The Fullerton Hotel

The Fullerton Building was completed in 1928 as the General Post Office, with the Singapore Club, the Chamber of Commerce and government offices sharing it, a heavy neoclassical block of Doric columns in Shanghai plaster at the point where the river meets the bay. The post office moved out in 1996 and the building reopened as a hotel in 2001 after conversion, with the mail sorting hall becoming the atrium lobby. A small heritage gallery covers its history.

Background

The hotel stands at 1 Fullerton Square, where the Singapore River meets the sea, in the Downtown Core. Its name honours Robert Fullerton, who governed the Straits Settlements from 1826 to 1829 as their first Governor, and it was commissioned in 1924 for the centenary celebrations. Major P.H. Keys of the Shanghai firm Keys & Dowdeswell won the design competition; the same firm designed the Capitol Theatre and the Singapore General Hospital. It opened on 27 June 1928, is 37 metres tall with 9 floors and 41,100 square metres of floor space, and was made a national monument in 2015.

Source: Wikipedia, "The Fullerton Hotel Singapore"

The main sights

• The Doric colonnade - the 1928 neoclassical front on Fullerton Square.
• The atrium - the former mail sorting hall, now the hotel lobby.
• The heritage gallery - a small display on the building's post office years.
• The river mouth - the position where the Singapore River reaches the bay.

When to go

Year round; the lobby and gallery are accessible during the day. Evening lighting on the facade is good. The waterfront outside is busiest at weekends.

What to expect

It is a working luxury hotel and non-guests are limited to the public areas. The heritage gallery is small. Anything beyond looking costs hotel prices.

Nearby

The Merlion is across the road, and Marina Bay is east.

Key facts