Welcome to Sculpture Walks!

On this particular Tour, you will be exploring the many interesting architectural buildings that dot our city’s beautiful landscapes. You will discover the people and the inspiration behind each architecture. This Tour will take you through the Civic District, located north of the Singapore River. It was the area that Sir Stamford Raffles had reserved for the government’s use, as can be seen in the 1822 Town Plan below.

Civic District is an area in the central area of Singapore. Many huge government buildings have been built here such as the Supreme Court and City Hall, The Fullerton Hotel (originally known as the General Post Office Building), and Cavenagh Bridge.  Today the Civic District is one of the most historic places in Singapore.

Architectural buildings have many functions. The buildings in Civic District commemorate the people who laid the foundations for Singapore’s success. Many of them are also memorials to men and women who were engulfed by the flames of war that swept through Singapore.

Architectural buildings serve 3 purposes:

•       To tell a historical event.

•       To add beauty to its environment.

            •       To decorate a functional item.

                                                      For an example:

Former Supreme Court

Supreme Court building is one of many in Asia that was built by the British in the style of neoclassical architecture. Completed in 1939, it is the last colonial neoclassical building constructed in Singapore. The columns of the building have different architectural orders (styles). There are similarities, which you can discover between the Supreme Court and the Pantheon in Rome, Italy.

Architectural Buildings are not the only form of public art. Monuments, murals, Fountains and even seating, lights and signs can be considered public art!

Question!

What is the main difference between enjoying sculptures as public art and seeing them in art museums?

As you embark on this journey, follow these steps to enjoy the beautiful architectural buildings:

Step 1. What do I see:

Shapes and forms, size, curved or angular, colours and materials used.

Step 2. What do I think the artist is trying to say :

Idea, thoughts and feelings of the artist and special (symbolic) meanings.

Step 3. How does it make me feel:

Do I like it and why? 

You can say HOW you FEEL about a architectural building or WHAT it makes you THINK, But remember that it must be backed up with some explanation. 




Resources: 
Singapore History Consultants Brochure

Introduction: The Civic District Art Tour

Introduction Brochure

1. 2.

3.  4.

5.  6.

The Former Supreme Court

The Former Singapore Supreme Court building was one of many in Asia that was built by the British(Frank Dorrington Ward of the Public Works Department)  in the style of neoclassical architecture. Completed in 1939, it is the last colonial neoclassical building constructed in Singapore.

Cavalieri Rudolfo Noli, a Milanese sculptor designed the Corinthian and Ionic columns at the front of the building.

These columns are made of gypsum plaster, commonly known as Shanghai plaster, in reference to the skilled Chinese artisans who fled China during the Sino-Japanese war and came here to work. Unlike the real marble columns, the "fake"columns are a representation of the emulation of old style using new materials. 

Looking up at the tympanum, another of Noli's work—the little triangular section over the the columns. We can see that the depiction of Justice here is not blindfolded, as it usually is (on the United States Supreme Court, for example). 

Justice, the central figure in the group of pediment sculptures. To the right, a figure bows in gratitude, also representing supplication. 

Next to Justice is of a lost soul begging for protection. representing violence and deceit. Two legislators next to it with books in the hands represent the law. 

On the right is a group of sculptures (A man with a bull) representing prosperity and two young children holding a sheath of wheat representing an abundance of  law and peace. 

(Resource link: http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/tag/hotel-de-leurope/)

The big copper dome that has oxidized to green is one of the most distinctive features of the old Supreme Court building.

(Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/adforce1/4282071290/)

The former Supreme Court had suffered from a lack of funding resources due to the time of the Great Depression. Although it reveals such a grand facade, economical building materials were used, and the inside of the building appears more austere and practical. The cornices and the main hall were finished with gypsum plasters. Although an Art Deco influenced tiling, it is made of rubber. These were locally manufactered and are sound absorbing in order to ensure that the halls remain silent.

The Supreme Court was created at around the same time as the Old Kallang Airport and there is a clear distinction between the two styles of these two buildings thus this building does not reflect the architecture of that time. It does however reflect what was believed as the Ideal Structure for a Government building. 

Resources:
http://nationalartgallery.sg/wp-content/uploads/6_OpenHouse_Guided_Tour_Brochure_101110.pdf
http://app.supremecourt.gov.sg/default.aspx?pgID=39

The City Hall Building

Constructed between 1926-29, City Hall was originally called the Municipal (or Town) Building, housing the Municipal Offices that took care of road building, street fighting and water supply. It was renamed City Hall when Singapore was declared a City in 1951 by Britain's King George VI.

City Hall's existence precedes that of the Supreme Court, but it now functions as part of the Supreme Court.

The Greek influence can also be seen here by the Corinthian columns, which is the most ornate of the three classic orders of architecture (Ionic which includes a crown featuring the scroll-like volute as seen in the Old Supreme Court building and the Doric order which is the most basic and unadorned column set directly on a foundation).

The strong, tall vertical lines and an all-white clean outlook of the Greek architecture projects authority, permanence and power. These are the qualities that are thought of as ideal for government building. A fine example of a Corinthian architecture is the Supreme Court of the United States.

(Photo from: http://www.ehow.com/about_5206605_influence-ancient-greek-architecture.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask)

16 Corinthian columns under an engraved architrave adorns the west entrance. These graceful columns are topped with the elaborately engraved acanthus leaves, reminiscent of the Corinthian order.

It is clear that the same idea and influence are also carried into Singapore in the architecture of the two government buildings.

Resource: http://www.ehow.com/info_8150699_greek-architecture-modern-buildings.html

The Fullerton Hotel

Originally known as The Fullerton Building, and also as the General Post Office Building. It is named after Robert Fullerton, the first Governor of the Straits Settlements (1826–1829). It is a five-star luxury hotel located near the mouth of the Singapore River, in the Downtown Core of Central Area, Singapore.The northern end of the building covers the site of Fort Fullerton, a fort built in 1829 to defend the settlement against any naval attacks.

Back then when it was known as Fort Fullerton:

Fullerton Hotel presently:

The Fullerton Building, built in 1928 and was the centre of Singapore’s commercial, social and official life, once home to the nation’s General Post Office, The Exchange, Chamber of Commerce and The Singapore Club - all of which played a pivotal role in the history of Singapore, was turned into a 400-room luxury hotel after a S$400 million makeover. As the historical crux of immigration and trade for much  of the 20th century, it too has been safeguarded for conservation as a reminder of the areas grandeur past as  development continues unbounded to breath new life into one of the country’s cultural hotspots.

The building style principally derived from the architecture of Classical Greece and Rome and the architecture of the Italian architect. In form, Neoclassical architecture emphasizes the wall. It was built by the colonial government using one or another European architectural style, which was in fashion at the time.

The building's neo-classical columns and high-ceiling verandas were retained. It was clad in Shanghai plaster panels, which have been restored. The owners converted the windows back to be housed in timber frames. Part of the tunnel under Fullerton Road, which was used to transfer mail onto ships waiting in the harbour, has also been kept.

The design of Fullerton hotel was largely Neoclassicism however the materials used were not genuine. The idea of this structure is borrowed from the Ancient Greece, this can be seen from the large columns and the hotel’s structures.

With distinguished Doric columns and monumental porte cocheres, The Fullerton Hotel represents the height of Palladian architecture in Singapore, with only two other buildings in the city that share the same architectural grandeur – the City Hall and Supreme Court.

Fullerton Hotel became a source of income and this raises a point whereby old and historical structures in Singapore is being conserved and turn into a place that brings in the revenue.

Like many other global cities and aspiring global cities, the Singapore government consciously launched a drive to develop 'iconic' landmarks in the city, as a means to strengthening the Singapore brand identity as well as to attract foreign tourists, skilled immigrants and investments. Several such landmark projects have since been developed, sometimes through open or closed architectural design competitions.

The Cavenagh Bridge

Cavenagh Bridge is the only suspension bridge and one of the oldest bridges in Singapore that exist in its original form.  Spanning the lower reaches of the Singapore River in the Downtown Core. Opened in 1870  to commemorate Singapore's new Crown colony of the Straits Settlements status.

Bridge linked the Civic District on the northern bank to the Commercial District on the southern bank of the Singapore River. This bridge has elaborate suspension struts in comparison with most other suspension bridges, and is the third bridge to be built.

Numerous steel rivets were used in its construction, which employed steel casting methods commonly used during that era. Built and tested in Glasgow to withstand a load four times its own weight, it was shipped to Singapore in parts and reassembled in 1869 by convict labour.  It was originally designed as a drawbridge but on its completion was found to be suitable only as a fixed structure.

Cavenagh Bridge in its glorious days then.

The main purpose for the construction of Cavenagh Bridge.

When Cavenagh Bridge became unable to cope with the increasing traffic into town and its low draught was insufficient for the passage of boats at high tide, the government decided to build the Anderson Bridge in 1910 to replace Cavenagh Bridge. Cavenagh Bridge was eventually spared from demolition and was converted to a pedestrian bridge, with the heavier vehicles, horse and ox carts being diverted to Anderson Bridge. A police notice, which is still preserved till today, was thus erected at both ends of the bridge restricting the passage of vehicles that weighed beyond 3 cwt (152 kilograms or 336 pounds), including cattle and horses.

Cavenagh Bridge is currently a pedestrian bridge, with lighting added in the 1990s to accentuate its architectural features at nightfall. It now provides the most convenient pedestrian link between the cultural district at the north bank and the commercial district to the south of the Singapore River, and complements the renovated Fullerton Hotel which is sited beside the bridge.