Empress Place

Across the Singapore River is the Empress Place Building, which once housed the Immigration Department and National Registration Office, among other government offices. It has been remade into a museum for Asian Art and cultural exhibits. This completes the cultural rebirth of Empress place, which is presided over the Victoria Concert Hall and the Victoria Theatre. They stand on a site where the Singapore Town hall was built. For decades, the town hall served as a ballroom, public meeting houseroom, theatre and concert hall rolled in one. It was the hub of the European’s social and cultural life.

When Queen Victoria’s Diamond jubilee approached in the 1890s, the government felt the need to erect a new town hall and assembly rooms to mark the occasion. This was not a popular decision as the hall and theatre might become useless. The Chinese locals called the twin buildings Tai Chung Lau or Big Clock Tower 9literal English translation) and most taxi drivers recognise the colloquial name.