Top
header Notes Collection

5 Dollars 1976, Singapore

in Krause book Number: 10
Years of issue: 06.08.1976
Edition:
Signatures: Minister for finance: Mr. Hon Sui Sen
Serie: 2nd Series - Bird Series (1976–1984)
Specimen of: 06.08.1976
Material: Cotton fiber
Size (mm): 133 x 66
Printer: Bradbury, Wilkinson & Company Limited, New Malden

* All pictures marked magnify are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.

** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.

5 Dollars 1976

Description

Watermark:

watermark

Head of the lion.

When it was first unveiled, some sections of the public felt that it should have been facing rightwards to represent a more forward looking nature. However, the original left-facing lion was maintained.

Avers:

5 Dollars 1976

Pycnonotus jocosus Pycnonotus jocosus

On left side is The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus), or crested bulbul - a passerine bird found in Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It is a resident frugivore found mainly in tropical Asia. It has been introduced in many tropical areas of the world where populations have established themselves. It feeds on fruits and small insects. Red-whiskered bulbuls perch conspicuously on trees and have a loud three or four note call. They are very common in hill forests and urban gardens within their range.

The red-whiskered bulbul is about 20 centimeters (7.9 in.) in length. It has brown upper-parts and whitish underparts with buff flanks and a dark spur running onto the breast at shoulder level. It has a tall pointed black crest, red face patch and thin black moustachial line. The tail is long and brown with white terminal feather tips, but the vent area is red. Juveniles lack the red patch behind the eye, and the vent area is rufous-orange.

The loud and evocative call is a sharp kink-a-joo (also transcribed as pettigrew or kick-pettigrew or pleased to meet you) and the song is a scolding chatter. They are more often heard than seen, but will often perch conspicuously especially in the mornings when they call from the tops of trees. The life span is about 11 years.

Top right is coat of arms of Singapore.

coat

The National Coat of Arms of Singapore is the heraldic symbol representing the Southeast Asian island nation of Singapore. It was adopted in 1959, the year Singapore became self-governing within the British Empire. The committee that created it, headed by then Deputy Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye, was also responsible for the national flag and the national anthem of Singapore.

At the center of the emblem is a red shield bearing a white crescent (a new moon, representing a rising young nation) and five white stars (representing various national ideals including multiculturalism), supported by a lion and a tiger (representing Singapore and Malaysia respectively); below them is a blue ribbon inscribed with Majulah Singapura in gold, Malay for "Onward Singapore".

The central emblem of the coat of arms is a red shield with five white stars resting above a white crescent, similar to the crescent and stars used on the Singapore flag and such other national symbols as the national ensign for civilian ships. Red symbolizes "universal brotherhood and equality of man" and white "pervading and everlasting purity and virtue". The crescent represents a new moon, which reflects "a young nation on the ascendant", while the five-pointed stars "stand for the nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality".

The supporters of the shield are a lion and a tiger: the tiger symbolizes the nation's historical connections to Malaysia (which Singapore was a state of from 1963 to 1965) while the lion represents Singapore itself. Below the supporters is a blue ribbon on which the national motto, Majulah Singapura, is written in gold. Majulah Singapura is also the title of the national anthem; it means "Onward Singapore" in Malay, the national language of Singapore.

At the bottom is business center of Singapore.

Top and below the main image are Vanda T.M.A orchids.

Addition to the description dated September 2, 2020.

A few days ago, my wife and I (she volunteered to help me), decided to describe in details all the buildings (which can be somehow identified) from this series of Singapore. No one on the web, until now, has had such a detailed listing of the buildings included in this engraving.

skyline

View of the center of Singapore from the harbor. Photo of 1976.

So, I present to your attention :), what we could find.

Many thanks to Fiona Tan, Archivist of the National Archives of Singapore, and Lian Mei Wan, Librarian of the National Library of Singapore for the links provided, which we mainly searched for.

skyline

The center of Singapore on today's map from Google Maps, with numbered places where buildings were located from the engraving of the banknote. The fact is that 90% of the buildings on the banknote no longer exist - they were demolished in the first decade of the 2000s, making room for new skyscrapers. Good or bad - I can not judge, apparently good for "business".

skyline

Central Singapore from a banknote, shot in macro mode. Engraved buildings are marked in red and black numbers, the list of which follows. I split the entire engraving, below, into 6 sectors, I will put a photo of the sector (from left to right) and, then, the buildings that are part of it.

On the other denominations of this series, the engraving is 99% the same, only on denominations above $ 50 it stands at a slightly different angle and is approximated. Therefore, in denominations of 1, 10, 20 and 50 Dollars there will be links to the description of 5 Dollars, where the entire huge description will be posted.

skyline

Center of Singapore from the banknote, shot in macro mode. Sector 1.

This sector includes numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4:

skyline

1) Former Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House, 7 Shenton Way, Singapore.

Built: 1962-1965.

Architects: William Lim, Chan Voon Fee, and Lim Chong Keat of Malayan Architects Co-Partnership.

The Former Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House was constructed to house the headquarters of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as the fulfilment of an election promise, as well as to host various exhibitions and conferences. Closely linked to Singapore’s history, the avant-garde building witnessed several significant events in the post-independence years.

Singapore in the 1950s, characterised by a dynamic and militant labour movement, saw a series of protests and strikes that culminated in the Hock Lee Bus Riots in 1955. During the 1959 General Elections, the People’s Action Party (PAP) proposed the merger of trade unions and the construction of a headquarters for the unified unions as part of its five-year plan. In 1960, soon after PAP’s landslide victory, the newly elected government set up a planning committee – headed by Minister of Labour and Law K. M. Byrne – to look into the building of a trade union house. A three-acre parcel on Shenton Way, located in the heart of Singapore’s commercial zone, was selected as the site for the headquarters.

In 1961, the leftists in the PAP broke away in 1961 to form Barisan Sosialis. The Singapore Trades Union Congress, which was the existing trade union organisation at that time, split into two factions: the pro-PAP NTUC and the pro-Barisan Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU). NTUC supported PAP’s stance that it would be in Singapore’s best interests to join Malaysia.

Designs for the new trade union house were sought in an open competition launched on 14 June 1961 – the first major open architectural competition in Singapore since the Japanese Occupation (1942-1945). A total of 16 entries were received. The winning design was submitted by three local architects from the Malayan Architects Co-Partnership, namely William Lim, Chan Voon Fee, and Lim Chong Keat. All the designs and proposals were exhibited in Victoria Memorial Hall in March 1962. Similar competitions were held subsequently, including that for the design of the Civilian War Memorial.

On 8 August 1962, M. S. Munusamy laid the foundation stone of the new building. Munusamy was a school janitor who was randomly chosen from 42 rank-and-file workers and trade unionists to represent the common workforce in Singapore to which the building was dedicated. Samsui women, who hailed from Guangdong Provinc, China, and worked as labourers in the construction industry, began work on the building shortly after. Construction was completed in 1965. The building comprised two sections: the Trade Union House and the Conference Hall. The former had a canteen and offices for the NTUC Secretariat and unionists. The latter housed an exhibition venue, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 1,000, a press room, rooms for radio and broadcasting facilities, and office spaces.

Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew officially opened the Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House on 15 October 1965. The occasion coincided with the International Labour Seminar, which was attended by representatives from various Afro-Asian countries. More than 1,000 guests were invited to the opening ceremony, including 13 delegates from the Malayan and Borneo territories.

Subsequently, the building was chosen as the venue for many of Singapore’s milestone events. In 1971, the heads of delegations of the Commonwealth member states convened at the Singapore Conference Hall for their biennial conference. This was the first time that the Commonwealth family met outside of London, their traditional meeting place.

The building also hosted grand celebrations, including the State Banquet in 1969 to celebrate National Day and the 150th anniversary of the founding of Singapore as a British colony by Sir Stamford Raffles. National Day Rally speeches were also given at the Singapore Conference Hall, as well as presentations of the National Day Awards from the 1960s to the 1990s. The election of the first directly elected President of Singapore was held there in 1993.

The Former Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House was designed in the Modernist style. Its daring architecture embodied the hope and courage of Singapore as a fledgling nation in its post-colonial years. Modernist elements such as a cantilevered roof and terraces are incorporated into the building. Its architecture also expresses local identity through the use of vernacular construction materials like local timber for the walls and ceilings.

The monument was also well adapted to the tropical climate in Singapore. Before land reclamation, the building’s orientation and location next to the seafront allowed it to catch the sea breeze. Local hardwood was also used to make sun-breakers to shield the interior from sunrays. The butterfly roof – two roof planes sloped to form a V-shape – enables rainwater to be channelled to and drained via the downpipe in the middle. Malayan motifs are also incorporated to decorate the building. For instance, mosaic tiles with Malay mat patterns cover the walls inside the monument; similar tiles were commonly used in local homes during the 1950s.

In 2000, NTUC was relocated to its new premises on Bras Basah Road. The Government then leased the Former Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO), which still occupies the building today. Formed in 1997 to promote Chinese orchestral music both locally and abroad, SCO is the country’s second national orchestra after the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO, established in 1978), which is based at Victoria Concert Hall. The Conference Hall underwent a major renovation costing S$22 million to be upgraded and transformed into a suitable home for SCO.

The Former Singapore Conference Hall and Trade Union House is the first post-colonial building that has the honour to be gazetted as a National Monument. (www.roots.sg)

skyline skyline

2) OUE Downtown 1 (Overseas Union Enterprises, Ltd.), former DBS Building Tower One (Development Bank of Singapore), 6а Shenton Way, Shenton Way-Robinson Rd.-Cecil St., Singapore. Facade renewed in 1995.

The Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) from 1969-1975 by the Architects Team 3 was one of the earliest redevelopment projects that completed in the Golden Shoe area. The tower then became a new landmark along the Shenton Way, a major road in the core of Singapore.

From the historic photo as shown above, the Central Area of Singapore at the time was still dominated with low-rise buildings and under poor conditions. However, the new tower of DBS Building created a huge contrast with the periphery. It became a strong identity of how Singapore would look like with new modernist buildings and high-rises. The location of the building also emphasized its prestigious position in the area. Apart from the fact that it is built along the Shenton Way as mentioned, the neighboring building also reinforced the idea of how Singapore would like to build a new national image as a strong economic power after the uncertain independence from Malaysia..

skyline

3) Central Provident Fund (CPF) building, 79 Robinson Road.

Built: 1974-1976.

Architects: Public Works Department of Singapore.

Floors: 45.

High: 170,993 meters.

Demolished: 2017.

Used: offices, governmental organisations.

Structural Types

- highrise

- cantilever

- concrete core

Architectural Style

- international

Materials

- glass

- aluminium

- granite

- concrete, reinforced

The building was constructed for the Central Provident Fund, which administers the compulsory comprehensive savings plan for employed Singaporeans.

The building was solid in November 2015 and the latest tenants moved out in February 2017 after which the building was demolished.

skyline

4) Siangapore Airlines building (SIA), 79 Robinson Road. Built: between 1967 and 1969.

This Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) building, located at 77 Robinson Road, was completed in the late 1960s. In 1972, MSA was split into Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysia Airline System (MAS) and the building was renamed SIA. It was demolished in 1994 to make way for a 35-story glass tower. The new building, completed in 1998, was sold to a real estate fund managed by CSLA Capital Partners in 2006.

skyline

Center of Singapore from the banknote, shot in macro mode. Sector 2.

This sector contains numbers 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9:

skyline

5) UIC (United Industrial Corporation Limited Building) was a 40-story 152-meter (499 ft) skyscraper in the city-state of Singapore. Completed in 1973, the skyscraper was the 39th tallest building in Singapore, alongside Chevron House, Meritus Mandarin Singapore Tower Two and One Marina Boulevard. When completed in 1973, the UIC was the tallest structure in the city-state and one of the tallest buildings in Southeast Asia. It retained this title for only one year, as the 162-meter United Overseas Bank Plaza Two was completed in 1974 and took over. The building was renovated in 1986 and received a new concrete facade in the brutalist style.

The UIC building has been an integral part of Singapore's skyline since 1973. Designed by internationally renowned Dutch architect Ben van Berkel of UNStudio in collaboration with respected, local architecture firm Architects 61 (architect Chan Kui Chuan), the new UIC building enchanted the cityscape, creating a supportive and modern working environment to reinforce corporate tenants. on the global map.

Conveniently located on Shenton Way, in the heart of Singapore's CBD and Marina Bay financial district, this property was demolished in 2013 and replaced by a new 23-story office tower and 54-story residential tower (Five on Shenton). In line with a government initiative to promote work, life and entertainment in the city center, the new UIC building is strategically positioned to meet the changing demands of the twenty-first century.

skyline

6) Shenton House, 3 Shenton Way, 11-01.

Built: 1974.

Floors: 24.

skyline

7) Shing Kwan House, 4 Shenton Way.

Shing Kwan House on Shenton Way (22 floors), built in 1973. In 1997, Shing Kwan's home and the adjacent ten-story ICB building were demolished to make way for the SGX Center (known for short as "Towers of Unity"), a two-tower Singapore Exchange Center complex.

skyline

8) Robina House, 1 Shenton Way.

High: 97.00 meters.

Built: 1972.

Demolished: 2007.

Parking places: 240.

skyline

9) ICB House (Industrial and Commercial Bank Building) is first, on right side (on the photo), Shenton Way. 10 floors. Built in 1968.

skyline

Center of Singapore from the banknote, shot in macro mode. Sector 3.

This sector contains numbers 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16:

skyline

10) VTB Building / Moscow Narodny Bank Building, 50 Robinson Road. 16 floors. High - 54.44 meters. Demolished in 2011.

skyline

11) AXA life building (Wing On Life Building), 150 Cecil Street. 20 floors. High - 64 meters. Built in 1975.

skyline

12) Hong Leong Building, 16 Raffles Quay. 45 floors. High - 158 meters. Built in 1976.

Hong Leong Finance Building (Chinese: 丰隆大厦) is a high-rise office skyscraper in the central business district of Singapore. This is the flagship building of Hong Leong Holdings Limited. It is located on 16 Raffles Quay, in the zone of Raffles Place.

It is just next to the historic Lau Pa Sat Market. There are many skyscrapers near the building, such as One Raffles Quay, 6 Raffles Quay, Robinson Towers, John Hancock Tower, and AIA Tower, all of which are less than 100 metres away. With 45 floors of office space (parking levels from 4 to 7) and one basement level consisting of shops and a cafeteria, the building stretches 158.0 meters above ground.

Hong Leong Finance Building currently houses the Embassy of Panama on the 41st floor and the Embassy of Norway on the 44th floor.

Hong Leong Building was designed by Swan and Maclaren, and was completed in 1976. Other firms involved in the development include Ssangyong Engineering & Construction Private Limited, and Knight Frank.

skyline

13) First Multi-Storey Carpark of Singapore on Markt street and Сecil street. 9 floors. Built in 1964. Demolished in 2011 году. The parking lot is now occupied by the CapitaGreen building.

Back in the early 1960s, Singapore’s urban infrastructure was poor. With both human and vehicular traffic increasing much faster than the expansion of the land transport network, the space crunch became acute in busy areas such as the CBD (central business district).

To ease this inner city congestion, made worse by cars parked anyhow along thoroughfares, the Government directed the Public Works Department (PWD) in 1963 to build the country’s first multi-storey carpark.

Construction of the $2.5 million Market Street Car Park took 14 months, and it was officially opened in June 1964. Eight storeys high, the triangular structure sits at the junction of Cross Street and Cecil Street, with some 780 parking lots for cars and 130 for motorcycles. According to a Straits Times report dated April 19, 1963, it was, at the time, “the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia.”

When Market Street Car Park first opened, however, it was only half occupied throughout the day. The Registry of Vehicles (ROV) attributed this underutilisation to the fact that Singaporean motorists were still not used to parking in buildings.

Those unused spaces did not stay vacant for long, however – as Singapore’s economy grew, so did the vehicle population. By 1970, the Market Street Car Park was experiencing a shortage of “supply” as drivers unable to secure season parking near their offices used the hourly lots instead. This created long queues for people visiting the CBD for a short while.

In response, the Ministry of Law and National Development’s carpark division announced that parking fees in Market Street after the first hour would double from 50 cents to a dollar (still a far cry from today’s hourly rate of $4).

But the increase was not enough to deter well-heeled executives, one of whom had his $30,000 Mercedes-Benz stolen from the carpark in 1978. It is unknown if the car was ever recovered, but the police did haul the joyriding thief to court and slap a nine-month jail sentence on him.

In 2004, Market Street Car Park was purchased by CapitaCommercial Trust (CCT) for almost $35 million – over 10 times its original construction cost. The place was extensively renovated in 2006 and, two years later, CCT was given the green light to redevelop the site into an ultra-modern Grade A office tower.

Market Street Car Park was unceremoniously shut down two months ago. Its closure meant the loss of valuable downtown parking lots. More importantly, one of Singapore’s most iconic buildings passed into history. (www.torque.com.sg)

skyline

14) Denmark House, 6 Raffles Quay.

The 10-storey Denmark House (formerly "Finlayson House"), headquarters of East Asiatic Company Limited, at the corner of Raffles Quay and Telegraph Street. It housed Singapore International Chamber of Commerce on the fourth floor. Adjacent to it is the 20-storey Asia Insurance Building (extreme right), headquarters of Asia Insurance Company..

skyline skyline

15) Asia Insurance Building (Ascott Raffles Place), Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, 2 Finlayson Green. Built in 1954. Renovation - 2008. 20 floors.

The former Asian Insurance Company Asia (前 亚洲 保险 大厦; qián Yàzhōu Bǎoxiǎn dàshà), now known as Ascott Raffles Place, is located in the heart of Singapore's CBD, at the corner of Finlayson Green and Raffles Quay. It is 82 meters high and surpassed the Cathay Building until the completion of the Shaw Center in 1958. The office building was constructed in 1955 and designed by one of the first Singapore architects, Ng Keng Xiang. The house served as the headquarters of the Asian Insurance Company, one of the first local insurance companies. In 2006, the building was acquired by the Ascott Group and since then the office tower has been converted into a serviced apartment complex. The building, renamed Ascott Raffles Place, is on a 999-year-old lease with an area of ​​approximately 950 square meters.

skyline skyline

16) Nedlloyd House, 1 Finlayson Green (till 1970 - KPM Building). Built in 1931.

The Dutch founded Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij (KPM) in 1888 as a regional shipping line in the Indonesian archipelago. At its height, KPM operated more than 140 ships ranging from small vessels of less than 50 tonnes to large passenger liners exceeding 10,000 tonnes. Its services extended from the Dutch East Indies to South Africa to the west, Australia to the east, and China to the north. Part of its fleet was based in Singapore.

KPM was founded by Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland and Rotterdamsche Lloyd in 1888. Both companies had been operating regular steamship services between Holland and Java for almost 20 years, and they started KPM to form a feeder line for the home steamers. KPM took over the ship and lines from its predecessor, Nederlandsch-Indische Stoomboot Maatschappij (a subsidiary of the British India Steam Navigation Company), and commenced operations on 1 January 1891 with 29 small steamers – 13 new ones and 16 from the Nederlandsch-Indische Stoomboot Maatschappij.

In the early 1900s, KPM lost two vessels in the Singapore Harbour. The Reijniersz was destroyed by fire on 23 January 1907, while the Djambi sank in 1909 after it collided with the Polynesien, a steamer owned by French shipping company Messageries Maritimes.

KPM’s fleet expanded rapidly. With the increase in operations, the company set up an office at Nos. 2 and 3 Collyer Quay in 1914, and a service from Penang and Singapore to ports in China was started in 1916. By around 1920, KPM had 92 vessels that operated 50 services with about 300 ports of call. Two well-known fast steamers – Melchior Treub and Rumphius – ran the weekly service to Java and Sumatra, while 10 services connected Singapore and the Dutch East Indies with 84 ports of call.

In 1931, the KPM Building was opened in the business district. By then, Singapore had become a key centre for KPM’s activities. Part of its fleet was based in Singapore, and its contribution to the maintenance of Singapore’s trade was recognised by the government.

At the start of World War II, KPM’s fleet had grown to 146 vessels. It was operating more than 70 services with over 400 ports of call. Its services extended beyond the East Indies, with nine international routes to South Africa, Australia and China, as well as covering other countries like Indo-china, Mauritius, Thailand, New Zealand, Japan and Myanmar. It had grown into the second-largest Dutch steamship company and become synonymous with shipping in the Dutch East Indies. (eresources.nlb.gov.sg)

skyline skyline

Center of Singapore from the banknote, shot in macro mode. Sector 4.

This sector includes numbers 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23:

skyline

17) Ocean building, 10 Collyer Quay. Office and trade complex, built on the site of an old building (1930), in 1974. 28 floors. Construction cost - $ 70,000,000. Demolished in 2007. In its place is now the Ocean Financial Center, 43 floors. Built in 2011.

skyline

18) OVERSEAS UNION HOUSE, 50 Collyer quay. 8 floors, height - 27.22 meters. Demolished in 2007. In its place, today, is the "Bank of America national association".

skyline

19) Tower of the customs port service.

The former customs port building, in a modern style, was built by the Department of Public Works in the late 1960s to cope with the growing workload of the Customs Police. The main building has a ribbed concrete roof with butterfly panels and a tower observation deck with extensive harbor views. The building is now part of the Fullerton Legacy project.

skyline

20) Round advertising add-on on OVERSEAS UNION HOUSE (number 18).

skyline

21) OCBC Center, 65 Chulia Street.

OCBC Centre is a 197.7 m. (649 ft.), 52-storey skyscraper in Singapore. serving as the current headquarters of OCBC Bank, the building was completed in 1976 and was the tallest building in the country, and South East Asia, at that time. There are two extensions, OCBC Centre South and OCBC Centre East. There is an Executive Club on one of the higher floors of the building. OCBC Centre East has food and beverage outlets.

OCBC Centre was the result of the second Sale of Sites of the Urban Renewal Department of the Housing and Development Board in 1968. The building was designed by I. M. Pei & Partners (now Pei Cobb Freed & Partners) together with now defunct BEP Akitek (Pte) Singapore and started construction in 1975. Its construction period was only two years due to a three-tier system. The building was completed on 1 October 1976 and was Southeast Asia's tallest building at the time. A bronze sculpture designed by Tan Teng Kee sat at the building until 1983 when it was moved to the now defunct Bras Basah Park. Large Reclining Figure, a large bronze sculpture by Henry Moore, replaced it in 1984, and a new plaza and reflecting pool were built outside the front entrance of the building. The building has undergone several modernisations and OCBC Centre East and South was constructed at a later date.

The building is an example of Brutalist architecture, a popular architectural style in the 1970s.

It is designed to be a symbol of strength and permanence, and its structure consists of two semi-circular reinforced concrete cores as well as three lateral girders which helped make construction faster. The building is divided into three sections due to the steel trusses being constructed off-site and were put into position. Each section consists of floors that are cantilevered 6 meters from each column, with load transfer girders spanning at each end taking up boxed sections of the pre-stressed concrete. Lattice steel models strengthened by steel and concrete compression was installed on the 20th and 35th floors of the building. The building has been nicknamed the calculator due to its flat shape and windows which look like button pads.

skyline skyline

22) Change Alley Aerial Plaza. Architects: "KK Tan & Associates". Construction began in 1971, the plaza was opened in 1973. The plaza has a 39-meter-high tower and a glass-framed bridge that connects Clifford's pier with the building of the same name, behind the plaza.

skyline

In the plaza tower, in 1978, the city's famous restaurant "Red Lantern" was opened.

skyline

23) Clifford Center, 24 Raffles Place.

The 29-storey building (height - 118 meters) is conveniently located in the heart of Singapore's financial district Raffles Place. It is also located directly opposite Raffles Place MRT Station and in close proximity to Marina Bay's financial district.

The complex offers tenants and visitors three levels of food and retail, including a basement food court serving a variety of local and international cuisine.

skyline

Center of Singapore from the banknote, shot in macro mode. Sector 5.

This sector contains numbers 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28:

skyline skyline

24) United Overseas Bank (UOB Plaza 2), 80 Raffles Place. Built: 1974. Floors: 38.

Architects: "Architects Team 3".

In 1993, the facade of the building was overhauled, as it had to correspond to its "newly built neighbor" - "The UOB Plaza One". At first, the name of the building was "United Overseas Bank". It was renamed after the "One" skyscraper was erected nearby, and a plaza of two buildings appeared.

skyline

25) 2 houses on Сollyer quay - "G.H.Kiat and co." (book store) and "Robinson and Co." (retail store).

On banknote is only "Robinson and Co." visible (retail store), because "G.H.Kiat and co." in 1975 was already demolished.

Who would have thought that a small bookstore would transform into one of the major four English bookstores in the early local bookstore industry? The person responsible for this miracle was Goh Hood Kiat, a teacher by training. Also a prominent Straits Chinese businessman, Goh was active in many social and voluntary organisations, won the first Municipal elections in 1949, and was conferred the Officer of the Order of the British Empire by the Governor of Singapore then, Sir John Nicoll. This bookstore did not only sell, publish and print books, it also sold Harley Davidson motorcycles! It ceased operations in 1963 when the founder retired due to his advanced age.

Robinsons & Co. Pte Ltd is a retail company which has department stores in Singapore and Malaysia. The company owns the Robinsons department store, John Little in Singapore and has franchise outlets of Marks and Spencer in both countries. The company has grown into one of the country's most renowned department stores. Robinsons celebrated their 160th anniversary in 2018.

Robinsons & Co. Limited is currently part of the UAE-based Al-Futtaim Group.

skyline

26) Chartered Bank Building, 6 Battery Road. There is almost no information on the building. It is only known that at this place - 6 Battery Road - since 1984 there has been a new multi-storey building, also owned by Chartered Bank.

skyline

27) Maritime House (Union Building), 20 Collyer Quay.

The Union Building was designed by the renowned architecture firm "Swan & Maclaren" and officially opened in 1925. The Collyer Waterfront building was commissioned by the Union Insurance Society of Canton to house its offices in Singapore. Constructed using the latest materials and building technologies, the seven-story building, with its classic façade and striking tower, has become the main attraction of the bustling waterfront. Later, renamed the Maritime House, it was demolished in the 1980s.

28) The building has not yet been identified!

skyline

Center of Singapore from the banknote, shot in macro mode. Sector 6.

This sector contains numbers 29 and 30:

skyline

29) Fullerton Hotel, 1 Fullerton Square. Construction began in February 1924, completed in June 1928. Official opening - June 27, 1928.

The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is a five-star luxury hotel located near the mouth of the Singapore River, in the Downtown Core of the Central Area, Singapore. It was originally known as the Fullerton Building, and also as the General Post Office Building. The address is 1 Fullerton Square. The Fullerton Building was named after Robert Fullerton, the first Governor of the Straits Settlements (1826-1829). Commissioned in 1924 as part of the British colony's centennial celebrations, the building was designed as an office building by Major P.H. Keys of Keys & Dowdeswell, a Shanghai firm of architects, which won the project through an architectural design competition. The architectural firm also designed the Capitol Theatre, its adjoined Capitol Building and the Singapore General Hospital..

skyline

30) Clock tower of The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, 9 Empress Place.

The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is a performing arts center in the Central Area of Singapore, situated along Empress Place. It is a complex of two buildings and a clock tower joined together by a common corridor; the oldest part of the building was first built in 1862, and the complex was completed in 1909. The complex has undergone a number of renovations and refurbishment, mostly recently in 2010 when the complex was closed for a four-year renovation project. It reopened on 15 July 2014.

The buildings in the complex have been used for a number of purposes, such as public events, political meetings, exhibitions, musical and stage performances, and for a brief period as a hospital. The concert hall is used as a performance venue by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO), and the complex is managed by The Esplanade Co Ltd. The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall was gazetted as a national monument on 14 February 1992.

The two buildings, the town hall and the Victoria Memorial Hall, were joined together by a clock tower built in 1906 to give the impression of a single building. The 54 meters high tower connects the two buildings with a common corridor, and is topped by a timepiece donated by the Straits Trading Company. The tower is built on an axial line with the Anderson Bridge nearby. Renovation of the Town Hall began in July 1906. A portico was created on the town hall mirroring that of the new Memorial Hall, thereby creating a unified appearance.

The construction of the signature clock tower was delayed due to delays in the donation of the clock and chimes by the Straits Trading Company. The clock, four metres wide, weighs 1 tonne and cost $6,000. Its dial faces look in four directions, and there is a bell turret above it, capped by a cupola.

Revers:

5 Dollars 1976

Located off the southern coast of mainland Singapore, Sentosa (Isle of Tranquillity) was initially known as Pulau Blakang Mati (Island Behind Death). Starting from the 1880s, the island was an important British military base with a number of forts built on it to protect the southern shipping lanes. In 1970, the island was renamed Sentosa following a naming contest organised by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB). The development of the island into a tourist and recreation resort came under the management of the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), which was formed in 1972.

View of the cable car, Sentosa Island, Mount Faber, Jardine Steps (port and marinas).

Singapore Cable Car Singapore Cable Car

The Singapore Cable Car (109 Mount Faber Road, Sentosa Island, Singapore) is a funicular in Singapore that connects Mount Faber and the resort island of Sentosa by air. The booth of this sightseeing ride offers a 360-degree panorama of the city, harbor and nearby islands. The cable car in Singapore is one of the longest in the world, and its modern luxurious cabins fill the air journey with unforgettable emotions and impressions.

Singapore Cable Car Singapore Cable Car

The cable car was inaugurated on February 15, 1974, by then Deputy Prime Minister Dr.Go Keng Swee. Built for $ 5.8 million, it was an instant hit with 1,000 visitors the day after opening. The ring road began at Mount Faber Station, past the main station at Jardine Steps, and crossed the waterway to end at Carlton Hill Station on Sentosa, becoming the world's first road to cross the harbor. It was with the construction of the cable car in Singapore that the large-scale development of tourism infrastructure was launched. Although this attraction is most often referred to as a cable car or funicular, it is technically a lift, as its cable is in continuous motion, moving the cabins along the route. After the last reconstruction, the road became a model of technical excellence and design.

The cable car station The cable car station

The cable car includes three stations - Mount Faber, HarbourFront and Sentosa. Today it consists of 67 cabins, including 7 VIP cabins, each with a capacity of 8 passengers. The duration of one trip is 12 minutes. The height of the station in Faber Park is 93 meters above sea level, the intermediate port station is 69 meters, the terminal station on Sentosa Island is 47 meters. The crossing of the sea section takes place at an altitude of about 60 meters. The total length of the route is 1650 meters.

The cable car ride allows you to enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of Singapore itself and Sentosa Island from a bird's eye view. In the daytime, crossing the harbor, you can see dolphins jumping out of the water, and in the evening you can admire the lights of the port piers and ships, as well as the colorful flickering of island attractions. (www.travel-sgp.ru .rus)

The cable car disaster

Singapore experienced one of its worst disasters during the evening of 29 January 1983, when the cableway of the Sentosa cable-car system was struck by the derrick of the drillship Eniwetok as it was undocking from a wharf at the nearby Keppel Harbour. The impact of the collision dislodged two of the 15 cable cars, which were travelling on the cableway at the time, and caused them to plunge into the sea below. One of the cars was empty, but the five passengers in the other car were killed. Of the remaining 13 cars, one oscillated so violently that three of its seven passengers were thrown out. Two perished, but the third, a toddler, survived the ordeal. Altogether, there were 13 people trapped in four cars – two cars over land and two over water – between Mount Faber and Sentosa.

An all-night rescue operation, coordinated by then Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) colonel Lee Hsien Loong, was launched to rescue the trapped passengers. The mid-air rescue commenced at 12.45 am on 30 January, and involved the use of two military helicopters. From the helicopters, winchmen were lowered to the cable cars to bring the passengers up. One helicopter rescued the six passengers from the two cars over land, while the other evacuated the seven passengers from the two cars over water. The rescue operation was completed at about 3.30 am. All the rescued passengers were immediately taken to the Singapore General Hospital. Before the rescue operation was mounted, the rescue planning team had considered the option of using a fire brigade snorkel ladder and a floating crane to reach the stranded passengers. Another option was to send SAF commandos, in teams of two, to crawl along the cables to the cars, attach pulleys to the cables and then lower the passengers to safety with the help of other commandos below. These two options were dropped in favour of the helicopter mid-air rescue, although the commandos were the backup plan.

A three-member commission of inquiry, headed by then High Court judge Justice Lai Kew Chai, was appointed on 5 February 1983 to investigate the cause of the disaster. In its report, released on 30 December 1983, the commission noted that the accident was caused by a combination of factors, in particular, the failure of the pilot and the ship’s master to establish the actual height of the ship with the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), as well as the failure of the towing mechanism that caused the ship to drift to the cableway.

cable car

To prevent similar occurrences, the commission recommended various measures such as legislating and implementing new height restrictions for vessels entering Keppel Harbour. This was enforced by the PSA, which set the restriction at 52 m. The PSA also designated the waterway under the car cable system (blogtoexpress.blogspot.com)

The cable car disaster The cable car disaster

On left side is Hindu female dancer, in the pose of the goddess Shiva, in Bharatanatyam dance (Indians are the one of the main ethnic groups of the Singapore population).

Bharatanatyam also previously called Sadira Attam is a major form of Indian classical dance that is indigenous to Tamil Nadu. Bharatanatyam is the oldest classical dance tradition in India[citation needed]. It was nurtured in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times It is one of eight forms of dance recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (the others being Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Manipuri and Sattriya) and it expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism.

Description of Bharatanatyam by 2nd century CE is noted in the ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram, while temple sculptures of VI to IX century CE suggest it was a well refined performance art by the mid 1st millennium CE. Bharatanatyam is the oldest classical dance tradition of India. Theoretical foundations of the Indian classical dance laid out in Natya Shastra. can be traced to various ancient art forms including Bharatanatyam.

Bharatanatyam content some types of banis. Bani or tradition is term used to describe the dance technique and style specific to the guru/school. These are named according to the village of the guru (with the exception of some banis). Bharatanatyam style is noted for its fixed upper torso, bent legs and knees flexed (Aramandi) combined with spectacular footwork, and a sophisticated vocabulary of sign language based on gestures of hands, eyes and face muscles. The dance is accompanied by music and a singer, and typically her guru is present as the Nattuvanar, director and conductor of the performance and art. The dance has traditionally been a form of an interpretive narration of mythical legends and spiritual ideas from the Hindu texts. The performance repertoire of Bharatanatyam, like other classical dances, includes nrita (pure dance), nritya (solo expressive dance) and natya (group dramatic dance).

Bharatanatyam remained exclusive to Hindu temples through the XIX century. It was banned by the colonial British government in 1910, but the Indian community protested against the ban and expanded it outside the temples in the XX century. Modern stage productions of Bharatanatyam has been spread out and popular throughout India that has been done in different ways and have incorporated technical performances, pure dance based on non-religious ideas and fusion themes.

Denomination in numerals are in top left and lower right corners.

Comments: