Peleggi, Maurizio. “The Social and Material Life of Colonial Hotels: Comfort Zones as Contact Zones in British Colombo and Singapore, ca. 1870-1930.” Journal of Social History 46, issue 1 (2012): 124-153. (From JSTOR via NLB’s eResources website)

Singapore Infopedia - article

Chia, Joshua Yeong Jia and Andrea Kee Hwee Yee. “Grand Hotel de l’Europe.” Singapore Infopedia. Published 2020.

BiblioAsia - article

Lai, Chee Kien. “The Padang: Centrepiece of Colonial Design.” BiblioAsia 12, issue 3 (2016): 40–43.

Newspaper articles

“Grand Hotel de l’Europe, Singapore.” Straits Times Annual, 1 January 1907, 40. (From NewspaperSG)
Chandy, Gloria. “Cakes and ale.” New Nation, 5 February 1979, 9. (From NewspaperSG)

Photographs Grand Hotel de l’Europe, Singapore. 1910s. Photograph. Lee Kip Lin Collection, National Archives of Singapore.

View of the Padang showing (from left to right) Victoria Memorial Hall clock tower, Singapore Cricket Club, the old Court House (now the Arts House) and Grand Hotel de l’Europe. c. 1911. Photograph. Lim Kheng Chye Collection, National Archives of Singapore.

Empress Hotel

Newspaper articles

“T. F. Hwang takes you down Memory Lane.” Straits Times, 28 September 1985, 18. (From NewspaperSG)
Chong, Wing Hong. “Empress awaits her fate.” Straits Times, 23 September 1985, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
Lee, Geok Boi. “Tea and mooncakes.” Straits Times, 26 September 1982, 4. (From NewspaperSG)

Oral history interviews

Eu, Richard Keng Mun (Dr). Oral history interview with Jesley Chua Chee Huan, 18 May 1999. MP3 audio, 30:20. National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 002096), 16.
Lim, Jiat Kim. Oral history interview with Kiang-Koh Lai Lin, 18 August 2014. MP3 audio, 38:14. National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 003896), 2.

Photographs Empress Hotel, 1978 : general view [3]. 1 December 1978. Photograph. Lee Kip Lin Collection, PictureSG, National Library, Singapore.

Empress Hotel – night club & dining room. 1986. Photograph. National Archives of Singapore.

Metro on High Street

Singapore Infopedia - article

Ong, Isabel. “Metro.” Singapore Infopedia. Published 2016.

BiblioAsia - articles

Balasinghamchow, Yu-Mei. “Going Shopping in the 60s.” BiblioAsia 14, issue 2 (2018): 30–37.
De Souza, John, Cat Ong & Tom Rao. “The 1960s Fashion: The Legacy of Made-to-Measure.” BiblioAsia 12, issue 4 (2017): 20–25.

Newspaper articles

Chia, Poteik. “Their aim: to make Singapore the shopping centre of the East.” Straits Times, 30 November 1962, 14. (From NewspaperSG)
“A giant in the retailing business.” Straits Times, 23 September 1971, 4. (From NewspaperSG)

Oral history interview

Ong, Tjoe Kim. Oral history interview with Quek Khiong Ho, 11 February 1982. Transcripts and MP3 audio, 27:29. National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 000151), 3.

National Library Building on Stamford Road

Books

Seet, K. K. A place for the people. Singapore: Times Books International, 1983. (Call number: RSING 027.55957 SEE-[LIB])

Singapore Infopedia - article

Balamurugan, Anasuya. “National Library Building (Stamford Road).” Singapore Infopedia. Published 2018.

BiblioAsia - article

Boey, Kim Cheng. “The Library of Memory.” BiblioAsia 10, issue 1 (2014): 2–7.

Newspaper articles

Anuar, Hedwig. “Singapore’s National Library.” Straits Times Annual, 1 January 1962, 58/59. (From NewspaperSG)
Aroozoo, Lydia. “S’pore’s new landmark.” Singapore Free Press, 12 November 1960, 7. (From NewspaperSG)
Bhalla, Shobha Tsering. “Dear old lady of Stamford Road…” TODAY— 2nd Edition, 31 March 2004, 28. (From NewspaperSG)

Oral history interview

Lee, Ellen Geck Hoon. Oral history interview by Kiang-Koh Lai Lin, 28 April 2017. MP3 audio, 43:48. National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 004115), 2.

Photographs National Library building at Stamford Road: exterior. 13 August 1998. Photograph. National Library Board Singapore.

National Library Central Lending Section, reading area: top view. 13 August 1998. Photograph. National Library Board Singapore.

Hawker stalls at Waterloo Street

Book chapter

Chua, Beng Huat. “Taking the Street Out of Street Food.” In Food, Foodways and Foodscapes: Culture, Community and Consumption in Post-Colonial Singapore, edited by Lily Kong and Vineeta Sinha, 23–40. Singapore: World Scientific, 2016. (Call no. RSING 394.12095957 FOO-[CUS])

Newspaper articles

“Happiness for these two cats is seeing the rojak-seller.” Straits Times, 7 September 1975, 9. (From NewspaperSG)
“Meeting their Waterloo.” Straits Times, 23 October 1978, 13. (From NewspaperSG)
“Waterloo Street hawkers to move out.” New Nation, 20 October 1978, 5. (From NewspaperSG)
Ramachandra, S. “The ‘Rojak’ Man of Waterloo Street.” Singapore Free Press, 11 July 1953, 16. (From NewspaperSG)
Zul Othman. “Remembering rojak.” TODAY, 22 August 2005, 36. (From NewspaperSG)

Oral history interview

Kleinman, Cedric Buher. Oral history interview by Jason Lim, 27 April 2005. Transcript and MP3 audio, 31:13. National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 002943), 2.

Photograph Waterloo Street, towards Stamford Road: general view. 1977. Photograph. Lee Kip Lin Collection, PictureSG, National Library, Singapore.

Satay Club at the Esplanade

Singapore Infopedia - article

Marsita Omar. “Satay Club.” Singapore Infopedia. Published 2006.

BiblioAsia - article

Quek, Barbara. “Makan Places and Coffee Socks.” BiblioAsia 14, issue 3 (2018): 62–65.

Newspaper articles

“Satay Club at new stalls in the New Year.” Straits Times, 25 December 1970, 8. (From NewspaperSG)
Jacob, Paul. “It’s business as usual at Satay Club.” Straits Times, 30 March 1981, 12. (From NewspaperSG)

Oral history interview

Chua, Chye Chua. Oral history interview by Jeslyn Chua Chee Huan, 6 August 1999. MP3 audio, 29:54. National Archives of Singapore (accession no. 002140), 19.

Photographs The Satay Club c. 1980s. 1980. Photograph. Singapore Tourist Promotion Board Collection, National Archives of Singapore.

A satay seller at the Satay Club (c. 1980s). 1980. Photograph. Singapore Tourist Promotion Board Collection, National Archives of Singapore.