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Erected between 1926 and 1929 for Singapore’s municipal
administration, this building has played an important role in the country’s
history. After occupying Singapore for three years, the Japanese signed
their capitulation here on September 12, 1945. Singapore was still a
colony in the British Empire when King George VI gave it the status
of a city in 1951; on this occasion, the building’s name was changed
from Municipal Building to City Hall.
In 1959, Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister, announced
in this building Singapore’s internal self-administration. In
1963, when Singapore achieved complete independence from the British
and became a part of the Malay Federation, Lee read the corresponding
proclamation here. After Singapore left the Malay Federation, the first
government of the independent city-state was sworn in on August 9, 1965
in City Hall.
Until 2005, facilities of the municipal and national
administration and of Singapore’s Supreme Court were located in
the building. In 2006, it will be one of the main venues of the first
Singapore Biennial; after that, remodeling will begin to turn it into
a National Gallery, slated to open in 2010.
Address:
St. Andrew's Road
>> Biennale Tour
>> back to City Tour
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