Malacca Street

Background

Built before 1836, Malacca Street, which connects D’Almeida Street to Market Street, is one of the older streets of Singapore.¹

Description
Malacca Street was named after the city of Malacca in Malaysia.² It was featured in George D. Coleman’s Map of the Town and Environs of Singapore, published in 1836.³

Currently, OUB Centre (since rebranded as One Raffles Place⁴) and Bharat Building are on opposite sides of the road.⁵ Built in 1986 by the award-winning Japanese architect, Kenzo Tange, OUB Centre is one of the tallest buildings in Singapore alongside Republic Plaza and UOB Plaza.⁶ The 280-metre-tall building is made up of a 64-storey tower atop a six-storey podium – the latter housing a shopping centre and a bank. The podium is matched by a six-storey wing. Though square in structure, the building seems to cut into two triangular structures with one measuring 13 storeys higher than the other.⁷ Bharat Building houses the Indian Bank and UCO Bank.⁸

Next to OUB Centre are Royal Brothers Building and Malacca Centre.⁹ Royal Brothers Building was originally DBS Securities Building, which was sold on a 999-year lease to real estate company Royal Brothers in 2001.¹⁰ Malacca Centre is a 16-storey commercial unit,¹¹ and opposite it is Republic Plaza,¹² a 66-storey commercial property.¹³ Completed in 1995, Republic Plaza was designed by Kisho Kurokawa, a leading Japanese architect.¹⁴

Variant names
Lau pa-sat khau in Hokkien and khau pa-sat in Cantonese, both meaning “mouth or entrance to the old market”. The old market refers to the former Telok Ayer Street, commonly known as Lau Pa Sat.¹⁵
Ban Hin koi (“Ban Hin street”) in Cantonese refers to the trading firm, Ban Hin, on Malacca Street.¹⁶



Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References
1. Mighty minds street directory. (2015). Singapore: Angel Publishing Pte Ltd, [maps 132B, 133A]. (Call no.: RSING q912.5957 MMSD); Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2013). Singapore street names: A study of toponymics. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, p. 245. (Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV-[TRA])
2. Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore. Singapore: Who’s Who Publications, p. 202. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN-[HIS]); Goh, G. (1998, June 3). Take me to the great horse way. The Straits Times, p. 3. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2013). Singapore street names: A study of toponymics. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, p. 245. (Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV-[TRA])
4. In our morning paper. (2008, September 26). Today, p. 78; Tay, S. C. (2010, July 24). Like father, like son. The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. Mighty minds street directory. (2015). Singapore: Angel Publishing Pte Ltd, pp. 132B, 133A. (Call no.: RSING q912.5957 MMSD)
6. Byrne Bracken, G. (2002). Singapore: A walking tour. Singapore: Times Editions, p. 32. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 BYR-[HIS]); Construction work on Republic Plaza begins. (1993, January 2). The Straits Times, p. 36. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. Singapore: Times Books International, p. 449. (Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA])
7. Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. Singapore: Times Books International, p. 449. (Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA])
8. Light-up for MRT at 2 buildings. (1987, December 12). The Straits Times, p. 24. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Mighty minds street directory. (2015). Singapore: Angel Publishing Pte Ltd, [map 132B]. (Call no.: RSING q912.5957 MMSD)
10. Batacan, F. (2001, May 28). DBS Finance Building to be sold. The Straits Times, p. 12; Rashiwala, K. (2001, March 22). Royal Bros buys DBS Sec Bldg for $51m. The Business Times, p. 11. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
11. Malacca Centre sold. (1994, August 22). The Straits Times, p. 39. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
12. Williams, A. (1994, July 29). Malacca Centre in Raffles Place up for sale at $45m. The Straits Times, p. 48. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
13. Construction work on Republic Plaza begins. (1993, January 2). The Straits Times, p. 36. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
14. CDL’s Republic Plaza clinches top international award. (1997, May 26). The Straits Times, p. 51. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
15. Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. Singapore: Times Books International, p. 451. (Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA]); Firmstone, H. W. (1905, January). Chinese names of streets and places in Singapore and the Malay Peninsula. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 4, pp. 106-107. Retrieved from JSTOR via NLB’s eResources website: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/; Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2013). Singapore street names: A study of toponymics. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Editions, p. 245. (Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV-[TRA])
16. Firmstone, H. W. (1905, January). Chinese names of streets and places in Singapore and the Malay Peninsula. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, 4, pp. 106-107. Retrieved from JSTOR via NLB’s eResources website: http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/; Haughton H. T. (1982). Native names of streets in Singapore. In M. Sheppard (Ed.), Singapore 150 years. Singapore: Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, p. 214. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 SIN-[HIS])



The information in this article is valid as at 2016 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.