140 Hill St
Ever wondered what building those colourful windows are on? This building is known as the Old Hill Street Police Station. As its name suggests, it was constructed for the Singapore Police Force back in 1934. It housed Singapore’s first prison, the old Assembly Rooms of the Town Hall, as well as Barracks for the police personnel. It was also the largest government building in the country at that time. The building’s architecture is Neoclassical, typical of many public buildings in England during the 1930s.
There are a total of 927 windows, and they are painted in the colours of the rainbow. If you have plenty of time to spare, you may even personally count the windows.
The building was gazetted as a national monument on 18 December 1998, and it is now home to the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
Just down the road from the monument, you can also find the Central Fire Station – Singapore’s oldest surviving fire station. Walk around the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery to learn more about Singapore’s Civil Defence Force.
