Draft:175A Chin Swee Road
175A Chin Swee Road is a building on Chin Swee Road in Outram, Singapore. Completed in 1971, it served as the premises of the Pearl's Hill School until its closure in 2001. It also initially housed the Sepoy Lines Malay School. At its completion, it was the tallest school building in Singapore. Following the closure of the school, the building was converted into the Hotel Re!. In 2024, it was announced that the building would be demolished to make way for future housing developments.
History
By August 1971, the 12-storey building had been completed by the Public Works Department and both the Pearl's Hill School and the Sepoy Lines Malay School had moved in. The schools were relocated as the Pearl's Hill School's former premises at Pearl's Hill Road had been earmarked for redevelopment while the Sepoy Lines Malay School's former premises on Park Road had already been demolished. The Sepoy Lines Malay School, which had 246 students, occupied the first two floors while the rest were occupied by the Pearl's Hill School, which had 1,200 students. Both schools were then sepearately administered.[1] The building was officially opened by Hon Sui Sen, then the Minister for Finance and the Member of the Parliament of Singapore representing the Havelock Constituency, on 1 June 1972.[2] This made it the tallest school building in Singapore at the time.[3][4]
On 31 December 2001, the school closed,[5] after which it became the Stamford Student Residence. The Singapore Land Authority tenanted the then-"run-down" building to Whitehouse Holdings in February 2007, who were to spend $6 million converting it into a 130-room boutique hotel.[6] It was reportedly the "first former school building to be tenanted out for hotel use" in Singapore. The 140-room retro-themed hotel opened in May 2008.[7]
Halal certification[8] The hotel has the Re!Joice Ballroom, which was opened as a wedding venue with both indoor and outdoor sections, accompanied by a second ballroom, the Marquee Ballroom, an air-conditioned situtated outside offering views of Pearl Hill. Both venues could seat 1000 people.[9]
On 19 April 2024, the Urban Redevelopment Authority announced that the building would be demolished following the expiry of the hotel owners' lease on the property in 2025. Both the hotel and the Restricted Passport Centre were to make way for future developments on Pearl's Hill.[10]
References
- ^ https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/newnation19710812-1.2.23
- ^ https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19720602-1.2.49
- ^ https://moehc.moe.edu.sg/school-histories/pearls-hill-sch/
- ^ https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19810926-1.2.58
- ^ https://moehc.moe.edu.sg/school-histories/pearls-hill-sch/
- ^ https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/page/today20070301-1.1.26
- ^ Tay, Suan Chiang (17 May 2008). "Colourful mojo for boutique hotel". The Straits Times. Singapore.
- ^ Hotel Re!@Pearl’s Hill dapat sijil halal (30 September 2011)
- ^ https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/today20130308-1.2.68.5.1
- ^ https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/former-pearl-s-hill-school-restricted-passport-centre-in-outram-set-to-make-way-for-new-homes