The Hajjah Fatimah Mosque, surrounded by its modern commercial and residential neighbours
Hajjah Fatimah Mosque (built in 1846)
4001 Beach Road, near Golden Mile Food Centre
Standing in quiet elegance on the site where tradeswoman and philanthropist Hajjah Fatimah once lived, the Hajjah Fatimah Mosque is unique for both its history and architecture.
Hajjah Fatimah – born in the early 1800s in Malacca to a respected family – moved to Singapore when she married a Bugis prince from the Celebes with trading interests in the island port. Widowed at a young age, the capable businesswoman took over her husband’s estate and grew so wealthy that some referred to her as the Sultana of Gowa, Celebes. Having survived two robbery and arson attempts on her house, the grateful and deeply religious woman decided to dedicate the site of her home to the building of a mosque.
Designed by an English architect – whom some believe was John Turnbull Thompson – the mosque is a curious and appealing hybrid of Malaccan, Islamic and European influences. Most striking is the towering spire-like octagonal minaret – distinct from the cylindrical shape seen in most Islamic minarets – which hints at classical European and Chinese styles. The signature flat columns (known as pilasters) from the Italian Renaissance embellish the lower part of the minaret, while glazed porcelain tiles of Chinese origin fleck the windows. Viewed from ground level, the minaret clearly leans about 6 degrees towards the dome-shaped roof of the prayer hall, earning the reputation of being Singapore’s own leaning tower.
Peranakan Museum (built in 1912)
39, Armenian Street, beside arts centre The Substation
The Peranakan Museum, formerly Tao Nan School
The Peranakan Museum, formerly Tao Nan School
Showcasing a unique hybrid culture tracing back to the region’s early migrants, this new museum, while charming in its own right, occupies an equally historical building.
Previously known as the Tao Nan School, which had moved from North Bridge Road to Armenian Street in 1912, the school building was funded by Chinese philanthropists in the late 19th century. While these wealthy migrants were members of the Singapore Hokkien Association (a collective harking back to its roots in China), Tao Nan was the first school of its kind that switched its language of instruction from Hokkien to Mandarin.
The building’s neo-classical design and wide verandahs are typical of the architecture of its time, while touches of French Renaissance can be seen in its arched doorways. Once inside, one is greeted by a large atrium illuminated by a skylight and flanked by staircases on either side.
The school eventually moved to Marine Parade, and the vacated building was gazetted as a national monument in 1998. The Peranakan Museum opened its doors in 2008.
Fullerton Waterboat House (built in the 1900s)
Fullerton Road, at the junction of the Anderson Bridge and Esplanade Drive
The Fullerton Waterboat House
Often overshadowed by the neo-classical majesty of the Fullerton Hotel, the Fullerton Waterboat House is a gem of a building. Perched at the corner of Fullerton Road and the Esplanade Drive bridge, little is known of the elegant stone structure that has a gently curved facade. It is believed to have been the office of the Master Attendant – the first of whom was Captain William Lawrence Flint, brother-in-law of Sir Stamford Raffles. From his vantage point on the harbour, the Master Attendant had a clear view of all harbour activities of which he was supervisor. He was in charge of registering all water-going vessels and cargo, collecting anchorage and port clearance fees, as well as providing fresh water and firewood. For a time, the building also served as a post office for early settlers. With the advent of steamships in the 1840s, most port activities, particularly international trade, relocated to Keppel Harbour, and the Fullerton Waterboat House took over regional trade, providing fresh water to incoming ships until the 1990s.
Tan Chin Tuan Mansion (built in the 1930s)
Junction of Cairnhill Road and Cairnhill Circle
The Tan Chin Tuan Mansion (foreground), flanked by its linked apartment tower
The best – if fleeting – way to view this award-winning conservation project is to drive along Cairnhill Road towards the Central Expressway tunnel at night. As you cross the junction of Cairnhill Road and Cairnhill Circle, look up to your right and you’ll see a softly backlit white mansion glowing ethereally underneath a looming modern construction of steel and glass. The former is the Tan Chin Tuan Mansion, a beautiful two-storey bungalow with a bell-shaped dome-like tower.
The house was built in 1926 for Tan Kah Kee, one of Singapore’s most influential philanthropists, and was later bought by Tan Chin Tuan, a prominent Singapore banker and philanthropist.
Sensitively and lovingly restored, the house – a blend of Peranakan and colonial architectural elements – is the headquarters of the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation today. In 2004, a large-scale makeover added an ultramodern 20-storey residential tower – designed by Tan Chin Tuan – to the mansion, which was also reconfigured and linked to its new structure.
MacDonald House (built in 1949)
40 Orchard Road, beside Dhoby Ghaut MRT station
MacDonald House today
The MacDonald House stands out for its redbrick, neo-Georgian architecture. Built in 1949 by architecture firm Palmer and Turner for the Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation, this seven-storey building (excluding its ground floor and mezzanine), was one of the first high-rise buildings in Orchard Road. It also housed various Australian, American and British companies. The MacDonald House was the first fully air-conditioned building in Malaya.
More ominously, the building was the target of a bombing on 10 March 1965, carried out by two Indonesian terrorists, that killed two and wounded 33. The incident occurred amidst Indonesia’s konfrontasi period, which opposed the 1963 formation of the Federation of Malaya.
Today, another banking giant, Citibank, occupies the MacDonald House, among other commercial tenants.
