Take a Trip Down Memory Lane With These 5 Historical Buildings in Singapore

Singapore’s National Day is just around the corner, so it’s time to brush up on your local history!

Behind Singapore’s glitzy landmarks and sprawling shopping malls lies the Lion City’s rich heritage that makes it one of the most-visited destinations in Asia. One testament to this is Singapore’s iconic hawker culture, which chronicles how a former fishing village transformed itself to become the modern green metropolis it is now today. But aside from food, old buildings and sites also offer a different lens when we want to look through a place’s storied past.

To get you fired up with the National Day spirit, here are five historical buildings in Singapore that are worth checking out.

National Gallery of Singapore

Nestled in the heart of the Civic District, the National Gallery of Singapore is home to the world’s largest public display of Southeast Asian art. It is housed in the former Supreme Court and the City Hall, translating to a combined space of 64,000 square meters and adding to its distinction as one of the most important landmarks in the city-state. It was in August 2005 when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced the conversion of the former courtroom into a state-of-the-art gallery, paving the way for almost a decade of planning and construction until the building’s official public launch in 2015.

Today, it has two permanent galleries, namely the UOB Southeast Asia Gallery and the DBS Singapore Gallery.

Raffles Hotel

One of the most popular luxury hotels in Singapore, Raffles Hotel witnessed the tourism boom in the city-state in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The hotel was founded in 1887 by the Sarkies brothers and was named after Britain’s Thomas Stamford Raffles, who established modern Singapore. The iconic building bore witness to some of the world’s most notable periods including the Great Depression and World War II. It also served home to a slew of legendary figures such as Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, and Rudyard Kipling.

Family Justice Courts

A former site of the Ministry of Labour, this historical building in Singapore at Havelock Square once served as home to the Chinese Protectorate. The edifice’s design adopted the Neoclassical style, marked by symmetrical composition and simple geometric forms. The building underwent restoration in 1990 and is now the location of Singapore’s Family Justice Courts.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church

Once known as the Tamil Church, the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Singapore. The building incorporated the Neo-Gothic style and used metal frameworks and cast-iron columns. Within its interiors, the church features stained-glass windows that represent the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.

Former Ford Factory

Another historical building worth exploring is Ford Motor Company’s former factory located at Upper Bukit Timah Road. It was a witness to the expansion of Ford’s presence in Southeast Asia with the establishment of the car maker’s assembly plant in Singapore. The site was also where the British military surrendered Singapore to Japan in 1942. The factory is now a museum that holds exhibits and film showings featuring Singapore under the Japanese rule.