old hill street police station​ 22 28

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old hill street police station

The **Old Hill Street Police Station** is a historic landmark in Singapore, famous for its distinctive architecture and vibrant, rainbow-coloured windows. Built in **1934**, the six-storey building was once the largest government building in Singapore and was nicknamed the “Police Skyscraper” due to its imposing size. Designed in the **Neoclassical style**, the building features Doric pilasters and a triangular pediment, which make it have a sense of grandeur and authority.

The building served as a police station and barracks until **1980**, with its 927 double-leaf louvred windows designed to provide natural ventilation in the tropical climate. During the Japanese Occupation, the building was camouflaged with dark paint to protect it from air raids. After the police force vacated the building, it was renamed here the **Hill Street Building** before being extensively restored and gazetted as a **national monument** in **1998**.

In **1999**, a major renovation project transformed its exterior with a colourful facade, painting the shutters of its 927 windows in a spectrum of vibrant shades. This new look transformed the building from a stern colonial structure into a modern, artistic landmark. Today, the Old Hill Street Police Station houses the **Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)** and the **Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY)**. Its main courtyard, now an air-conditioned atrium called the Artrium, is a public space used for art exhibitions and performances, making it a fusion of heritage, art, and government.