Swan and Maclaren

Swan and Maclaren Architects is the oldest architectural firm in Singapore.cite news | author = Tan May Ping| title = Swan and Maclaren to design National Library | publisher = The Business Times | date = 22 May 1999| page=3] cite news | author = | title = Shortlisted designs for new library go on display today | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 2 October 1999| page=H60, H61] Formerly known as Swan and Maclaren, it was the most prominent architectural firm in Singapore when Singapore was a British colony in the early 20th century.cite web |author=Johannes Widodo|url= http://www.archi.fr/DOCOMOMO/PDF/54-60.pdf|title= Modernism in Singapore|date=September 2003|accessdate=2007-09-11 |format= pdf|work= Docomomo]

History

Early history

The company began as Swan and Lermit in 1887, a civil engineering firm formed by two surveyor engineers. In 1892, it became Swan and Maclaren, after Lermit withdrew and another surveyor engineer, James Waddell Boyd Maclaren, joined as partner.

Rise to prominence

In 1897, Regent Alfred John Bidwell (1869-1918) joined the firm, arriving in Singapore from England after a short working stint at the Public Works Department in Kuala Lumpur of the Federated Malay States. He was the first professionally trained architect in Singapore since George Drumgoole Coleman had practised in the town in the 1820s and 1830s. Bidwell found an opportunity in Singapore to exercise his knowledge of the full range and variety of Western architectural vocabulary.

Because of Bidwell's talent and reputation for designing handsome government buildings, Swan and Maclaren became the dominant architectural firm in colonial Singapore. Bidwell dominated its work between 1897 and 1911. The firm proceeded to win the most prestigious commissions in Singapore, and many of its early buildings are still extant today. Some of these buildings have been gazetted as national monuments, and these include Raffles Hotel (1899), Teutonia Club (now Goodwood Park Hotel) (1900) and Victoria Memorial Hall (now Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall) (1905).

The Raffles Hotel was one of the first of the numerous projects by Bidwell under Swan and Maclaren, which was to build a substantial number of buildings in a large variety of architectural styles. The firm was commissioned to rebuild the Teutonia Club in 1900 in its new location on Scotts Road, after it moved from its location near Raffles Hotel on North Bridge Road. Bidwell applied the south German architectural style in his design of the clubhouse. In Singapore's downtown area, Bidwell also designed the three-storey Stamford House (formerly known as the Oranje Building), completed in 1904.

By 1904, Swan and Maclaren was the largest architectural firm in Singapore. In 1905, Swan and Maclaren worked on the extensions and rebuilding of the Victoria Memorial Hall. In the same year, the Chesed-El Synagogue on Oxley Rise was built. In 1907, the Singapore Cricket Club was extended and refurbished, and the Telephone House on Robinson Road was constructed. In that year, the firm also designed and built one of the largest shops in early Singapore, the John Little department store in Raffles Place, located on the opposite side of the square from Robinson and Company. Between 1906 and 1912, Swan and Maclaren rebuilt the Saint Joseph's Church on Victoria Street, dedicated to our Lady of Fatimah, in the Gothic style. In 1911, Bidwell left Swan and Maclaren to establish his own practice. By then, he was the most important architect in Singapore.

After RAJ Bidwell

In 1913, Swan and Maclaren built a large villa for the Chinese businessman Eu Tong Sen on Mount Sophia. The Eu Villa was built at a grand cost of $1 million. In the same year, the firm designed the Jinricksha Station on Neil Road.

In the years between World Wars I and II, the firm continued to lead the local market with projects such as the Sultan Mosque (1924-28), Ocean Building (1923), Hongkong Bank Chambers (now HSBC Building) (1925), Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church (1930) and the Singapore Turf Club (1934). Swan and Maclaren also designed the Cenotaph, a granite memorial at the Esplanade Park that commemorates the soldiers who died in World War I. Its reverse side was inscribed with the names of soldiers who died in World War II.

After World War II, Swan and Maclaren remained important but lost some of its dominance due to increased competition from both local and foreign companies.

ince 1999

In May 1999, Swan and Maclaren Architects was awarded the architectural tender for the new National Library building on Victoria Street to replace the main library on Stamford Road that was demolished. It was shortlisted out of five for the final selection in National Library Board's (NLB) architectural design competition, from the 30 firms that made submissions.cite news | author = | title = Want to save parts of the Library? | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 22 May 1999| page=H56] cite news | author = Vivien Ng | title = New library in Victoria St to cost $ 100m | publisher = The Business Times | date = 24 August 2000| page=12] cite web |author=|url= http://www.singaporebiennale.org/downloads/venue_Library.pdf |title= National Library|date=2006|accessdate=2007-09-11 |format= pdf|work= Singapore Biennale 2006] In September 2000, the firm's team leader, Malaysian architect Ken Yeang, ended his partnership with Swan and Maclaren Architects, which had originally been contracted to see the project through to completion. Subsequently, NLB released the firm from its contract, and called for new tenders for the construction of the new National Library building.cite news | author = Laurel Teo| title = National Library design team splits | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 18 January 2001| page=H3] cite news | author = Laurel Teo| title = Tenders invited for new National Library building | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 20 January 2001| page=H5] The National Library building was eventually opened on 22 July 2005, after three years of construction.cite news | author = Kristina Tom| title = New National Library opens | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 23 July 2005| page=]

List of projects

=National monuments=

*Chesed-El Synagogue (1905)
*Chinese High School Clock Tower Buildingcite news | author = | title = Monument No. 43 | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 21 March 1999] (1919)
*Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (1854 [Founded with Father Charles Benedict Nain and Swan & Lermit] , 1890 [Chapel extensions, in association with Father Charles Benedict Nain] , 1913 [St Nicholas Girls' School] , 1951 [Extensions to St Nicholas Girls' School] )
*Goodwood Park Hotel (1900)
*Prinsep Street Presbyterian Church (1930)
*Raffles Hotel (1899)
*Sri Mariamman Temple (1916 [New covered wing] )
*Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple (1961-66 [Rebuilding] )
*St Andrew's Cathedral (1952 [War Memorial Wing (West transept)] , 1983 [Extensions (East transept)] )
*St Joseph's Church (1906-12 [Rebuilding] , 1938 [New buildings] , 1956 [Additions and alterations to various buildings] )
*Sultan Mosque (1924-28cite news | author = | title = History of the Sultan Mosque | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 8 July 1993|page=L22] )
*Tao Nan School (1910; Armenian Street)
*Telok Ayer Chinese Methodist Church (1924)
*Victoria Memorial Hall and Theatre (1905 [Memorial Hall and Tower] , 1954-58 [Renovation to Theatre] )

Other projects

*AIA Building (1958 [In association with John Graham & Co.] )
*23 Amber Roadcite news | author = Tan Kar Lin, Ho Weng Hin and Dinesh Naidu | title = Heritage conservation can make good economic sense | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 28 June 2007]
*Bok House (1929cite web |url=http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=16431 |title=Bok House: End of a Legacy |accessdate=2008-01-01 |author=Llew-Ann Phang |date=December 15, 2006 |publisher=Sun2Surf ] ; Ampang Road, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya; demolished 2006)
*Cenotaph (1922)
*Centrepoint (Orchard Road)
*Chin Leong Tang Temple (1920)
*Chinese High School (1919)
*Civilian War Memorial (1964)
*Cycle & Carriage Building (1984)
*David Elias Buildings (1928)
*Ee Hoe Hean Club (1927; Bukit Pasoh Road)
*Eu Villa (1913)
*Fairfield Methodist Girls' School (1920-21 [Additions and alterations] ; Neil Road)
*Gleneagles Hospital (1950, 1959 [Conversion to nursing home] , 1980 [New hospital] )
*Grand Hotel (Still Road)
*Great Southern Hotel (1936; now Yue Hwa Building)
*Hongkong Bank Chambers (1919-1925, 1979-82 [New building] ; renamed to Hongkong Bank Building, now HSBC Building)cite news | author = Sylvia Wong | title = The rise and rise of Singapore's skyscrapers | publisher = The Business Times | date = 25 May 1993|page=S8]
*Hong Leong Building (1974)

Other projects (continued)

*Institute of Education (1929 [In association with Cyril Farey & Dawbarn] ; Bukit Timah Road)
*John Little (1907; Raffles Place)
*Kampong Kapor Methodist Church (1929)
*Kheng Chiu Building (1963; Beach Road)
*Liat Towers (1979)
*Majestic Theatre (1928cite news | author = Nur Dianah Suhaimi | title = Please don't turn The Majestic into foodcourt | publisher = The Sunday Times | date = 5 August 2007] ; New Bridge Road)
*Malayan Banking Chambers (1910 [In association with Tomlinson & Lermit] )
*Manmathan Karunessvera Temple (1932-35 [Additions and alterations] )
*Mount Alvernia Hospital (1960)
*MPH Building (1908)
*National Library (1999-2005; Victoria Street)
*Novena Church (1950)
*Ocean Building (1923, 1974 [New building, in association with E. Kolle] )
*Ocean Towers (1999cite web |url= http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=oceantowers-singapore-singapore |title= Ocean Towers |accessdate=2007-09-14 |format= |work= Emporis Buildings] )
*Shophouses on Syed Alwi Road (1921)
*Singapore Chinese Girls' School (1920s; Cairnhill Road)
*Singapore Cricket Club (1884 [3rd Pavilion] , 1907-21 [4th Pavilion and new wings] , 1922-23 [Northern and southern wings] )
*Singapore Island Country Club [Original building at Bukit Location]
*Singapore Railway Station & Hotel (1932; now Tanjong Pagar Railway Station)
*Singapore Recreation Club (late 1970s [Modernisation] )
*Singapore Rubber House (1960, 1978 [Renovation] )
*Singapore Turf Club (1934; Dunearn Road)
*St Anthony's Convent (Queen Street)
*St Patrick's School chapel (1932cite news | author = Tan Hui Yee | title = St Patrick's chapel compound conserved | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 17 February 2005] )
*Stamford House (1904)
*Tamil Methodist Episcopal Church (1925)
*Telecoms Building (1927)
*Telephone House (1907)
*Terraces (128A-H) on Cairnhill Road
*Thong Teck Building (1972)
*Times House (1958cite news | author = Tan Shzr Ee | title = Moving with the Times | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 11 February 2002] ; River Valley Road)
*United World College of Southeast Asia (1963-64 [In association with Sir Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners] , 1981 [Resources Centre] , 1982 [Science Complex] , 1984 [Extension to Senior Boarding House] )
*Waterboat Office (1919cite news | author = Alicia Yeo | title = Waterboat House set for new lease of life | publisher = The Straits Times | date = 21 February 2002] ; now The Fullerton Waterboat House)

Notes

References

*cite book|author=Norman Edwards, Peter Keys|title=Singapore - A Guide to Buildings, Streets, Places|location=Singapore|publisher=Times Books International|year=1996|isbn=9971-65-231-5
*cite book|author=Tommy Koh, "et al." (eds.)|title=|location=Singapore|publisher=Editions Didier Millet in association with the National Heritage Board|year=2006|isbn=981-4155-63-2 (hbk.)
*cite book|author=Susan Tsang|title=Discover Singapore: The City's History & Culture Redefined|location=Singapore|publisher=Marshall Cavendish Editions|year=2007|isbn=978-981-261-365-3 (pbk.)
*cite book|author=Jane Beamish, Jane Ferguson|title=A History of Singapore Architecture: The Making of a City|location=Singapore|publisher=Graham Brash|year=1989|isbn=9971-947-97-8

External links

* [http://www.sia.org.sg/ Singapore Institute of Architects]