Compare Contrast of Locations

Name of the Locations	Similarities between the locations	Differences between the locations
Orchard Point Centre Point Cuppage Terrace	For all three of these places the land was used for retail, somewhere in their history. Furthermore, for these three places the land was used for markets and shops for groceries. Now, all of these places hold many retail businesses, attracting many people to them.	They offer different types of retail. Orchard Point and Centre Point offers shops where people mostly shop for clothes while Cuppage Terrace offers bars and restaurants. However, both for the entertainment and pleasure of people.
GoodWood Park Hotel Cuppage Terrace	For both of these locations the land was used for the same purpose. To build a building with retail that could bring the people living near or on the land their business. They were used to benefit the retail businessmen in the area. Now, they both still bring in business to the owners of companies and at the same time, they both attract the same type of people who seek comfort, relaxation and even delicious food and beverages.	Furthermore, when they were still shops the target people of the buildings on the lands were different. For Goodwood Park Hotel it was the Malaya businessmen while for Cuppage Terrace it was the residents who live near or in the prenakan district near Cuppage Terrace. Now, the buildings built on the lands serve different purposes. Goodwood Park Hotel is a well-known hotel while Cuppage Terrace holds bars and restaurants.
Takashimaya Macdonald house	Currently, both the buildings are used to bring in business.	The land these buildings are built on were used for different purposes in the past. Takashimaya was used as a burial ground. However, MacDonald House was used as an office building.
YMCA Macdonald House Orchard Road Presbyterian Church	In the past these places had relations with enemies. They were either used or destroyed by the enemies or seized away.	Currently, the buildings serve different purposes, one as an association for young Christian men, another as a bank and spa while the last one is a church. Making them attract totally different types of people, with different interests.
YMCA Orchard Road Presbyterian Church Macdonald House Goodwood Park Hotel	All of these places have remained the same or were re-built to serve the same purpose for more than ten years. Now, the land used for these places have not changed in arrangement over the years.	All of these places serve different purposes, in the past and now. YMCA was used by the Salvation Army Services Welfare team from India in the past and now is an association for young Christian men. Orchard Road Presbyterian Church was a mission chapel in the past and now is a Presbyterian Church. MacDonald House was a office in the past and now is a building that holds a bank, a spa and Mccann Worldgroup. Goodwood Park Hotel was a Teutonia Club for the Germans in the past and is now a hotel

YMCA Research

Name of location: YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association)

Exact Location: 1 Orchard Road  

                            Singapore 238824

History of Location:

In 1900, many officials and missionaries sent the English National Council an appeal to set up the YMCA in Singapore. G.W.Lovell, a businessman, wrote a letter to the National Council in 1901 to set up the YMCA in Singapore as well. This was because he wanted the British youth in Singapore to get to not be tempted to be engaged in gambling and other vices. Robert Pringle, who was one of the important people who started the YMCA in Bombay,India and Colombo,Sri Lanka, was later sent to Singapore. With his knowledge, the YMCA was founded at No.1 & 2 Armenian Street in 1902.

YMCA reached out to the youth in Singapore and also promoted volunteerism and community work through camps and various programmes to help those who were less fortunate in Singapore.

In 1904, YMCA was relocated to another building in Armenian Street,known as the Zetland House which was the former American Embassy. After several years passed, further expansion was needed for the building. The government had granted the YMCA a 999-year lease for an Orchard Road site in the Dhoby Ghaut area and two years later, the YMCA officially moved to the Orchard Road premises.

From 1942 – 1945, during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore, the YMCA building was seized and turned into the place where there was interrogation and torture headquarters of the Japanese Kempeitai (Secret Military Police). The Japanese tortured the people using electric shock, water torture and other cruel methods. In this period of time, the YMCA building brought fear to people due to wartime activities.

After the war, the British wanted to demolish the YMCA building and open it as a memorial to those who suffered under the Japanese. However, it was used as a Forces Centre for a Salvation Army Services Welfare team from India. After much discussion, YMCA reclaimed the building and later resumed operations at the Orchard Road building in 1946. In 1979, the nine-storey YMCA building was constructed. On the 24^th of November 1984, the YMCA building at 1 Orchard Road was reopened and is the acting headquarters of YMCA.

Today, YMCA has established itself as a charity and through various activities, volunteers reach out to the less fortunate and needy in Singapore. YMCA also organizes international exchange programmes which allow students to make a difference to the lives of the less fortunate overseas.

Why was it chosen

The YMCA building in SIngapore, needed further expansion as they were being recognised in the society more. The previous location where the building was did not have enough land space to do so. Furthermore, it would be easier for people to navigate their way here since it was Orchard and they can use the many sign boards that tell tourists the place they are at. Furthermore, since there were a lot of Christians in Singapore and all should be helped. They have chosen Orchard as it is a central location for people from north, south, east and west, making it easy for the people to travel.

 Credits:

http://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/beautiful-buildings-and-a-tale-of-buried-treasure-under-a-bridge-memories-of-stamford-road/

Takashimaya Research

Takashimaya :

In the 1950s, Ngee Ann City sits used to be a burial ground that was owned and maintained by Ngee Ann Kongsi. It was a part of the land known as Tai Shan Ting, which was between Orchard Road, Paterson Road and Grange Road. The burial site was removed to make way for Ngee Ann Building, which was then demolished to make way for Ngee Ann City.

In 1967, redevelopment of the Ngee Ann Building was first considered. Ngee Ann Development and the Orchard Square Development Corporation planned the building of Ngee Ann City in the late 1980s. The architect, Raymond Woo, who designed the complex, drew inspiration from the Great Wall of China. It was to reflect the dignity, solidity and strength of the Ngee Ann Kongsi. The designing and overseeing the project took 5 years.

In the late 1980s, Ngee Ann City was conceptualised as the focal point on Orchard Road shopping belt by the leaders of the Kongsi jointly with Orchard Square Development Corporation (OSDC).

Now, it is a tourist attraction and offers seven levels of shopping. It also carries many famous brands such as Gucci, and many other Japanese products . The available spaces at the semi-circular Civic Plaza are now used for events.

Why was that area used as a shopping area?

Orchard Road was designed to be a shopping district. Due to beliefs and superstitions, people might not shop at Orchard Road if the burial ground remained and this would just make the whole idea of making it a shopping district a failure. Thus, like all shopping districts will have many shopping malls, this burial ground was removed and transformed into a shopping mall to be situated at Orchard Road, a shopping district.

Orchard Road Presbyterian Church Research

Orchard Presbyterian Church

In the present

The church building has been developed and upgraded over the years and it now holds many congregations in all different languages from Mandarin to even German. The church also holds classes for children, on certain days at certain times.

In history

Orchard Road Presbytarian Church was a Mission Chapel, a building that The East India Company contributed $250 towards to. Since a sizeable number of scots were worshipping at the mission chapel , it was nickname the “Scots Church”. A meeting was held in 1822 to form the first Presbyterian congregation but it was not realised until the arrival of Rev Thomas McKenzie Fraser in 1856.

The land that the current Presbyterian Church of Singapore was built was only given on 6 May 1875. However, the location of the Church's foundation stone laid in 1877 is not known. The Church finished building in 1878 at the cost of $20 000 and it started off with a congregation of 42.

During the Japanese Occupation, it was used by the Japanese as their supply base and most of its early records were destroyed. In 1947, when World War 2 ended, Rev Geer who was interned in Changi reopened the Church for regular service.

The Church only had minor renovations till a major one in 1975, where the Sanctuary was extended and in 1985 where the new extension with Dunman Hall was successfully completed and the new chapel built behind Tomlinson Hall.

Now, the church holds services in many languages including English, Mandarin, Indonesian, German and Dutch. In addition to the English-speaking congregation, in the year 1968, a Mandarin speaking one, followed by an Indonesian one was added to the Church in 1976. In 1978 a German congregation started up. Causing the services to be in many languages.

Why was it chosen?

It was a mission chapel and had no particular religion occupying it and since it coincides with the development of a Presbyterian congregation, it was decided that the land the mission chapel was on was to be given over for the building of Orchard Road Presbyterian Church.

Credits:

http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_819_2004-12-27.html

http://www.lifestylewiki.com/Orchard_Road

Orchard Point Research

Orchard Point :

In the past, Orchard Market stood where Orchard Point is today. In the 1960s it was a popular market that sold fresh produce to residents. Today, its is located beside the Orchard Road district , the shopping hub of Singapore . It was built in 1891, and was torn down by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and replaced by Orchard Point in 1982.

In 1837, the site of Orchard Road Market used to stand on part of William Cuppage's estate. Cuppage's son-in-law, Edwin Koek, inherited the estate in the 1860s. In the beginning, Orchard Road Market was called Koek’s Market. After its completion in 1880, it was leased to the Municipal Authorities and became known as Orchard Road Municipal Market. In 1890, when the Municipality bought the land it tore down the building and built a new one in its place in 1891.The new market originally consisted of only one wing but extensive renovations took place later and these caused the building to be almost totally transformed.

In 1910 an additional wing and a concrete frontage were added. As the area was prone to flooding, the structure was raised a few years later to eliminate flooding of the market. In 1930 a new building was built in front of the existing one. In spite of all these renovations and additions, the Orchard Road Market still retained the original cast-iron structure into the 1970s when it was demolished.

Today , it is located beside the Orchard Road District , which is the shopping hub of Singapore . Many tourists head to Orchard Point to shop and dine today.

The Reason why it was chosen:

As the orchard road district was developing, many buildings had to be renovated. The Orchard Market which stood at the area where Orchard Point is today, was removed to allow the shopping centre to take over its place because although it was renovated and upgraded it still retained the original cast-iron structure and thus, would be unappealing to tourists and shoppers if they see such buildings in a shopping area. It will just make them conclude that the shops in the district are not as good and modern just because of that one building. 

MacDonald House Research

History of MacDonald House

On your walk along Orchard Road, you will be able to identify MacDonald House with its distinctive red bricks. It was the first large office building in the post-war era in 1949 . It was designed in Neo-Georgian style, and the red bricks were specially manufactured by Alexandra Brickworks to achieve the desired colour and texture. On 2 July 1949 the building was officially opened by its namesake, Malcolm MacDonald, the British Commissioner-General for Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1955. He was a liberal, and did not hesitate to mingle with the non-whites and natives. He also did not mix much with the pompous culture of the European "snob clubs" of Malaya.

President Sukarno had vowed to crush Malaysia as a "neo-colonialist puppet state" after which, Indonesia's foreign minister, Dr Subandrio, on behalf of Sukarno, declared Confrontation with Malaysia on 20 January 1963, eight days after Singapore's incorporation into the new Federation of Malaysia. It was then that the bomb hit MacDonald House. Though this aggressive policy effectively ended in October1965, it was only formally abandoned in August 1966.

How the bomb explosion took place

The bomb was placed near the lift on the mezzanine floor of the building. The explosion caused a lift door to be ripped off and an inner wall on the same floor as the bomb was blown inwards. This caused the structure to collapse into the ground floor, which had a bank, in a mass of rubble. Windows within a hundred yards of the bomb explosion were shattered and cars parked in the bomb site or driving past the place were damaged. This killed 3 while injuring 33. An official government statement said that it was "a senseless act of terrorism...We strongly condemn and deplore this attempt by the enemies of Malaysia to cow us into submission...The people's answer to this cowardice should be resolution and vigilance".  

Arising from the bombing, two Indonesian marines were arrested and charged with murder. On 17 October 1968, they were hanged. In retaliation, 400 students from Jakarta, Indonesia ransacked the Singapore embassy in Indonesia and proceeded to attack the consul's residence and the homes of two other Singaporean diplomats. Also as a sign of defiance, they burnt the Singapore Flag. During the period of Confronatation, the worst single bomb explosion was the MacDonald House out of 37 that hit Singapore. The cause of the Confrontation was because Indonesia strongly objected to Singapore being part of the newly independent Malaysia.

Its transformation through Time and Space

After years of being vacant, the building was put up for sale again on 5 April 2002 with an area of 78600 square metres spread over 10 stories. The building was gazetted as a national monument on 10 February 2003, with the exterior façade coming under protection while the sale was going on. Tinifia Investment was the successful bidder who paid S$36 million for the freehold building in 2003, and closed the building for $12 million worth of extensive interior renovations. It included the upgrading of the ceilings, floors, lobby and lifts, and the introduction of carparking facilities with the addition of a mechanical parking system for 30 cars.

In April 2005, when the building re-opened, it was of full occupancy. The fifth to eighth floors are occupied by Mccann Worldgroup while Expressions International, a beauty/spa operator,  takes up the 9 and 10 floors. The flagship Orchard Road Branch of Citibank Singapore opened on 23 June 2005, occupying 37,000 square feet of space spread over the building's lower four floors which house the largest wealth management centre in Asia.



Why was MacDonald House at Orchard Road in the Museum Planning Area?
Orchard Road was being modernise after World War 2. Therefore, for retail purposes, for offices to be built for employment and for shops to have a place, MacDonald House was built. Its sole purpose was to house a bank that would definitely lead to modernization as banks not only help a country’s economy but also increases employment in the country.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacDonald_House
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_62_2004-12-17.
htmlhttp://www.wearnes.com/cbiz_auto.shtml 
Pg 91 A Walking Tour Singapore by G. Byrne Bracken

Goodwood Park Hotel Research

History of Goodwood Park Hotel

In 1900, Goodwood Park Hotel was built as the Teutonia Club – an elite enclave for the expatriate German community in Singapore.

In 1918, the Teutonia Club was bought over by three Jewish brothers from the Manasseh family who renamed it Goodwood Hall after the residence of the Duke of Richmond and Gordon in England. In 1922, Goodwood Hall was registered as a restaurant-café-entertainment establishment.

In 1929, Goodwood Park Hotel emerged from Goodwood Hall, which catered to the travelling businessmen from Malaya. By the late 1930s, this hotel was one of the best-known thus, it had prestigious guests like the Duke of Windsor and the Prince of Whales of England.

In 1941, when World War II arrived, Goodwood Park Hotel was converted to a residence for high-ranking Japanese soldiers, who stayed there till the war ended. After which, the Hotel was used as a British War Crimes Court till it was returned to Mr. Vivian Bath, a Manasseh descendant in 1947. It was then back to business after a 2.5 million renovation that brought it back to its former glory. The hotel also made local history of being the first hotel in Singapore to have a swimming pool in its premise, a visionary idea by Mr. Vivian Bath.

In the 1960s there was a rapid expansion of the Goodwood Park and the introduction of several innovative changes such as air-conditioned Goodwood taxis, the longest bar in Southeast Asia and an air-conditioned wine cellar. Goodwood Park Hotel was bought over by Malayan Banking Group in 1963, only to last 5 years in their hands till 1968, where it changed hands again to become the property of the late Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat, a former Managing Director of the bank.

Under the hands of the late Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat daughter, Mrs. Mavis Oei, Goodwood Park Hotel has played host to many World well-known dignitaries and personalities. The historic tower of Goodwood Park Hotel was gazetted a national monument by the Singapore Preservation of Monuments Board, which has since merged with the Singapore National Heritage Board, in March 1989.

On 21 September 2010, this grand dame celebrated her 110^th Anniversary.

Its transformation through time and space

Under the hands of Mrs. Mavis Oei, the hotel’s current Chairman and daughter of Tan Sri Khoo Teck Puat, the hotel underwent massive renovations and expansion. Goodwood Park Hotel has been improved and upgraded continuously to put it among the world’s best. It now presents 233 tastefully appointed guest rooms and suites housed in several wings – Lobby, Mayfair, Tower and Parklane dotted within the lovely six-hectare compound.
The charming hotel had been made even more charming after the contemporary finishing touches which add a touch of exclusivity and uniqueness to the heritage hotel (Goodwood Park Hotel).

Why was Goodwood Park Hotel at 22 Scotts Road?

The location of Goodwood Park Hotel’s location is 22 Scotts Road, which is near Claymore District where in the 1980s evolved into a prestigious district occupied by many prominent European residents, that included the German, and was built in 1900. It was built as a Teutonia Club for the German members that were temporarily residing at Tanglin Club. Once Goodwood Park Hotel was built, it overshadowed Tanglin Club and Tanglin Club’s German membership dwindled. Thus, it can be said that it was built for the Germans so that they can have a place to stay and stay near to their own community, the Europeans. However, when World War I broke out in 1914, Teutonia Club was declared an enemy property and the government seized it.

Credits:

http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/location-en.html

http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_1167_2009-02-13.html

http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/history-en.html

http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com/accommodation-en.html

Pg 175 Lonely Planet Singapore City Guide-Book