The Vanguard Building, formerly known as the Malaysia Publishing House Building, or simply the MPH Building, is a historic building on the corner of
Armenian Street and
Stamford Road
Stamford Road (Chinese: 史丹福路; ms, Jalan Stamford) is a one-way road in Singapore within the planning areas of Downtown Core and Museum. The road continues after the traffic light junction of Nicoll Highway, Esplanade Drive and Raffles ...
. It initially housed the
Methodist Publishing House
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is a large Wesleyan Methodist denomination, with local churches across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini, and a more limited presence in Mozambique. It is a member church of the ...
. Since 2014, it has been leased to the
Singapore Management University
The Singapore Management University (SMU) is a public autonomous university in Singapore. The university is the only city campus in Singapore. It ranks third in Asia as a specialist university, behind Hong Kong University of Science and Techn ...
.
Description
The building is one of the few remaining examples of
Edwardian architecture in Singapore. It features pedimented and arched windows and
rusticated piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
. It also features Baroque arches, which are supported by a first-storey
arcade.
History
The building was built in 1908, housing the
Methodist Publishing House
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) is a large Wesleyan Methodist denomination, with local churches across South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini, and a more limited presence in Mozambique. It is a member church of the ...
. It was designed by architectural firm
Swan & Maclaren
Swan & Maclaren Architects is a Singaporean architectural and industrial design firm. One of the oldest architectural firms in the country, it was formerly known as Swan & Maclaren and Swan & Lermit, and was one of the most prominent architectur ...
.
Following
WWII
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
,
Frank Cooper Sands
Frank Cooper Sands was a Scoutmaster from Nottingham, England. He is recognized as a founder of Scouting in Singapore on 2 July 1910, when Sands established two Boy Scout troops for the children of the British colonists. From there, the movement ...
, then Managing Director of MPH, restored and reopened the bookstore.
In 1988, it was announced that the interior of the building would be redeveloped for $10 million. The building reopened in November 1991, with a new cafe and the third floor being dedicated to music. The Singapore branch of the
United States Information Service
The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...
was relocated to the top floor of the newly redeveloped building.
Vanguard Interiors bought the property for $25 million and leased it back to the MPH until 2003.
In 2003, the building was gazetted for conservation by the
Urban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Government of Singapore.
Mission
The authority was established on 1 Apri ...
. It was then leased to AIT Unicampus. In October 2006, Vanguard Interiors moved its offices and its showroom into the building.
The
Singapore Management University
The Singapore Management University (SMU) is a public autonomous university in Singapore. The university is the only city campus in Singapore. It ranks third in Asia as a specialist university, behind Hong Kong University of Science and Techn ...
signed a five-year lease for the building in 2014 and renamed it SMU Labs.
References
{{coord, 1.2947, 103.8498, type:landmark_region:SG, display=title
Buildings and structures in Singapore
1908 establishments in Singapore