Amber Mansions was a shopping centre and residential building located at the curve between Orchard Road and Penang Road in what is currently known as Dhoby Ghaut, Singapore. Constructed in the 1920s, the shopping centre was one of the first shopping centres in Singapore.
| Amber Mansions | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Location | Dhoby Ghaut, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°17′54″N 103°50′48″E / 1.2983°N 103.8466°E |
| Construction started | 1921 |
| Completed | 1928 |
| Demolished | 1984 |
| Owner | Joseph Aaron Elias |
History
editThe shopping centre was designed by Regent Alfred John Bidwell of the architectural firm Swan & Maclaren and was constructed somewhere between 1921 and 1928, being owned by prominent businessman Joseph Aaron Elias.[1] Originally designed to be a fully-residential building, the centre cost over $400,000 to build, with the contracting work being undertaken by Soh Mah Eng, a frequent collaborator of Swan & Maclaren.[2] The centre was three-storeys stall, and was, according to local architect Lee Kip Lin, "one of the best-designed post-World War 1 buildings in Singapore".[3][4] The centre was popular with socialites and housed several boutiques, as well as the company City Developments Limited.[1][3] However, the apartments of the centre experienced frequent burglaries in the 1940s.[5]
In December 1978, the building had been gazetted for acquisition, and was taken over by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, along with the showroom of Cycle & Carriage and the Sri Sivan Temple.[6] The buildings were demolished in 1984 to make way for the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Thulaja, Naidu. "Amber Mansions". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Davison, Julian (3 July 2021). "Mansion Blocks, Flats and Tenements: The Advent of Apartment Living". BiblioAsia. National Library Board. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ a b Tyers, Ray (1974). Ray Tyers' Singapore: Then and Now. Singapore: University Education Press. p. 158.
- ^ "Our lost treasures". The Straits Times. Singapore. 7 April 1990.
- ^ "Several Burglaries At Amber Mansions". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 26 September 1946. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Wang, Look Keah (13 November 1982). "MRT station at Amber Mansions". The Business Times. Singapore. Retrieved 1 May 2022.