Red Cross House (Singapore)
Red Cross House is a building on Penang Lane in Singapore which serves as the headquarters of the Singapore Red Cross Society.
History
[edit]In its annual report for 1957, the Singaporean branch of the British Red Cross announced that it intended to construct a permanent premises for the society for $300,000, of which $95,000 had already been raised. The building was to house its offices and lecture halls.[1] By June 1959, negotiations for a piece of land on which the building was to be built, which was then on the corner of Penang Lane and Canning Rise, were under way.[2] Lady Goode, then the president of the Singaporean branch of the Red Cross Society, laid the building's foundation stone on 19 November 1959.[3] Construction, which was estimated to cost $120,000, began in July 1960.[4] It was officially opened by then-Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore Yusof Ishak on 5 September 1961.[5] The building was initially two stories, featuring a concrete canopy in the shape of a boomerang hanging over its main entrance. It was designed by prominent architect and artist Ho Kok Hoe, who served as the president of the Singapore Art Society.[6] The building was the Singaporean branch of the society's first permanent location.[7][8]
In January 1982, the organisation formed a committee the feasibility of establishing a permanent blood donation centre within the building.[9] Plans for the centre, which was to be the second of its kind in Singapore, were being finalised by April.[10] It was established in the building's ground floor in the following year.[11] The building was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in May 2014.[12] It has been placed on the Orchard Heritage Trail by the National Heritage Board.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Red Cross House to be built". The Straits Times. Singapore. 11 December 1958. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "PLAN FOR $150,000 'RED CROSS HOUSE'". The Singapore Free Press. Singapore. 25 June 1959. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Red Cross House of Singapore Red Cross Society at Penang Lane, between 1961 and 1981". nlb.gov.sg. National Library Board. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "WORK NEXT MONTH ON $120,000 'RED CROSS HOUSE'". The Straits Times. Singapore. 30 June 1960. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Red Cross House". The Straits Times. Singapore. 21 August 1961. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Che Yusof opens $120,000 Red Cross building". The Straits Times. Singapore. 6 September 1961. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Red Cross House". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Red Cross wandering to end: New H.Q. ready this week". The Singapore Free Press. Singapore. 27 June 1961. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ Tan, Beng (4 January 1982). "Red Cross to study the setting up of blood bank". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Second blood centre". The Straits Times. Singapore. 27 April 1982. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Calling all donors". The Straits Times. Singapore. 28 October 1983. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "15 PENANG LANE". ura.gov.sg. Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 31 May 2024.