11/05/2022

National Monuments of Singapore

Update 8 Nov 2024: Cantonese temple at Sims Drive and 19 pre-war bungalows at Adam Park identified for conservation
Mun San Fook Tuck Chee Temple, seen on Nov 8, 2024

One of the oldest Cantonese temples in Singapore will be considered for conservation, along with 19 pre-war bungalows at Adam Park. The Mun San Fook Tuck Chee temple at Sims Drive was founded in the 1860s by migrant communities of mainly Cantonese origin. It moved to its current location when its trustees bought the land in 1902 to construct the temple along the banks of the Kallang River.

The 19 pre-war bungalows at Adam Park, meanwhile, were built in 1929 by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) as housing for families of officers from the Municipal Council and SIT. They have remained largely intact since World War II, said the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

Announcing URA's proposal to conserve the two sites, National Development Minister Desmond Lee said on Friday (Nov 8) that even as Singapore plans for its future, it must strive to include significant heritage in its development plans. "An important way we do so is through conserving buildings and structures of the highest significance to serve as a physical and visual link to our past," he said at the URA Architectural Heritage Awards. "By conserving such buildings and structures, we hope to retain physical reminders of the shared history and memories of our nation, communities and people. "This fosters a deeper connection among Singaporeans that binds us together and strengthens our national identity." Conserved buildings are subject to certain URA guidelines. Permission is required before all alteration works and new use of the space can begin.

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National Monuments of Singapore
Our National Monuments

Our National Monuments are an integral part of Singapore’s built heritage, which the National Heritage Board (NHB) preserves and promotes for posterity. They are monuments and sites that are accorded the highest level of protection in Singapore.

National monuments of Singapore

National monuments of Singapore are buildings and structures in Singapore that have been designated by the National Heritage Board (NHB) as being of special historic, traditional, archaeological, architectural or artistic value. For historical significance (World War II, self-independence of Singapore, transformation and the oldest memories to the structure), these buildings are not allowed to be demolished. The Preservation of Monuments Act gives the board authority to order preservation of such sites and promote research and public interest in the monuments.

The NHB is a statutory board within the Government of Singapore, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and it has so far gazetted 81 buildings and structures as national monuments. The latest additional to the list is Fort Siloso:


List of Singapore’s National Monuments

The Preservation of Sites and Monuments (PSM) division, under the National Heritage Board (NHB) and with advice from the PSM Advisory Board, guides the preservation of buildings, monuments and sites, which commemorates Singapore’s heritage as defined under the Preservation of Monuments Act.

The PSM division also leads NHB’s joint efforts with National Parks Board to list the Singapore Botanic Gardens as Singapore’s first UNESCO world heritage site. It also oversees the 100 heritage sites that have been marked by NHB. The PSM division’s administration of the preservation gazette is complemented by its outreach objectives to promote a renewed appreciation and understanding of national monuments and their history, and to encourage people to relate to them as sites of memory that convey a sense of place, identity and belonging.

To date, 75 structures have been gazetted as National Monuments.


Golden Mile Complex gazetted as conserved building
The 48-year-old building resembles a typewriter with its terraced facade and represents the architectural and engineering prowess of Singapore's pioneer building professionals

The iconic Golden Mile Complex, which resembles a typewriter with its terraced facade and towering columns, has been conserved.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee on Friday (Oct 22) announced that the 16-storey building has been gazetted as a conserved building, one year after the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) had proposed to do so.

To address concerns from building owners that conservation may affect the chances of a collective sale, the URA will offer a package of incentives to make development options for the site more attractive to potential buyers.

related:


Singapore Botanic Gardens declared UNESCO World Heritage Site
Botanic Gardens is S’pore’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Botanic Gardens met two of these criteria – it reflected an interchange of human values and illustrated a significant stage in human history.

The 156-year-old gardens’ nomination was put up for discussion and decision-making by the 21-member committee today. Including the Botanic Gardens, the committee will be examining 36 proposals nominated to be inscribed on the World Heritage list. The committee had unanimously adopted the expert panel International Council on Monuments and Sites’ (Icomos) recommendation to inscribe the Botanic Gardens for inscription without reservation — the best recommendation possible — in May.

To qualify, the site must possess an “outstanding universal value” that reflects their unique position in global history. Likewise, they need to meet at least one out of the ten selection criteria to be successfully inscribed.

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