Fairfield Methodist Church, formerly the Metropole Theatre or the Jing Hwa Cinema, is a building at the junction of Tanjong Pagar Road and Maxwell Road in Chinatown, Singapore. Formerly one of the "three famous cinemas" of Chinatown, it presently serves as a Methodist church.
The $2,000,000 Metropole Theatre, which was owned by Ho Kai Yong, opened on 27 June 1958. The premiere show collected $16,000 for Nanyang University and the opening ceremony was attended by Hong Kong film actress Miranda Chen Chiang. [1] [2] The modern-style building was designed by local architect Wong Foo Nam in the "form follows function" principle. [3] It features a curved façade glazed with floor-to-ceiling windows. It was the first cinema in Singapore to feature such windows, as well as a basement carpark. The cinema was known as one of the "three famous cinemas" of Chinatown, along with the Majestic Theatre and the Oriental Theatre. [4] The cinema was also among the earliest in Singapore to feature air-conditioning. [5] It also came to house the headquarters of Kong Ngee, a major film distribution company at the time. [6]
In June 1985, the Fairfield Methodist Church announced that it had agreed to acquire the 1200-seat cinema, which had been put up for sale for several months, for $2.75 million. [7] The cinema ceased operations in October of that year. [8] In 1986, the Fairfield Methodist Church gave the building a $400,000 renovation, which was to be completed before the organisation moved in in May, to convert it into a church. This involved replacing the "Metropole Cinema" signage being replaced by a cross and its screen being replaced by an altar. [9] An altar rail was also installed. However, much of the interior was left untouched. [8]
The building was one of four post-World War II buildings in Singapore gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in September 2005 as part of its plan to "recognise certain post-war buildings which mark the era of independence for Singapore", along with the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, the National Archives of Singapore Building and the Jurong Town Hall. Among the reasons given for the building's conservation were its "unique" façade and its "character." [5]
Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Chinatown is a subzone and ethnic enclave located within the Outram district in the Central Area of Singapore. Featuring distinctly Chinese cultural elements, Chinatown has had a historically concentrated ethnic Chinese population.
Tanjong Pagar is a historic district located within the Central Business District of Singapore, straddling the Outram Planning Area and the Downtown Core under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's urban planning zones. The district has a rich history and is known for its cultural and architectural landmarks, making it a popular tourist destination.
Tanjong Pagar MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line located at Maxwell Road between the junctions of Peck Seah Street and Cecil Street in Downtown Core, Singapore. The station was built in the 1980s, and was opened in December 1987. Taking its name from Tanjong Pagar Road, which is located near the station, it is located near Tanjong Pagar Complex, the AXA Tower and International Plaza.
The Singapore Art Museum is an art museum with multiple venues across Singapore. It is the first fully dedicated contemporary visual arts museum in Singapore with one of the world’s most important public collections by local, Southeast and East Asian artists. It collaborates with international art museums to co-curate contemporary art exhibitions.
Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency is a four-member Group Representation Constituency composed of several city suburbs along with the Central Area of Singapore. The Jalan Besar GRC is the electoral division representing the largest area of the downtown city centre of Singapore, followed by Tanjong Pagar GRC. There are four wards in the GRC: Kreta Ayer-Kim Seng, Kolam Ayer, Whampoa and lastly Kampong Glam managed by Jalan Besar Town Council. The current Members of Parliament are Denise Phua, Wan Rizal Wan Zakariah, Josephine Teo and Heng Chee How from the People's Action Party (PAP).
The Jinrikisha Station is a historic building in Singapore, and is located in Tanjong Pagar in the Chinatown district within the Singapore's central business district.
Tanjong Pagar railway station, also known as Singapore railway station or Keppel Road railway station, is a former railway station located at 30 Keppel Road in Singapore. The station was the southern terminus of the network operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM), the main railway operator in Malaysia, until 30 June 2011 when the station ceased operations with relocation of the KTM station to Woodlands Train Checkpoint. The land on which the station and the KTM railway tracks stood was originally owned by KTM and over which Malaysia had partial sovereignty. This arrangement lasted until 30 June 2011, when rail service to Tanjong Pagar was ended and the land reverted to Singapore.
Neil Road is a one-way road in Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar in the planning areas of Outram and Bukit Merah in Singapore. The road starts at the junction of South Bridge Road, Maxwell Road and Tanjong Pagar Road and ends at Kampong Bahru Road which then merges into Jalan Bukit Merah. At the end of the road, it is a conservation area of several shophouses and a three-story Victorian style school building, which was the former site of Fairfield Methodist Girls' School. In the Tanjong Pagar area of the road, it is home to rows of conserved shophouses for various purposes.
Tras Street is a street located in Tanjong Pagar in the Outram Planning Area and Downtown Core in Singapore. The road connects Enggor Street and Gopeng Street to Cook Street, and is intersected by Wallich Street.
Maxwell MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL) in Singapore. Situated in the Downtown Core and Outram along Neil Road, the station is near the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, Sri Mariamman Temple and the Maxwell Food Centre. The station is operated by SMRT Trains.
Straits View is a planning area located in the Central Area of the Central Region of Singapore. The area is currently relatively undeveloped, with fewer commercial developments compared to the adjacent Downtown Core.
Shaw Tower, also sometimes referred to as Shaw Towers, is a defunct high-rise commercial building located on Beach Road in Singapore. At the time of its completion in 1975, the tower housed the largest cinema in Singapore.
The Ellison Building is a historical building at the corner of Selegie Road and Bukit Timah Road in Singapore. It was erected in 1924 by Isaac Ellison, a prominent member of the Jewish community of Singapore. In August 2016, the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Land Transport Authority announced that part of the building would be demolished and reconstructed to make way for the construction of the North-South Corridor.
Eng Aun Tong Building, also known as Tiger Balm Medical Hall, is a historic building at the corner of Neil Road and Craig Road in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore. Completed in the 1920s, it served as the Tiger Balm factory for several decades.
Inverturret, also known as 7 Gallop Road, is a historic bungalow in the Gallop Extension of the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Previously the residence of the Air Officer Commanding the Far East Air Force and the residence of the French consul-general, the bungalow currently houses the Botanical Art Gallery.
Olson Building, also known as Block 11A or 29 Mount Sophia, is a historic building that was on the campus of the Methodist Girls' School on Mount Sophia in Singapore. It has since been repurposed as a condominium clubhouse.
2 Cable Road is a bungalow on Cable Road in Tanglin, Singapore. Completed in 1913, it was built for Municipal Commissioner Mohamed Namazie.
Cundhi Gong Temple is a temple on Keong Saik Road in Chinatown, Singapore. Completed in 1928, it was initially a branch of a now-demolished temple on Upper Chin Chew Street.
25 Chapel Road is a bungalow on Chapel Road in Katong, Singapore. Completed in the 1900s, the building later received a "crudely attached" extension as the number of occupants increased. Following the bungalow's conservation, the extension was removed as part of the bungalow's restoration and a new wing was added.