Singapore’s oldest government building, the Old Parliament House, was refurbished at a cost of S$15.8 million into a multidisciplinary arts and heritage centre – The Arts House – after three years of renovation.[1] It was officially opened by World War II heroine Elizabeth Choy on 26 March 2004.[2] The Arts House aims to nurture local arts talents, and be the platform for the discovery and development of the next generation of Singapore artistes.[3]
The building’s history can be traced to 1827 when architect George D. Coleman designed and constructed the building as a residence for Scottish merchant John Argyle Maxwell. Maxwell never lived in the building and instead leased it to the colonial government to be used as a courthouse. The building was sold to the government in 1841, and continued to serve as a courthouse until 1865, and thereafter as the Supreme Court from 1875 until 1939. After WWII, the building was used as a government storehouse until it was renovated in 1953 for use by the Legislative Assembly of Singapore. It was named Assembly House and opened by then Governor of Singapore John Fearns Nicoll in July 1954. The building was renamed Parliament House following Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965, and served as such until 1999.[4]
The two-storey building was gazetted as a national monument on 14 February 1992.[5] While the original space within the building was reconfigured, the façade and original fixtures of the building, including the staircase, the parliamentary chamber and its original furnishings and fittings, were retained and restored.[6] The refurbishment equipped The Arts House with a 75-seat film theatrette, a 120-seat black box, a 150-seat concert chamber, visual-art galleries, rehearsal studios, function rooms as well as several cafes.[7] The high-quality and careful restoration of the building earned it the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s Architectural Heritage Award in 2004.[8]
The Arts House, along with the Goodman Arts Centre and Aliwal Arts Centre, is managed by Arts House Limited, which also organises the annual Singapore International Festival of Arts.[9]
References
1. Yong, S. C. (2004, February 20). A new house for the arts. Today, p. 42; Cheng, W. (2004, March 27). A new home for aspiring artists. Today, p. 18; Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. The Arts House marks milestones over the years. (2013, March 14). The Straits Times. Retrieved December 15, 2014, from The Straits Times Communities website: http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2013/03/14/arts-house-marks-milestones-over-years
3. Cheah, U.-H. (2003, October 17). A seat for the arts. The Business Times, p. 20. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. Tan, S. (2000). The Singapore Parliament: The house we built (p. 75). Singapore: Times Editions. Call no.: SING q328.5957 TAN; Arts House Limited. (2014). History. Retrieved December 15, 2014, from The Arts House website: https://www.theartshouse.sg/about-us/history/
5. National Heritage Board. (2014). Former Parliament House and Annex Building (now The Arts House). Retrieved December 15, 2014, from National Heritage Board website: http://www.nhb.gov.sg/NHBPortal/faces/oracle/webcenter/portalapp/pagehierarchy/Page815.jspx?detContId=NHBSVRAPP61620002059&_afrLoop=556178351444492&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrWindowId=vofy5j75_54#%40%3F_afrWindowId%3Dvofy5j75_54%26_afrLoop%3D556178351444492%26detContId%3DNHBSVRAPP61620002059%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_adf.ctrl-state%3Dvofy5j75_106
6. The Business Times, 17 Oct 2003, p. 20.
7. Today, 20 Feb 2004, p. 42; Singart. (2014). The Arts House. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from Singart website: http://singart.com/the-arts-house/
8. Facelift for oldest building ‘a winner’. (2004, October 13). The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Arts festival goes to The Arts House. (2014, March 26). The Straits Times. Retrieved from AsiaOne website: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/arts-festival-goes-arts-house
The information in this article is valid as at 2014 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.