Pickering Street

Pickering Street is located in the Downtown Core, within the Central Region.¹ It was named after William Alexander Pickering, the first Protector of the Chinese, and head of the Chinese Protectorate.² He was popular amongst the Chinese population for his ability to speak four Chinese dialects plus Mandarin.³ Pickering Street was originally known as Macao Street.⁴

Landmarks
Old landmarks on this street include the Central Police Station (1931), which occupied the site of the first civil jail (circa 1823; rebuilt 1829–1830). The Central Police Station became the police headquarters in 1849.⁵ Subsequently, the site was occupied by the Pidemco Centre, which housed the Immigration Office Department.⁶ This was demolished to make way for a 23-storey office building, One George Street, which began construction in 2003.⁷ Another prominent landmark there is the Pickering Operations Complex (1988).⁸



Author
Vernon Cornelius



References
1. Urban Redevelopment Authority. (1995). Downtown core (part) planning area: Planning report 1995. Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority, p. 6. (Call no.: RCLOS 711.49095957 SIN)
2. Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. Singapore: Times Books International, p. 456. (Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA]); Tyers, R. K. (1993). Ray Tyers’ Singapore: Then and now. Singapore: Landmark Books, p. 190. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE-[HIS])
3. Makepeace, W., Brooke, G. E., & Braddell, R. S. J. (Eds.). (1991). One hundred years of Singapore (Vol. 1). Singapore: Oxford University Press, p. 277. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 ONE-[HIS])
4. Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places. Singapore: Times Books International, p. 456. (Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW-[TRA])
5. Singapore street directory and sectional maps. (1954). Singapore: Survey Dept., p. 10, [maps 9–10]. (Call no.: RCLOS 959.57 SIN-[GBH])
6. Tyers, R. K. (1993). Ray Tyers’ Singapore: Then and now. Singapore: Landmark Books, p. 188. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE-[HIS]); Pidemco Centre gives way to $ 190m building. (2003, February 6). The Straits Times, p.16. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. Tyers, R. K. (1993). Ray Tyers’ Singapore: Then and now. Singapore: Landmark Books, p. 188. (Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE-[HIS]); Pidemco Centre gives way to $ 190m building. (2003, February 6). The Straits Times, p.16. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
8. 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]); Telecoms complex to be opened on Friday. (1988, July 27). The Straits Times, p.13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.



The information in this article is valid as at 2010 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic. 

Subject
Streets and Places
Arts>>Architecture>>Public and commercial buildings
Street names--Singapore
Architecture and Landscape>>Streets and Places
People and communities>>Social groups and communities