The Maritime Building, initially known as the Union Insurance Society of Canton Building, or simply the Union Building, was a building located along the waterfront of the Singapore River in Collyer Quay.

Description

The building was seven storeys tall and had a basement. The building had three lifts. The frontage of the building was designed in the style of English renaissance, and comprised a row of arches on the building's ground floor, colonnades on three floors, and an ornamental cornice projecting seven feet. The building featured a flat roof.[1] A 60 ft tower surmounted the centre of the building.[2]

The entrance hall of the building was large and spacious. The entrance door was 15 ft high and was made of bronze. Both the floors and the walls of the building were made of different types of marble, and the ceiling was decorated with mosaics. The ground floor was made of dressed granite, which was on top of artificial granite. A pair of bronze lamps hung out of the entrance of the building.[1]

History

The proposal for a new building in Collyer Quay was made by the Union Insurance Society of Canton in February 1922. Architectural firm Swan and MacLaren were commissioned to design the building.[3] The building was to be built on site of the former office building of Boustead & Co., which lasted from 1866 to December 1921, when the land was sold to the Union Insurance Society of Canton.[4][5] Construction of the building commenced in May 1922 and ended in 1924, costing $1,125,000. The architect of the building was Irish architect Denis Santry of Swan and MacLaren.[1] The official opening ceremony of the building was held on 26 September 1925 at noon.[6][7] The building was used by British Information Services in 1963.[8]

The building was sold to Island Investment and Agency Corporation in 1964.[8] The building was renamed as Maritime Building by the Island Investment and Agency Corporation in January 1965.[9] Tenants of the building at that time included Boustead & Co., the Far East Shipping Company, Ben Line Steamers, Fraser and Company, Peat Marwick and Mitchell, and Suckling and McDonald.[10]

A proposal to demolish the building was made in 1980.[11] Boustead & Co. moved out of the building in 1981.[12] The Maritime building was demolished in 1982, and the former site of the building was sold to the Orient Overseas Container Line.[13][14] The building had to be demolished from the top, as knocking down the building would cause debris to land on passing cars.[15] The building was replaced by the Tung Centre.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "SINGAPORE DEVELOPMENT". The Straits Times. Singapore. 23 January 1924. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  2. ↑ "BEAUTIFYING SINGAPORE". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Adviser. Singapore. 17 January 1924. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "SINGAPORE SKY-SCRAPERS". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Adviser (Weekly). Singapore. 2 February 1922. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "UNION BUILDING OPENED". Malaya Tribune. Singapore. 28 September 1925. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Union Building. Opening of Palatial New Offices". The Straits Budget. Singapore. 2 October 1925. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  6. ↑ "UNION BUILDING". The Singapore Free Press. Singapore. 28 September 1925. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "UNION BUILDING". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Adviser (Weekly). Singapore. 30 September 1925. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Sold: 40 years old S'pore landmark". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 December 1964. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  9. ↑ "Change of name for Singapore landmark". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 January 1965. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "Shipping firms gave the building its name". New Nation. Singapore. 15 March 1975. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  11. ↑ "Tenants quite nonchalant about moving". The Straits Times. Singapore. 5 December 1980. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Bousteadco moves out of Maritime Building". The Business Times. Singapore. 11 September 1981. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Orient Overseas to buy Maritime Building site". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 December 1982. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "Orient Overseas to buy Maritime Building site". The Business Times. Singapore. 30 November 1982. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "Going up for a knockdown job". The Straits Times. Singapore. 27 April 1982. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "'ALL-GLASS' BUILDING FOR WATERFRONT". The Straits Times. Singapore. 1 May 1982. Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2022.

1°17′04″N 103°50′38″E / 1.2845°N 103.8440°E / 1.2845; 103.8440

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