Bowyer Block
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Bowyer Block, formerly known as the Upper Block, is a historic building which previously served as the main administration building of the Singapore General Hospital. It currently houses the Singapore General Hospital Museum.
The building was gazetted as a National Monument in 2009.
Description
[edit]The façade of the portico is lined with Colossal Tuscan columns. There were initially wing extensions on both sides of the portico, with one of the extensions being demolished in the early 1980s. The building features a clock tower with clock faces on all sides, each flanked by Doric pilasters and topped by a triangular pediment.[1]
History
[edit]The building was constructed in 1926, along with the Middle Block and the Lower Block of the Singapore General Hospital. It was designed by government architect Percy Hubert Keys. Following the World War II, the building was renamed to Bowyer Block, after John Herbert Bowyer, the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital who had been tortured to death by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation of Singapore. The building served as the main admistration building of the hospital, and housed the staff quarters, the first and second class male wards, some first class female wards, the School of Nursing, the Department of Renal Medicine, an X-ray department and several other departments and clinics.[1][2]
In June 1981, most of the building's facilities were moved to either the Lower Block, which by then had been renamed the Norris Block, or the new Singapore General Hospital, which was officially opened in September.[1][3] The Singapore General Hospital Museum was established in the hospital in 2005.[2][4]
The building was gazetted as a National Monument on 11 November 2009.[5][6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Bowyer Block". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ a b Yeo, Sam Jo (1 December 2019). "Medical cluster's storied past". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
- ^ "Op Move at the new SGH begins". The Straits Times. Singapore. 16 June 1981. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Bay, Kristin (16 June 1981). "Medical Marvels". today. Singapore. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "Singapore General Hospital Bowyer Block, 2008 : exterior". PictureSG. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ Tay, Suan Ching (12 November 2009). "Preserving the past in print as well". The Straits Times. Singapore.