The Vanguard Building, formerly known as the Malaysia Publishing House Building, or simply the MPH Building, is a historic building on the corner of Armenian Street and Stamford Road. It initially housed the Methodist Publishing House. Since 2014, it has been leased to the Singapore Management University.
The building is one of the few remaining examples of Edwardian architecture in Singapore. It features pedimented and arched windows and rusticated piers. It also features Baroque arches, which are supported by a first-storey arcade. [1]
The building was built in 1908, housing the Methodist Publishing House. It was designed by architectural firm Swan & Maclaren. [2] Following WWII, Frank Cooper Sands, then Managing Director of MPH, restored and reopened the bookstore. [3] [4]
In 1988, it was announced that the interior of the building would be redeveloped for $10 million. [5] [6] The building reopened in November 1991, with a new cafe and the third floor being dedicated to music. [7] [8] The Singapore branch of the United States Information Service was relocated to the top floor of the newly redeveloped building. [9] [10]
Vanguard Interiors bought the property for $25 million and leased it back to the MPH until 2003. [2] [11] In 2003, the building was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. It was then leased to AIT Unicampus. In October 2006, Vanguard Interiors moved its offices and its showroom into the building. [2]
The Singapore Management University signed a five-year lease for the building in 2014 and renamed it SMU Labs. [12] [13]
The Singapore Management University (SMU) is a public autonomous university in Singapore. The university is the only city campus in Singapore. It ranks third in Asia as a specialist university, behind Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Business School and College of Business, City University of Hong Kong. SMU was established in 2001 and models its education after the Wharton School. The university was also awarded triple accreditation by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA.
Saint John's Island also known as St John's is an island in the Straits of Singapore located 6.5 km off the southern coast of Singapore. With an area of 0.41 km2 (0.16 sq mi), it is the largest of the Marine Park islands which also include the Sisters' Islands and Pulau Tekukor. St John's was colonised by the British along with mainland Singapore in the 19th century and was the site of a colonial quarantine centre. In the 20th century, the island served as a detention centre, drug rehabilitation centre and refugee settlement. Singapore gained independence under the Government of Singapore in the mid-20th century and maintained sovereignty over St John's. In the present day, the island has doubled as grounds for recreational facilities and aquaculture research and development facilities.
Shenton Way is a major trunk road serving Singapore's Central Area and is most commonly known for the commercial skyscrapers flanking both sides of the road. The road is a one-way street that starts at the junction of Boon Tat Street, Raffles Quay and Commerce Street before ending at Keppel Road.
Bras Basah Road is a one-way road in Singapore in the planning areas of Museum and Downtown Core. The road starts at the junction of Orchard Road and Handy Road, at the ERP gantry towards the Central Business District, and ends at the junction with Nicoll Highway, beyond which it becomes Raffles Boulevard. Several landmarks including Fairmont Singapore, Raffles Hotel, Singapore Art Museum, Cathedral of the Good Shepherd and the Singapore Management University are located along the road. A MRT station with the same name, Bras Basah MRT station, is on the Circle Line.
Stamford Road is a one-way road in Singapore within the planning areas of Downtown Core and Museum. The road continues after the traffic light junction of Nicoll Highway, Esplanade Drive and Raffles Avenue towards Orchard Road. It then ends at the junction of Fort Canning Road, Bencoolen Street and Orchard Road, which it continues to be Orchard Road. Stamford Road is home to several landmarks, including Swissôtel The Stamford and the National Museum of Singapore.
Capitol Building, formerly Shaws Building and Namazie Mansions, is a historic building at the junction of North Bridge Road and Stamford Road in the Downtown Core of Singapore. The building had since redeveloped along with adjoined Stamford House and both were reopened as a hotel The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore in October 2018.
The Old National Library Building was a demolished historical library building at Stamford Road in the Museum Planning Area of Singapore. Originally completed in 1960, the library building was a national icon for many Singaporeans. Despite a huge groundswell of public dissent, the library was closed on 31 March 2004, and was demolished in July that year to make way for the construction of the Fort Canning Tunnel to ease road traffic to the city. The controversy surrounding the building's demise has been credited for sparking greater awareness of local cultural roots and an unprecedented wave in favour of heritage conservation among Singaporeans.
Sungei Road is a road in Singapore situated between Serangoon Road and Jalan Besar and runs along the Rochor Canal. The area around Sungei Road formerly housed affluent Europeans and Asians, and many ornately designed buildings were built there. Since the 1930s, the road has been synonymous with Sungei Road laksa and the Thieves' Market, the largest and oldest flea market in Singapore, where locals can shop for old bric-a-brac or second-hand goods. The market was permanently closed on 10 July 2017 for "future residential development use".
Swan & Maclaren Architects is a Singaporean architectural and industrial design firm. One of the oldest architectural firms in the country, it was formerly known as Swan & Maclaren and Swan & Lermit, and was one of the most prominent architectural firms in Singapore when it was a crown colony during the early 20th century. The firm has designed numerous iconic heritage buildings in Singapore as well as Malaysia.
Stamford House is a historic building located at the corner of the junction of Stamford Road and Hill Street, in the Downtown Core of Singapore. Originally known as Oranje Building, it formerly housed a shopping mall. The building had since redeveloped along with adjoined Capitol Building and both were reopened as a hotel The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore in October 2018.
Fuji Xerox Towers was a high-rise skyscraper located in Downtown Core, Singapore. It was located on 80 Anson Road, in the zone of Shenton Way and Tanjong Pagar. The building sat within four roads, namely Tanjong Pagar Road, Bernam Street, Keppel Road and Anson Road.
Frank Cooper Sands was a Scoutmaster from Nottingham, England. He is recognized as a founder of Scouting in Singapore on 2 July 1910, when Sands established two Boy Scout troops for the children of the British colonists. From there, the movement spread to other parts of the Straits Settlements and what were to become the states of Malaysia. He became the Commissioner of the Scout Association Malaya Branch which comprised the British Crown Colonies. Sands spent the next 40 years helping to create Scouting in the region, and is often called the "Father of Malayan Scouting". It is only after his retirement that the posts of Chief Commissioners for Malaya and Singapore were created by the Boy Scouts Association in London for E.M.F. Payne and Canon R.K.S. Adams respectively. Presently there is an award named after him called the Frank Cooper Sands Award which is given to the best Scouts in Singapore. There are three levels of award: Bronze, Silver and Gold.
MPH Group Malaysia Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian group of companies best known for its book retailing and online retailing services as well as being involved in the printing, publishing and distribution of books and library services in Malaysia and Singapore. Its bookstore chain, MPH Bookstores Sdn Bhd, headquartered in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, has been among the largest in Malaysia after Popular. In 2020 MPH closed many of its bookstores in Malaysia and Singapore and concentrated its efforts on selling books via its online bookstore.
William Girdlestone Shellabear (1862–1947) was a "pioneer" scholar and missionary in British Malaya. He was known for both his appreciation of Muslim society and also his translation of the Bible into the Malay language.
One Raffles Place is a skyscraper in Downtown Core, Singapore. The development comprises two towers and a podium. The 280 m (920 ft) tall Tower One and the 38-storey Tower Two house offices, while the podium contains retail space. Initially conceived in the late 1970s as Overseas Union Bank Centre, the headquarters of Overseas Union Bank (OUB), work on the building began in 1981, while construction of the superstructure subsequently commenced in October 1984. Costing S$486 million to build, OUB Centre opened in two phases in June and December 1986, and 90% of its office space was occupied upon opening. At the time of its completion, The Business Times claimed that the complex's tower was the tallest in the world outside the United States.
Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) is a Methodist church in Singapore located at 48 Barker Road along Dunearn Road, and is colocated with Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) and Anglo-Chinese School (Primary).