Istana Singapore
| The Istana | |
|---|---|
| 总统府 அரண்மனை |
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The Istana's façade. A Tembusu tree used to sit where the lawn fountain is now.
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| Former names | Government House of Singapore |
| General information | |
| Type | Mansion |
| Architectural style | Palladian |
| Location | Newton, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°18′28″N 103°50′35″E / 1.30778°N 103.84306°E |
| Current tenants | President of Singapore |
| Construction started | 1867 |
| Completed | 1869 |
| Owner | Government of Singapore |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | Three |
| Floor area | 106 acres (0.43 km2) (area occupied) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | J. F. A. McNair |
| Designated | 14 February 1992 |
The Istana is the official residence and office of the President of Singapore. Meaning "palace" in Malay, it is where the President receives and entertains state guests. The Istana is also the working office of the Prime Minister of Singapore.
The 106-acre (0.4-km²) estate was once part of the extensive nutmeg plantation of Mount Sophia. In 1867, the British colonial government acquired the land and built a mansion to be the official home of the British governor. This continued until 1959 when Singapore was granted self-government, and the governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, who was in turn replaced by the President.
The Istana was built between 1867 and 1869 on the instructions of Sir Harry Saint George Ord, Singapore's first colonial governor. It was formerly known as "Government House". The architect was Major John Frederick Adolphus McNair. Within the same compound is Sri Temasek, one of several senior colonial officers' residences in the Istana previously assigned to the Colonial Secretary.
Sir Harry's desire for a stately governor's residence arose from his dissatisfaction with the leased housing on Grange Hill and Leonie Hill that Governors had to make do with. An earlier governor's residence on Bukit Larangan (now Fort Canning), a flimsy timber structure, had been torn down to make way for the fort and was never replaced.
Ord's views were met with much resistance amongst his colleagues, as to build a residence of palatial proportions and cost was deemed too extravagant. Ord stood his ground, however, and eventually acquired 106 acres (0.43 km2) of land from C. R. Prinsep's nutmeg estate in 1867. Construction began later in the year after the design was finalised in March 1867.
Disapproval of Ord's initial plans seemed to have evaporated by the time Government House was completed in 1869, as attested to in a report in The Straits Times on 24 April of that year:
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