Check Out Victoria Theatre And Concert Hall Singapore
The historical building started off as the Town Hall. Building process was slow, it took more or less 6 years to finish. This could possibly be due to tight finances back then because the building was paid for with public funds.
The two storey construction was designed by John Bennett, and it was constructed on a distinguished level. It is fantastically designed structure with loads of Italian influence, in addition to influences from the British Neo-classicism during the Victorian period. It had a hall on each of its two floors, as well as offices intended for the municipal staff then. Concerts and theatre productions were performed at the Town Hall then, and it was also used for lots of balls.
In reality, the Town Hall housed the Singapore Library, that afterward were to become the Raffles Library and then subsequently, become the National Library. You can find a few singapore hotel in the business district which are close by this Victorial Theatre and Concert Hall. These include the Fullerton Hotel and Peninsula Excelsior Hotel. Other hotels that are just a distance away away include the Marina Bay Sands resort, Mandarin Oriental on top of Raffles Hotel.
When Queen Victoria died in 1901, there was a huge argument whether or not to honor her by way of a statue. Instead, it was chosen to honor her with a building. Thus, an additional public hall was added in 1903, beside the Town Hall.
This honoring of Queen Victoria has indirectly added to the splendor of the Victoria Theatre. Approximately $368,000 was raised in support of the building of the structure through public funds. There were excess of in excess of $22,000, which was used for the refurbishments of the Town Hall. The new building structure was formally opened in 1905. The next year also see another addition. The now-famous 54 metre tall clock tower was added between the two halls to connect them, giving casual observer an feeling that the two structures were one. The two buildings were connected with a common corridor. The Town Hall re-opened in 1909, and The Pirates of Penzance was the first performance staged at the renovated construction.
Straits Trading Company donated a timepiece to the clock tower that had a clock face on all of the four sides and it chimed hourly. The hourly chime bothered the visitors at the Hotel de I’ Europe which was beside the Padang then. The chimes ended up stopped from 9pm to 7am to ensure guests at the hotel can have a good night rest.
Another truth that most do not know is that the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles. It used to stand at the Esplanade and was moved to stand in front of the two halls only in 1919.
The structures turned into a makeshift hospital during the World War II and in 1947, the Victorial Memorial Hall, which functioned as a municipal building, was the site where Japanese officers along with soldiers who was accused of massacres on top of atrocities were tried for war crimes. Major-General Saburo Kawamura along with Colonel Masyuki Oishi were accused and sentenced to death there.
In 1954, the Town Hall was renovated and air-conditioning was set up. It became the Victoria Theatre with a seating capacity of over 900. It underwent a new major upgrading in addition to retrofitting in 1979, and was re-opened as Victorial Concert Hall. A gallery was added as well as the second storey balconies on the front and back were glassed.
It has since hosted several performances by countless famous artistes coming from all over the world. To date, this building still stands strong.
To visit Victorial Concert Hall and other remarkable buildings around the area, pick a hotel in singapore at central financial district at WhichHotel.com today.
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