Construction of Hill Street Police Station 1927 - 1934

In 1927, the Colonial Secretary of the Straits Settlements wrote to the Chairman, Singapore Improvement Trust, requesting the use of the site for the construction of the building that began in 1931. The Old Hill Street Police Station – originally known as Hill Street Police Station and Barracks was specially built to provide accommodation for a large number of police personnel who could be called upon immediately in an emergency.



The Old Street Police Station Police Station was built with the following; Charge Room, offices and garages; quarters for 125 married men, 144 single policemen, 4 clerks, 5 Sub-Inspectors; and flats for 5 Asian and 5 European inspectors. It was built at a cost of $634,236.

The Old Hill Street Police Station comprised blocks arranged around two courtyards: one triangular and the other rectangular. It had a utilitarian layout with barracks, rooms, kitchens and recreational rooms. Most of the barracks had a row of rooms facing into the courtyards. The floors used by married couples had lattices for modesty reasons.

1932 : The completion of the reinforced concrete skeleton of this building which includes a Police station,barracks for married and single men, flats for officers and housing for 1,000 persons. A contract for the necessary sanitation work was entered into, and satisfactory progress was made with the excavation of the slope of Fort Canning Hill at the rear, by means of rock blasting. The use of flat hollow reinforced concrete roofs, treated with bitumastic material and sand blinded, testified to their value from the point of economy and durability."

1933: Sanitation, water supplies, and three electric lifts were installed, the elevations in grey granolithic were practically completed and the completion of the road, drain, pavements, entrance roads and court yards, was well advanced by the end of the year.

1934: The Hill Street Police Station and Barracks which is the largest single building erected by the Government in recent years and completed and occupied during the year. It is six stories high…”

Ground Floor: The police station itself, comprising offices for inspectors and detectives, a charge room and the cells were on the ground floor, at the triangular wing of the building at the junction of River Valley Road and Hill Street. There were also rooms and kitchens on the ground level.

The Parade Ground stood at the centre of the building, where the ARTrium is now. The recreation area was in the wing facing Fort Canning.

Second Storey: The second to sixth stories comprised mainly living quarters. The dormitory for single men, on all the floors, was at the corner of the building facing the junction of River Valley Road and Hill Street, The mess areas for the Chinese, Muslim and Indian members of the force were on the second storey.

Sixth Storey: According to The Straits Times, at the time the Old Hill Street Police Station opened, five Asian inspectors were accommodated on the fifth storey while the European inspectors were on the sixth. These quarters included bedrooms, living rooms, separate baths, kitchens and dining rooms.