Raffles Place

Coordinates: 1°17′03.94″N 103°51′04″E / 1.2844278°N 103.85111°E / 1.2844278; 103.85111 1°17′02″N 103°51′05″E / 1.28389°N 103.85139°E / 1.28389; 103.85139
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Raffles Place
Name transcription(s)
 • Chinese莱佛士坊
 • PinyinLáifóshì Fāng
 • MalayPesara Raffles
 • Tamilராஃபிள்ஸ் பிளேஸ்
Raffles Place is located in Singapore
Raffles Place
Raffles Place
Location of Raffles Place within Singapore
Coordinates: 1°17′03.94″N 103°51′04″E / 1.2844278°N 103.85111°E / 1.2844278; 103.85111 1°17′02″N 103°51′05″E / 1.28389°N 103.85139°E / 1.28389; 103.85139
CountrySingapore
Government
 • MayorCentral Singapore CDC
 • Members of ParliamentJalan Besar GRC

Raffles Place is the centre of the Financial District of Singapore and is located south of the mouth of the Singapore River.[1] It was first planned and developed in the 1820s as Commercial Square to serve as the hub of the commercial zone of Singapore in Raffles Town Plan. It was renamed Raffles Place in 1858 and is now the site of a number of major banks. It is located in the Downtown Core within the Central Area, and features some of the tallest buildings and landmarks of the country.

History

Centre square of Raffles Place

Beginning

The founder of modern Singapore,

Sir Stamford Raffles, intended Singapore to become a "great commercial emporium". As part of his plan, he gave instructions in 1822 that a commercial area be created on the southwest side of the Singapore River.[2] The Garrison Engineer Lieutenant R.N. Philip Jackson, was tasked with drawing up a Town Plan
based on Raffles' instructions. This commercial area was centered on Commercial Square, and was developed from 1823 to 1824.

A small hill originally stood at the area between Commercial Square and Battery Road.

mercantile offices, banks and trading companies.[5]

On 8 March 1858, Commercial Square was renamed Raffles Place in Raffles' honour.

Telok Ayer Market was reclaimed. The reclaimed land became Collyer Quay, named after the Chief Engineer George Collyer who initiated its construction.[6] The expansion freed up a larger area designated for commerce, and attracted more businesses such as retail stores and banks to the area.[5]

Commerce and retail

Raffles Place c.1910

The area become the location for well-known retail stores in the 19th century.

Robinsons, another of the early department stores, was first established on Raffles Place in 1858 as a "family warehouse". Robinson's was then relocated elsewhere a few times before returning to Raffles Place in 1891.[8] Whiteaway Laidlaw was first established on D'Almeida Street in 1900 before moving to Stamford House, then to Battery Road in 1910.[9] The Alkaff Arcade, Singapore's first indoor shopping arcade that stretched from the waterfront of Collyer Quay to Raffles Place, was built in 1909.[10] A Chinese store, the Oriental Emporium, was opened opposite Robinsons in 1966.[11]

Republic Plaza, UOB Plaza One and One Raffles Place
. All three are 280 metres in height.

The earliest banks to operate in Commercial Square were the

cultural affinity with their customers. From the 1950s, banking in Singapore entered a new league, with Bank of America establishing itself here in 1955 at 31 Raffles Place, and Bank of China at the adjacent Battery Road.[5]

During

Battle of Malaya.[12] The Japanese occupation of Singapore temporarily halted the near-continuous commercial development of Raffles Place.[5]

Financial hub

In the 1960s and 1970s, retailers began to moved away from the Raffles Place area to locations such as High Street,

Overseas Union Bank expanded into the site with the construction of a new tower in 1986.[8][3] The John Little's Building was sold in 1973 and demolished.[7]

Modern-day Raffles Place, the financial heart of Singapore.

The first underground car park in Singapore was constructed in 1965 under Raffles Place. It was replaced in the 1980s by the Raffles Place MRT station, which opened in December 1987.[14][15] The station entrance features details from the 1911 facade of the old John Little building.[3]

Raffles Place is now dominated by

Tanjong Pagar Centre in 2016.[16]

Notable buildings

Several key buildings are located in Raffles Place, including

City Hall are located north across the river, but are not part of Raffles Place. The oldest Teochew Temple, Yueh Hai Ching Temple which is built in 1826 and currently managed by Ngee Ann Kongsi
is also located near Raffles Place.

Transportation

Entrance to Raffles Place MRT Station.

The underground Mass Rapid Transit station, the Raffles Place MRT station, lies directly underneath the centre of Raffles Place, and is one of the primary public transport links for Raffles Place into Singapore's transport system. Bus services also run along Raffles Place.

References

  1. ^ "The Financial District". Rough Guide.
  2. ^ Charles Burton Buckley (1902). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore. pp. 81–86.
  3. ^ a b c d e Cornelius, Vernon. "Raffles Place". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board.
  4. ^ a b Charles Burton Buckley (1902). An anecdotal history of old times in Singapore. pp. 88–89.
  5. ^
    ISBN 981-4068-23-3. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  6. ^ Cornelius, Vernon. "Collyer Quay". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board.
  7. ^ a b Leow, Annabeth (7 November 2016). "John Little to close final outlet at Plaza Singapura: 174 years of history at a glance". The Straits Times.
  8. ^ a b "Robinsons Department Store". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board.
  9. ^ Joshua Chia Yeong Jia. "Whiteaway Laidlaw". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board.
  10. ^ Marsita Omar. "The (Alkaff) Arcade". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  11. ^ "The Emporium Legend Lim Tow Yong (1925-2012)". Remember Singapore. 9 April 2012.
  12. ^ Chua, Alvin. "First air raid on Singapore". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board.
  13. ^ Joshua Chia Yeong Jia. "Whiteaway Laidlaw". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board.
  14. ^ "Raffles Place, 50 Years of Transformation". Remember Singapore. 28 July 2014.
  15. ^ "A Journey into Singapore MRT's Past". Remember Singapore. 23 July 2013.
  16. ^ Melissa Tan (3 May 2013). "Tanjong Pagar Centre set to be tallest building at 290m". The Straits Times.
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