MICA Building, Hill Street (9 July 2006)
The
MICA Building (GPS: 1.29072, 103.84822) is a heritage building in Singapore. It is located at 140,
Hill Street, at the junction with
River Valley Road. The building was formerly the
Old Hill Street Police Station. After it has been restored, its window shutters were painted in various colours, reflecting Singapore's multi-cultural heritage. The Old Hill Street Police Station is in the
Museum Planning Area, within the Central Area of Singapore's Central Business District.
The Old Hill Street Police Station Building was designed by F. Dorrington Ward, the Government Architect attached to the Public Workds Department. It was built in the Neo-Classical style fashionable for public buildings in the 1930s.
At the time it was constructed, the six-storey building was the largest building in Singapore to be built up to that time, and due to it's "height", was even regarded as a "skyscraper" in its time. It was considered "state-of-the-art" and was among the finest structures in Singapore. It was also one of the first to be fitted with electric lifts since 1933.
The Old Hill Street Police Station stands on the site of Singapore's first jail. During the Japanese Occupation, it was used as the holding area for the Japanese secret police, the Kempeitai. After the war, the building once again was used as police station. The Arms and Explosives Branch of the Police Department operated there from 1949 to 1981.
Today the Old Hill Street Police Station Building is occupied by the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, MICA, and is therefore known nowadays as the MICA Building. Also occupying it is the National Arts Council, National Heritage Board and the Media Development Authority.
MICA Building, Hill Street (9 July 2006)
360° View of MICA Building on Google Maps Street View
MICA Building
Hill Street Building was gazetted a National Monument of Singapore on 18 December, 1998.