1st Window Page 1 Title: A Time and A Place : History of the Site Intro text: The Old Hill Street Police Station stands today as MICA Building, the headquarters of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts. Although built as a police station and barracks, the building’s significance lies in the history of the site, which was once associated with entertainment and education. It was here, between 1845 and 1856, that the Assembly Rooms, a space for public functions and a building that housed a theatre as well as a school, once stood. After the Rooms were demolished, a temporary theatre was built where amateurs performed till 1861. The performances at the theatre were to raise funds for the scenery, costumes and properties for a new theatre at the new Town Hall at another location; this would eventually become the present Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, a place of the performing arts. It seems that the arts have never been far from the Old Hill Street Police Station, whether in time, association or distance. 1836 map 1854 map 1857 map 1862 map 1868 map Page 2 (1836 map) As shown in this 1836 map, the site of the Old Hill Street Police Station was vacant in the 1830s. Some sources have stated that this was the site of Singapore’s first jail though others have cited a temporary prison at the “end of the east bank of the river, close to where the stone landing steps are now.” This is likely to be where Empress Place stands at present. Page 3 (1854 map) – the link to text on Assembly Rooms is from this map/text C. B. Buckley (An Anecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore) described this 1854 map, lithographed in London, as being in “a very dilapidated state.” It shows the location of the Assembly Rooms, which, in Buckley’s words, stood “at the corner of Fort Canning and River Valley Road … at the north-west corner of Hill Street and River Road…” Click here to find out more about the Assembly Rooms. Page 3a The Assembly Rooms Of special note is the role the Assembly Rooms played in the social, arts and entertainment scene of 19th century Singapore society, from 1845 to 1856. Constructed under the superintendence of the architect D. L. McSwiney, the Assembly Rooms measured about 150 ft long and 80 ft wide, with a portico in the centre of the front, and were erected by subscription at a cost of about $6,000 (Spanish silver dollars). Even though the appearance of the building itself was not met with positive response – it was said to have been "distinguished by its ugliness" – the building was the centre of numerous social activities during its time. A free school by a Reverend Sames was also located at the Rooms. The school, as later noted by C. Bazell, a former staff of the Education Department, in One Hundred Years of Singapore, was closed in 1855 with Reverend Sames' departure for England. There were provisions for an orchestra and theatrical performances in the building, as C. B. Buckley noted in An Anecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore: "It was built of lath and plaster and attap, open beneath, with a large room to the left as you entered, for a ball-room, dinners, & c, and a room for a theatre, with a well for the orchestra next to the footlights, on the right hand side of the building..." Buckley further elaborated that, despite its ugliness, the Assembly Rooms possessed "...a spacious ballroom and a very passable theatre..." The scenery for the theatre, a view of Singapore, was painted by C. A. Dryce, and used for many years. In fact, the theatre at the Assembly Rooms opened with a comedy production and an amateur orchestra, both performances that were highly praised. Whatever reservations there may have been about the physical appearance of the building, the Assembly Rooms must have once been a place of great social activity. The Theatre Royal, formerly at Coleman Street, was located there and the Rooms also saw various balls hosted in honour of dignitaries, such as Sir James Brooke, Lewis Fraser of Maclaine, Fraser & Co. as well as occasions commemorating the anniversary of Raffles' founding of Singapore as a trading settlement. Click here for accounts of - The first theatricals staged in 1845 - A commemorative ball in 1854 Page 3b "The stage is more spacious than at the old theatre, and the accommodation for the performers combines more convenience and comfort. There are complaints, however, regarding the imperfect transmission of sound, the performers being quite inaudible in the back part of the theatre. The drop scene – a view of Singapore – does great credit to the amateur artist by whom it was painted… Our old friend Mr Folair as Charles XII, King of Sweden, sustained the character admirably ... Miss Petowker as Baroness Ormsdoff was tastefully dressed and wore her honours with becoming self-possession and dignity. Miss Ledbrook is always perfect and as Catherine Ormsdoff was excellent ... [In The Mummy], Mr Johnson as Toby Tramp, kept the house in roars of laughter... The amateur gentlemen who attended the orchestra deserve the highest praise, the music was exquisite… The proprietors of the theatre ought to be, and we have no doubt are, very grateful for the assistance of these gentlemen. It gave us great pleasure to see the house so well filled (not a vacant chair to be had) and graced with the presence of all the beauty and fashion of the Settlement." 1 - An account of the performances of The Conquering Game and The Mummy, the first theatricals staged at the Assembly Rooms, 25 November 1845, as reported in Singapore Free Press of 27 November 1845. Page 3c "The ball-room was very tastefully fitted up, the principal decoration being a large transparency, representing in one division, Singapore as it might be supposed to appear before it became a British possession, thick jungle clothing the whole landscape ... In contrast to this, the division shewed us Singapore in 1854. The sombre jungle had disappeared and was replaced by warehouses and residences of our merchants ... In front of the transparency a pedestal supported the bust of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles ... Dancing was commenced at 9 o'clock, and at half-past eleven the company proceeded to supper, which was laid out in the lower room, where two long tables afforded ample accommodation to the whole of the guests. After supper the health of the Queen was drunk in the loyal manner which is characteristic of the Singapore community..." - An account of a ball by Governor William John Butterworth at the Assembly Rooms on 6 February 1854, commemorating the 35th anniversary of Stamford Raffles' arrival in Singapore. Source: C. B. Buckley, An Anecdotal History of Old Times Singapore. Page 4 (1857 map) The Assembly Rooms are no longer shown in this 1857 map, as they were demolished in 1856. In 1854, the secretary of the Rooms wrote to the Resident Councillor declaring the dilapidated state of the Rooms and recommending a new building to meet the needs of the increasing size of the population. Trustees for the new building, which would become the Town Hall, were appointed. As stated in a letter to the Municipal Commissioners by the Trustees, the Assembly Rooms were “so imperfectly finished, so loosely put together, and constructed of such miserable materials, that first of all the tiled roof had to be taken off and an attap one put on ...” and deemed by a professional builder to be unsafe and not fit for repair. Given the state of the building and that the site was viewed objectionable, the Trustees resolved that it was better to build another building on another site. Following the demolition of the Assembly Rooms, C. B. Buckley (An Anecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore) states that a temporary theatre was built there where amateurs performed till 1861. At the same time, Buckley also states that a commissariat office godown was built there. The performances at the theatre were to raise funds for the scenery, costumes and properties for the new theatre at the new Town Hall, that would eventually become the present Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, a place for the performing arts. Page 5 (1862 map) In this 1862 map, the commissariat office godown was still there. Page 6 (1868 map) By the time this map was made in 1868, the godowns were no longer indicated. Later maps ranging from the 1870s to the 1880s suggest that the site was likely vacant until the end of the 19th century. The construction of the Old Hill Street Police Station would only begin later in 1931. 2 2nd Window Page 1 Title: Here, There and Everywhere : The Surrounding Areas Intro text: The site was once deemed "most objectionable for many reasons ..." as a location for the Assembly Rooms and the building has been associated with authority and terror: once a police station, it was used by the Japanese army during World War II. The building was also once regarded as bad fengshui by the Chinese businesses along Singapore River as it destroyed the original geomancy of the site that had been shaped like the Chinese New Year fish. Yet, the Old Hill Street Police Station could not have been a finer location for the headquarters of the arts and heritage agencies under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts: the National Heritage Board (NHB), the National Arts Council (NAC) and the Media Development Authority (MDA). No matter where and how one looks out from the building, it is surrounded by history and the arts.