Jurong Town Hall gazetted as 69th National Monument

SINGAPORE — Even as there is much change in store for the Jurong Lake District, one building in the area will be “accorded the highest level of legal protection” in terms of preservation.

Jurong Town Hall has become the first conserved building to be gazetted as a National Monument, which puts it alongside other historical landmarks such as the Sri Mariammam Temple, Raffles Hotel and the National Museum of Singapore.

Constructed between May 1971 and March 1974, Jurong Town Hall was “an iconic testimony to Singapore’s drive towards modernisation and development in its early years of independence”, the National Heritage Board said yesterday in announcing the news.

The building’s historical and architectural significance was first recognised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 2005 when it was awarded conservation status.

Now, it is the 69th National Monument and will be preserved by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division in the NHB.

Reminiscent of a ship, with a 50m high digital clock tower serving as the “mast”, the building once served as the headquarters of the then Jurong Town Corporation (now JTC Corporation) that spearheaded Singapore’s industrialisation drive.

It was built based on the winning submission by local firm Architects Team 3 in an architectural design competition and was officially opened in 1975 by then Finance Minister Hon Sui Sen. “It’s an integral part of the Singapore industrialisation story ... where the planning took place that shaped the development of Jurong Industrial Estate.

“We’re glad the Government has designated it a National Monument,” said JTC CEO Png Cheong Boon.

Changing its status from a conserved building to a National Monument is in recognition of the building’s national significance and the role played by JTC in Singapore’s industrial heritage, said the NHB.

Jurong Town Hall will be protected by and have to abide by preservation guidelines — instead of conservation guidelines — and will undergo a regular cycle of inspections to ensure its proper upkeep.

The decision was made after careful assessment of the building’s historical significance, architectural merit and current condition, said the NHB.

It is the seventh post-war structure to be gazetted, after the Nanyang Administration Building, Memorial and Arch became the first in 1998. “We’ve made a conscious move to fill the gaps in our architectural heritage timelines — going beyond colonial structures and including landmarks that reflect our own historic landscape,” said Ms Jean Wee, director of the Preservation of Sites and Monuments division.

JTC relocated to its new headquarters at the JTC Summit in 2000, but its old offices will continue to play a role in Singapore’s economic development.

Earlier this year, JTC announced that Jurong Town Hall will house the new Trade Association Hub slated to open in early 2017, with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the anchor chamber.

Laura Philomin