Colours, Sights & Patterns At Kampong Glam

In the 19th century, Kampong Glam was essentially an ethnic district with a strong Malay-Arab influence. It was a place where locals patronized for their Arab-Muslim traditional foodstuff and merchandise...

Immersive 4K HDR Viewing Experience With Sony Projectors

Sony’s latest innovative laser light source projector is High Dynamic Range (HDR) compatible with native 4K resolution, creating an amazling clear lifelike experience, as if you are there yourself…

Back 30 Years To Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre

Iconic along this stretch of road is the rectangular block of a nondescript beige-tiled building. The facade of this building is blocked by an overhead bridge. And this is the front entrance to a shopping centre - the Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre… (USSC).

Monti - Singapore's Longest Brunch Every Sunday

Enjoy brunch by the bay concept, complete with stunning views of the Marina Bay and its surroundings, and a fabulous menu and music programme to match at Monti…

Where Freemasons Convene

In 1886, the Masonic Club was established to support Singapore freemasonry. Guess who was the first Freemason in modern Singapore?

Fullerton Heritage - Lighthouse Dining

3:45 PM  , , , , , , , , ,  

Raffles Place
South, Singapore
March 2013

(This article is part of Merlion Wayfarer's Fullerton Heritage Guided Tour series.)
 
The Lighthouse is a fine dining Italian restaurant on the eight floor of the restored Fullerton Hotel. Serving delightful  Italian cuisine, tables in the restaurant encompass the panoramic views of the bay and the city skyline. One floor up is a exclusive private lounge on the rooftop which serving drinks amidst the comfortable seating of the al fresco setting.
  
The "Singapore's Best Restaurants 2012" award greeting diners at the entrance to the lift...
  
The compact size of the restaurant makes it all the more exclusive for the privileged few...
 
Ideal location for a romantic dinner with a loved one...
 
A selection of cigars for the guests who prefer to indulge...
  
Drinks, tealight lanterns and candles to set the mood in the evenings...
  
Comfortable seats to truly R&R in after a day's hard work...
   
 
The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Places - Fullerton)

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Fullerton Heritage - Fullerton Lighthouse

3:27 PM  , , , , , , , , ,  

Raffles Place
South, Singapore
March 2013

(This article is part of Merlion Wayfarer's Fullerton Heritage Guided Tour series.)
  
The Fullerton Light, a revolving beacon of 540 kilo-candelas mounted on the roof of the building, was installed in 1958 to replace the Fort Canning Lighthouse which was being demolished. It emitted powerful white flashes every 20 seconds which were visible up to 44.4 km at night. This lighthouse guided ships to safety for over 21 years till 1979. It was  then replaced by the Bedok Lighthouse at Marine Parade with its last day of operation was on 30 November 1979.
After the Fullerton Building restoration, the remnants of the original lighthouse was moved to a new location as an artefact near the Harbourfront Towers opposite Sentosa. The original location of the Fullerton Building's historical lighthouse which used to guide ships into the port, has been incorporated into a chic fine dining restaurant, The Lighthouse, serving delectable Italian cuisine with panoramic views of Marina Bay and the city skyline. The establishment extends to an exclusive private lounge on the rooftop, perfect for a pre-dinner cocktail or aperitifs after dinner.

Within seconds of catching sight of this view from the Level 7 lift lobby while awaiting the private lift to ascend to The Lighthouse, the entire window display was blocked by the tour group members...
Ascending the winding spiral stairway and the barricaded glimpses of the impending view up at the top...

The incredible panorama up there - Left ...
   
... Right ...

... Centre ...
(Look at the alignment between the MBS, One Fullerton, the ERP gantry and the Fullerton Hotel.
This might shed light on why certain ERP gantries are especially "lucrative"!)

... Back ...
(Where two other elegant buildings - City Hall and Supreme Court - are being restored to their former glory with new uses)

... Through the looking glass ...

Makes each and every Singaporean truly proud of Singapore's progress...

The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Places - Fullerton)

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Fullerton Heritage - Postcard Exhibition

2:34 PM  , , , , , ,  

Raffles Place
South, Singapore
March 2013
(This article is part of Merlion Wayfarer's Fullerton Heritage Guided Tour series.)


Yesterday Once More is held as part of The Fullerton Heritage’s Art in the City Programme. Organized in collaboration with the Singapore Philatelic Museum, the exhibition showcases postcards from Singapore's colonial days over a hundred years ago and showcases Singapore's rapid transformation from a traditional fishing village in the 1800s. Highlights also include the rapid changes along the Singapore River, especially in the Marina Bay area near the Fullerton Hotel.


The postcards are part of a collection of 500 that were donated to the Singapore Philatelic Museum in July 2006 by renowned philatelist, Professor Cheah Jin Seng. Dating back to the pre-war years and as far back as 1893, the exhibition, Yesterday Once More, was officially opened by Mr. Sam Tan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth on 01 March 2013. The exhibition runs until 30 April 2013 and is being held at The Fullerton’s East Garden Foyer.



Merlion Wayfarer's Fullerton Heritage Guided Tour Series
The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Places - Fullerton)

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Fullerton Heritage - Heritage Gallery

2:08 PM  , , , , , ,  

Raffles Place
South, Singapore
March 2013
(This article is part of Merlion Wayfarer's Fullerton Heritage Guided Tour series.)
The Fullerton Heritage Gallery showcases the rich heritage and history of the precinct. The 800-square foot gallery features displays that include photographs, maps, stamps and philatelic materials that date back to 1932. Some of the highlights include two red pillar post boxes, which found its way to the streets of Singapore in 1873 during the British Colonial rule, and the return of the Foundation Stone laid by the first President of Singapore, Mr Yusof bin Ishak.
 An easel sign indicating the Heritage Tours offered by the Hotel...
EIIR Pillar Boxes and Postman Bears are on sale in the hotel lobby...

 A unique unicorn-elephant, the Unicelephant by Philip Treacy,
was purchased by the Hotel as part of the Elephant Parade fund towards elephant conservation...
  

  Florence explains the history of the waterfront near the Hotel...
Exhibits relating to GPO's history are displayed in the shelves...

 An adjacent art gallery displays works for sale...

Showcasing how postboxes have changed over the years...

 A wall lined with photographs of dignitaries and celebrities who have visited the Hotel...





The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Places - Fullerton)

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Fullerton Heritage - Extravagant Architecture

1:44 PM  , , , , , ,  

Raffles Place
South, Singapore
March 2013

(This article is part of Merlion Wayfarer's Fullerton Heritage Guided Tour series.)
 
In 1919, Singapore celebrated its first Centenary. The year was regaled with much public festivities and projects, the most ambitious being the Fullerton Building - the largest structure ever built in Singapore. It was to be a "monument worthy of the city" and was to symbolize the new wealth and power of Singapore.

A London architect, Major PH Keys, was commissioned to design the building. Arriving in Singapore in 1920, Major Keys brought with him the designs and concepts of Greek Classical architecture, echoing the Parthenon in Athens, considered to be de rigeur for official public monuments. Only classical architecture, with its use of columns, porticos and decorations, could convey the power and splendour of the British Empire, and provided yet another example of the neo-classical Art Deco architecture that once dominated the financial district. Typical of this style is a graceful interior adorned with heavy moulding and ornamentation. The architecture was adapted with high ceilings and deep verandas to cater for Singapore's tropical weather.

After years of controversy over the costs and extravagance of the project, the foundations were laid in 1924. Named after Robert Fullerton (Governor of Singapore, 1826-1829), it was built primarily to house the General Post Office. Other bodies which once occupied the premises include the exclusive Singapore Club and the Inland Revenue Department. The building was completed in 1928 at the grand cost of $4,098,808.
The exterior of grey Aberdeen granite was composed with  artificial stone made from crushed granite chips melted into cement to create a lasting weather-proof finish. There are now 32 Doric columns with some removed during the Fullerton Hotel's refurbishment to accommodate the outdoor swimming pool.
Sitting on 41,100 square metres (442,400 square feet) of land with walls measuring 36.6 metres (120 ft) from the ground, the building has neo-classical architectural features which include fluted Doric colonnades on their heavy base, and the lofty portico over the main entrance with trophy designs and the Royal Coat of Arms, crafted by Italian Cavaliere Rudolfo Nollix.
Originally, there were five distinct frontages, each treated in the Doric order. 14 elevators served the four floors plus the basement floors. A hollow cellular raft foundation was proposed by the original contractors in 1920s to save cost because bedrock lies directly below the building.

Majestic three-storey high columns partition the areas of the hotel lobby...



The full album is available at:
Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Places - Fullerton)

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Fullerton Heritage - Restoration Works

1:41 PM  , , , , , ,  

Raffles Place
South, Singapore
March 2013
(This article is part of Merlion Wayfarer's Fullerton Heritage Guided Tour series.)


In 1997, the 72 year old building, along with a piece of the waterfront was acquired, by Sino Land, the Hong Kong arm of the Far East Organisation, at a cost of S$110 million for development into a hotel. Architects 61, together with DP Consultants, was engaged to convert it into a 400-room luxury hotel with the hotel rooms designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates. Renovation works costing a total of S$400 million were carried out over three years on the building, with only minor alterations to the exterior as stipulated by URA conservation guidelines.
Interesting features found during work on the Fullerton Building include an old postal tunnel that led all the way out to the sea for postal boats to deliver and collect mail and the partially water-submerged raft foundation under the building that rendered it effectively floating.
The acquired waterfront parcel was developed into a two-storey commercial complex - One Fullerton - which is linked via a underground passageway to Fullerton Hotel. Works were completed on 08 December 2000 and the Fullerton Hotel was officially opened by PM Goh Chok Tong on 01 January 2001, after the Fullerton's New Year Eve party countdown.

Soothing earth tones and beech are used for the interior design.
On guest floors, passageways link the rooms from the bay view rooms to the courtyard and river view rooms...
View of the hotel from the passageways...
An antique dial phone is displayed at the lift lobby...


Majestic lionheads guard the entrance of the hotel at Fullerton Square...
A bust of Ng Teng Fong was recently installed in the lobby of Fullerton Hotel. Singapore billionaire property tycoon Ng Teng Fong was the chairman of the Far East Organization. Fullerton Hotel is among
the over 700 malls, condominiums and hotels in Singapore and Hong Kong owned by the group...

A skylight spanning 2/3 of the hotel lobby allows in natural light,
thereby improving energy conservation during daytime...

Which is much needed, given the energy consumption of the warm lighting
provided by the elegant but energy-intensive lamps...

 Functional features are well-hidden into the hotel design...
A thoughtful gesture to provide lounge guests with racks at coffee tables
for their neckties, coats and briefcases...
  
A koi pond with well-fed koi fish in the basement to retain the water wealth...
Welcoming cushions provided on well-maintained leather and velvet seats
encourage one to take a breather from the humid tropical weather outside...
 
  • "A peek into the Fullerton" by Koh, Boon Pin (06 June 2000). The Straits Times.
  • "Fullerton Hotel" by Phyllis Wee (28 May 2001) . Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board.
  • "Fullerton wins heritage award" by Sim, Arthur (19 July 2001). The Straits Times.
  • "Singapore property tycoon Ng Teng Fong dies" by Hoe, Yeen Nie (02 February 2010). Singapore News, Channel News Asia. Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1034717/1/.html (19 March 2013).


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