Singapore_Conference_Hall

Singapore Conference Hall

Singapore Conference Hall

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The Singapore Conference Hall is a multipurpose building located in Shenton Way of Singapore. It was gazetted as a national monument on 28 December 2010.[1]

Quick Facts Former names, General information ...
The atrium inside the building.
A bianqing, an old Chinese instrument, placed in the building as a monument.

History

During the 1959 general election, the People’s Action Party proposed a headquarters for the trade unions as part of its five-year plan for Singapore.[2] A site on Armenian Street, formerly Saint Andrew's School, was initially chosen in 1960,[3] but a larger site along Shenton Way was chosen instead in 1961. In June 1961, the government requested architects in Singapore and Malaya to submit design proposals for the building, and two local architects, Ng Keng Siang and Tio Seng Chin, were to judge them.[4] Malayan Architects Co-Partnership's design was subsequently selected by the government in March 1962, and the designers behind the top three submissions received cash prizes.[5]

Construction of the Singapore Conference Hall began in August 1962, with the building's foundation stone laid by a low-ranking trade unionist on 9 August.[6] The structural parts of the building were completed by July 1964,[7] but completion of the building, initially scheduled for end-1964, was delayed, which was attributed by a top government official to the building's "complicated nature".[8] The Conference Hall and Trade Union House was eventually opened in October 1965, in time for the National Trade Union Congress's annual conference, and cost S$4 million[9]

Opened on 15 October 1965 by Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, the Dewan Persidangan Singapura dan Rumah Kesatuan Sekerja[10] (Malay for Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House) as it was formerly known was built to house the headquarters of the National Trades Union Congress and host various exhibitions and conferences. Closely linked to Singapore’s history, the building witnessed several significant events in the post-independence years.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Fern, Ong Sor (28 December 2010). "Singapore Conference Hall a national monument | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  2. [2]
    "Former Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House".
  3. [3]
    "SITE FOR TRADE UNION HOUSE SELECTED". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  4. [4]
    "Designs sought for Trade Union House". The Straits Times. Singapore. 14 June 1961. p. 4. Retrieved 24 December 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
  5. [5]
    "Winners of design contest named". The Straits Times. Singapore. 18 March 1962. p. 4. Retrieved 24 December 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. [6]
    "'Unknown' hero lays stone of T.U house". The Straits Times. Singapore. 9 August 1962. p. 5. Retrieved 24 December 2022 – via NewspapaerSG.
  7. [7]
    "$4 mil Trade Union House now half completed". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 July 1964. p. 5. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  8. [8]
    "$4m. trade union house ready by February". The Straits Times. Singapore. 16 October 1964. p. 8. Retrieved 24 December 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
  9. [9]
    "$4m. Trade Union House to be ready for NTUC meet". The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 June 1965. p. 4. Retrieved 24 December 2022 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. [10]
    Singapore Art Society; Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House (1965). Singapore Conference Hall, Trade Union House inaugural art exhibition = Dewan Persidangan Singapura Ramah Kesatuan Sa-kerja pameran lukisan pertama = Xinjiapo da hui tang zhi gong hui da sha shou jie mei zhan. Singapore: Art Society. OCLC 222147956.

Further reading

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