History of Singapore

The Chinatown Heritage Centre occupies three restored shophouses at forty-six, forty-eight, and fifty Pagoda Street. These buildings display early twentieth-century facades, which blend southern Chinese design elements with European…

The Sri Mariamman Temple is defined by its towering entrance, a six-tiered gopuram densely packed with colorful, plaster sculptures of deities, mythical creatures, and epic scenes. As Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, it holds a prominent…

Thian Hock Keng Temple is marked by its traditional southern Chinese architecture, featuring wide, sweeping roof eaves topped with colorful ceramic dragons and phoenixes. Located on Telok Ayer Street, the complex stands out for its…

Raffles' Landing Site is distinguished by a white polymarble statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, who stands with his arms folded near the bank of the Singapore River. The site is intended to mark the spot where Raffles first stepped ashore on…

The National Gallery Singapore is defined by its massive, shimmering roof of glass and aluminum panels, supported by tree-like columns that bridge two of the city's most historic buildings. This expansive art institution occupies the…

The Armenian Apostolic Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, located at sixty Hill Street, is the oldest surviving Christian church building in Singapore. You can identify the structure by its cruciform plan, featuring large Doric columns…

The Battlebox is an underground command center buried thirty feet beneath Fort Canning Hill. You can identify it by the reinforced concrete structure designed to survive aerial bombardment, featuring walls nearly three feet thick. Built…

The National Museum of Singapore is recognizable by a massive dome covered in fish-scale zinc tiles, which sits atop a pale, grandly symmetrical building on Stamford Road. This is the oldest museum in the country, with origins that trace…