I was in the vicinity to grab some grub from the famous Maxwell Food Centre, and decided to pop by the Singapore City Gallery. The first item at the Gallery that caught my eye was a mini model of Singapore. With a scale of 1:5000 and mini thumbtacks of different colours to signify parks and trails, etc, this model shows a detailed and comprehensive map of Singapore!

Having had my fun with the mini model, I moved on to the magnificently-taken pictures displayed in the Gallery. A board at the Working Smart section informs that working smart is about “delivering productivity with panache, while maintaining a balanced lifestyle.”

The adjacent section, Island Life, showcases two of my favourite shots in, with the first being a shadowy shot of at the waterfront which celebrates life on the water’s edge.

The second is that of a scenic shot of a house by the waterfront. This shot is titled RustiCity.

And not to be missed in this section is this model scale (1:250) of the Sungei Api Api which is about 1.6 kilometres long and flows through the public housing estate of Pasir Ris.

And just like the first section, this section too is filled with many eye-catching shots! And here’s some of the other more memorable shots.

Moving on to the second level, I was greeted by the sight of the model studio which is located opposite the visitor service counter. There, one is greeted by the sight of various mini model building. Are you able to guess the name of some of these buildings (some of which no longer exist)?

And the main highlight of the Gallery that should not be missed is the 3-D model of the Central Area of Singapore.

And not forgetting the newly installed interactive machines (about half a dozen) which provides information ranging from Marina Bay to the Singapore River to iconic landmarks to name a few. Below is a screenshot of a view from Boat Quay in 1967 and today.

Here’s another screenshot of the old OCBC building and below it, a shot of the current building.

Just browsing through the content and viewing the photos of yesteryears and today are simply enthralling. If you ever make a trip to the Gallery, this is one spot you must definitely check out! And of course, there are more sights to be seen such as the ‘what’s coming up’ wall that contain pictures of new exciting developments including the much anticipated Singapore Flyer that is estimated to be completed in 2008.

Despite visiting the Gallery for the second time within the past two months, I have thoroughly enjoyed my self-guided tour. Regardless of whether you are a student, teacher, tourist or a curious resident, there is something in the Singapore City Gallery for everyone!

The Singapore City Gallery is located at 45 Maxwell Road, near Tanjong Pagar MRT. Its regular operating hours are 9pm – 5pm on Mondays to Saturdays. Admission is free.

Tags: Singapore City Gallery, Urban Redevelopment Authority