Preserving the past – Singapore and its Monuments

Posted by Simply Jean under Buildings and Monuments, National History, Reflections
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For reasons unknown, I have always enjoyed walking down Hill Street. Not only because Funan the IT Mall - a geek’s haven - is located along the stretch of road, but rather, I get to appreciate the fact that the vicinity seems to be trapped in a time warp. You see, in the short duration that Singapore transformed from a nation of kampongs and shophouses, to one of towering HDB flats and skyscrapers, some bits of history are, well, fortunately left behind. Hill Street, being in the heart of the city, is a stretch of road that has seen structures built and demolished very quickly over the last century - resulting in buildings both new and old flanking on both sides.

The Armenian Church - looking the same as it was when it was first built. (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

Thankfully, because of constant maintenance of the older buildings, some do not look as aged as they ought to be. One such example is the Armenian Church, which is nicely tucked in the midst of its taller neighbours. As new as it looks, this church has been around for more than one and a half centuries! Surrounded by a memorial garden, it really doesn’t look like a grand 174 years old this year! More than six generations of a family would have grown up with the church - imagine your great-great-great-grandparents walking by the very same building!

Not only is the Armenian Church the oldest Christian church in Singapore, it was also gazetted as a National Monument on 6th July 1973 by the Preservations Monuments Board (PMB). I never realised PMB was specially set up in 1971 to look into the conservation of monuments of historic, traditional, architectural, archaeological or artistic interests. Most importantly, one of its main purposes was to ensure that Singapore, in its fast growing pace, does not lose touch of her roots in the global race in economy and developments.

The majestic St Andrew's Cathedral (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

The Armenian Church was not the only building that was announced as a national monument in 1973. Joining its ranks were the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Masjid Hajjah Fatimah - a mosque along Beach Road, Saint Andrew’s Cathedral, Sri Mariamman Temple, the place of Singapore’s favourite past time - Lau Pa Sat, Thian Hock Keng Temple - tucked in Telok Ayer Street, and the Old Thong Chai Medical Institution (not to be confused with the Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution, which is just round the corner at Chin Swee Road) - located inconspicuously at the corner of Merchant Road and Eu Tong Sen Street.

If you look at these monuments that were first gazetted in 1973, you’d have noticed that they were not merely old buildings that were picked randomly to be preserved. Besides being either the oldest or largest buildings; amongst other popular classifications, these buildings - in a way, represented the major beliefs in Singapore. Coincidental it may appear to be, this seems to reflect the multi-cultural, multi-religious country that Singapore is.

Telok Ayer Market (known as “Lau Pa Sat” colloquially), in front of a smaller building that is occupied by Oglivy Centre today. Notice how barren the land used to be? Before the new viaducts and skyscrapers were built. (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

Isn’t it amusing how some Singaporeans also treat their favourite past-time as a religion? That would be eating, of course. While it does seem amazing how Lau Pa Sat - colloquial for “old market”, once known as the Telok Ayer Market, can be gazetted as a national monument, it does have its roots to Singapore’s first marketplace. Although technically not the first, it was built as a result of the relocation of the first market, which was located at the south bank of the Singapore.

Due to economic reasons (and for better use of land), the market was demolished and relocated to Telok Ayer Street. However, as fate had it, the market was later moved again to its current location. Lau Pa Sat wasn’t known for its Laksa, Ba Kut Teh and Prata stalls back then - it was, well, quite literally a “pasat” (Singaporean dialect for market).

The Old Thong Chai Medical Institution, where free consultation and medicines were provided to the poor. (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

Besides the marketplace and places of worship, the other lesser known monument is the Old Thong Chai Medical Institution, the first medical institution to be set up for the poor. Like Lau Pa St, the medical institution was relocated from its original location at Upper Pickering Street (previously known as Upper Macao Street), where it operated out of a small rented shophouse. It was only in 1892 that it began to occupy the building at its current location.

In the past, medical facilities were not readily available. Maintaining public health was an important task, yet medical help was not always affordable. SARS and the recent H1N1 flu pandemic proved how the mutation of the flu virus can affect so many of us, and so quickly. I can imagine how the simple flu could have been as frightening as SARS back then. Thankfully for the early migrants, the group of merchants who set up the Old Thong Chai Medical Institution not only provided free consultation and dispensed free medication to the poor, it also did so for anyone who was in need, regardless of race, language or religion.

Popularly visited Clark Quay before its modern day occupancy. (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

While shophouses are not that commonly found in the suburbs of Singapore these days, some of the most popular places in town operate out of shophouses. As a matter of fact, most Singaporeans will be familiar with restaurants along Boat Quay and Clark Quay which come alive only at night with their glittering neon lights and their ever ever-friendly staff. These are the very shophouses that our forefathers could have possibly worked or stayed at.

Of course, the younger generation would probably appreciate the pubs that are scattered between the restaurants - more than the restaurants themselves, or the fact they were once occupied by the people who had a stake in shaping Singapore into what she is today. Indeed, I was probably guilty of that not too long ago, being the party-girl - or “chiongster” that I once thought I was.

Having said that, do you know that in a span of 38 years, only 58 buildings have been granted the status of a national monument? That works out to an average of one every year and two every other year. While 58 is not a particularly large number, I guess prudence has to be exercised in granting this much coveted status. One of the buildings that I wished was preserved was the old National Library which was located at Stamford Road - just around the corner from the Armenian Church.

The Old National Library along Stamford Road – a heritage caught between time. (MICA collection, Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore)

Opened on 12th November 1960 by Mr. Yusof Ishak, Singapore’s first President, the library provided borrowing and reading facilities for many. However, a review of the Civic and Cultural Master Plan saw the demolition of the old National Library to make way for the Fort Canning Tunnel. While the plan to tear down the old building brought about great public dissent, this event made Singaporeans more aware of the need to preserve our heritage.

As I walked along Hill Street last week and got waylaid to the geek’s haven by the sheer attraction of the latest gadgets, I stopped at the traffic junction to admire the silhouettes of the pre-war buildings against the evening sun. I can imagine how much can be lost today if there was no initiative to preserve the past. My kids in the future may never know how a shophouse looks like, nor the fact that we used red bricks instead of concrete in the past, let alone appreciate old buildings.

Maybe I’ll do a double take the next time I go past an old-looking building to admire what may soon be gone. How about you?

To read the other offerings in this special series, see:

• The Road to Nationhood
• Symbols of State
• From Muted Mutterings to One Victorious Voice - The Cries of Merkeda Were Heard
• Under One Roof - Public Housing in Singapore
• The industrialisation of Singapore
• One Nation for all - National Day Celebrations through the years
• Singapore and the United Nations
• Appreciating our efficient transport system

In relation to this blog post, watch this episode of Heritage TV on the Armenian Church.

Rating: +2