Sri Temasek
| Sri Temasek | |
|---|---|
| 斯里淡马锡 ஸ்ரீ தெமாசெக் |
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Sri Temasek, photographed on 31 January 2006
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| General information | |
| Type | Detached house |
| Location | Newton, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°18′14.41″N 103°50′34.84″E / 1.3040028°N 103.8430111°ECoordinates: 1°18′14.41″N 103°50′34.84″E / 1.3040028°N 103.8430111°E |
| Current tenants | Prime Minister's official residence |
| Completed | 1869 |
| Owner | Government of Singapore |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | Two |
| Floor area | 1,600 m2 (17,000 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | J.F.A. McNair |
| Awards and prizes | Urban Redevelopment Authority Architectural Heritage Award (2008) |
| Designated | 14 February 1992 |
Sri Temasek is a two-storey detached house built in 1869 which is sited within the grounds of the Istana in Singapore. During the island's colonial era, it served as the residence of the Colonial Secretary or Chief Secretary. Since the establishment of the State of Singapore in 1959, it has been the official residence of the Prime Minister of Singapore, though none of Singapore's Prime Ministers has ever lived there. Together with the Istana, it was gazetted a national monument on 14 February 1992.
The name of the house, Sri Temasek, means "splendour of Temasek" in the Malay language. The Malay word seri or sri means "charm; quintessence; splendour; glory" or a "" (something that attracts attention by its brilliancy or beauty; a centre of attraction, interest, or admiration)Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese, was the name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore. Today, it is used as an epithet for Singapore. The house was originally merely known as the official residence of the Chief Secretary of Singapore (or the Colonial Secretary of Singapore/the Straits Settlements) and did not have its own name. The State of Singapore was proclaimed and the first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew assumed office in June 1959, after which the house, which has become the official residence of the Prime Minister, has been officially named Sri Temasek, while the Government House has been officially renamed as the Istana, which means palace.
The construction of the Istana Singapore (then called Government House) and Sri Temasek was ordered by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Harry St. George Ord, after the original governor's residence had to be demolished in 1859 to make way for Fort Canning on the hill that bears its name. Sri Temasek was designed by John Frederick Adolphus McNair (1829–1910), a civil engineer who was appointed Executive Engineer and Superintendent of Convicts of the Straits Settlements, and built largely using Indian convict labour from Bencoolen. It was completed in 1869.
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