Introduction of City Hall and City Hall steps

You should be on level two of the City Hall building. City Hall and the former Supreme Court buildings are located next to each other on Saint Andrew’s Road, opposite the huge field known as the Padang. For many years they served as the most recognisable architecture of Singapore, and it is fitting that they have now been united to form Singapore's national gallery. The City Hall building houses the permanent galleries of Singapore art and galleries for changing exhibitions. It was designed by Samuel Douglas Meadows and Alexander Gordon, and completed in 1929. Formerly referred to as the Municipal Building, City Hall was used to host the offices of the Municipal Council, responsible for providing amenities to Singapore. Between 1963 to 1991, the City Hall building came to house the offices of several government departments and courtrooms, including the office of Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. This building bore witness to significant events in Singapore's history, and the City Hall steps in front of you, in particular, were a poignant backdrop for many national events. The Japanese surrendered to the Allied forces in City Hall on the 12th of September 1945, and Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, stood on the City Hall steps to proclaim self-government for Singapore in 1959.