The Arts House

Design and construction

The building was designed as a Neo-Palladian mansion by architect George Drumgoole Coleman for a Scottish merchant, John Argyle Maxwell.^[2] It was intended to be his private residence, however, Maxwell never occupied the house due in part to a dispute over the ownership of the land on which the house was built. Raffles had originally allocated the land for government use in his Town Plan, however, Raffles' successor John Crawfurd issued a permit allowing Maxwell to build a house on the site.^[3]

The construction of the Old Parliament House began in 1826 and it was completed in 1827. Maxwell applied for a statutory grant to the site in 1827, and the Resident Councillor of Singapore, John Prince objected as the land was intended for government use.^[3] A compromise was then struck whereby Maxwell was granted a 999-year lease in June 1827, but the house would be leased back to the government for a 500 rupees monthly rent.^[4] Later Maxwell's residence went up for auction which the colonial government won with a bid of $15,600 Spanish dollars, and the ownership of the courthouse finally transferred to Governor George Bonham and the East India Company on 10 October 1842.^[4]

Extension and uses

The building was initially used as a court house, and other government offices including the Land Office also moved into the building.^[5] The first court session was held in the central room on the first floor at the front of the building.^[4]

In 1839, a new single-storey annex was built on an adjacent plot of land, forming what is now the Former Attorney-General's Chambers building later incorporated into the Parliament House. The Courts then moved into this new building (later on to Empress Place Building), and the vacated space was then used for government offices. The government offices were sited at the building until 1875 when the Supreme Court moved back in after the building was renovated.^[4]

The building went through several major extension works. The first was carried out between 1873 and 1875 by John Frederick Adolphus McNair. In 1901, the building was extended towards the Singapore River. Coleman's original design was lost as a result of the extension works. In 1909, two courtrooms were reconstructed and a residence for the Attorney General was built.^[2]

The Arts House served as one of the two venues held for the opening of the 14th Parliament of Singapore on 24 August 2020, the other being Parliament House; the multiple venues were used for the first time in Singapore's history as a precaution measure for social distancing as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.^[6]

As Parliament House

The arches at the porch of the building and Palladian windows of the front façade were part of the original design, although the building currently appeared more Neoclassical in style.^[7]

The building was gazetted a national monument on 14 February 1992.^[7] On 6 September 1999, the Parliament of Singapore moved into an adjacent new building which faces North Bridge Road.