Peninsula Plaza (111 North Bridge Road)

Peninsula Plaza featuring the Gothic arches on the podium level of the complex. Photo from the Peninsula Plaza website.

Peninsula Plaza is a 30-storey mixed-use building located at 111 North Bridge road. Commonly known as Singapore’s Little Burma, the shopping complex houses a variety of speciality stores selling Burmese products.

Opening

According to a Business Times article, the popular shoe brand Bata opened its new premier store at Peninsula Plaza on 29 April 1978. However, The Straits Times reported that Peninsula Plaza, along with the majority of its shops, was due to open on 3 November 1979.

As a marketing strategy and an incentive for shops to open on time, a lucky draw and window display competition were held, each with prizes up to S$30,000. The shop with the most impressive window display would be awarded S$7,000 while the second and third prize amounted to S$4,000 and S$2,000 respectively. In addition, seven consolation prizes of S$1,000 each would also be given.

Current

Over the years, Peninsula Plaza evolved into a destination patronised mainly by Burmese workers in Singapore. Most of the shops cater to the Burmese community in Singapore, including travel and visa agencies, speciality minimarts and family-run eateries serving authentic Burmese cuisine.

Other than that, the shopping complex specialises in sport shoes, tourist souvenirs and photography equipment.

Architecture

A graphic comparing the size of Peninsula Plaza (second from right) with the surrounding buildings. Photo from State of Buildings.

Peninsula Plaza was designed by Alfred Wong Partnership, the architecture firm behind the old Singapore National Theatre and Orchard Gateway. It is made up of a 24-storey office tower that sits atop a 6-storey shopping complex. The building’s facade is laced by numerous column arches having been inspired by Gothic design.

The size and shape of the structure were designed with the consideration of the neighbouring buildings. The height and width of the 6-storey podium match the scale of the City Hall and the old Supreme Court which has now been re-purposed as the National Gallery Singapore. Levels 6 to 9 features a narrower portion of the building which aligns with the St Andrew’s Cathedral and at the same time, mitigates the height difference between the podium and the tower block.

History

Siam House (bottom left) occupied the site of Peninsula Plaza in the 1800s.

Before Peninsula Plaza, the plot of land that the shopping complex occupies housed the private residence of the Consul for Siam and subsequently, the Meyer Mansions.

Siam House

In the late 19th century, the plot of land which Peninsula Plaza now occupies once housed the residence of a businessman and philanthropist, Tan Kim Cheng, who is the eldest son of Tan Tock Seng. The family residence was known as the Siam House, mainly due to Tan Kim Cheng's appointment as the Consul for Siam at the time. Tan Kim Cheng lived in the family residence, also known as Siam House, until his death in 1892.

Meyer Mansions

By the 1920s, the plot of land had been developed into a five-storey mixed-use complex known as the Meyer Mansions. The land had been bought by the property developer Manasseh Meyer. The complex consisted of office, commercial and residential units. It was considered the first flatted residence in Singapore. Based on a newspaper report from 1933, it also housed a dance studio. In 1936, it was reported that the entire ground floor of Meyer Mansions were commercial shops owned by Indian sports goods dealers.

On 13 April 1950, Meyer Mansions was put up for auction at the upset price of S$1,500,000. By 1968, Meyer Mansions had already been partially demolished although the ground floor stores were still intact and in operation.

Notable incidents

On 1 April 2013, a fire broke out at a small cooking area of a restaurant located on the third floor of the building. The Singapore Civil Defence Force was dispatched but the fire was put out by the internal sprinkler system of the building before their arrival. A man who suffered burn injuries on both legs was then sent to Singapore General Hospital.

On 4 June 2017, eight Myanmar nationals were arrested for rioting after getting into a fight with three other Myanmar nationals over cigarettes. On 13 October 2017, seven of the accused were sentenced to 12 months in jail for rioting. According to District Judge Imran Abdul Hamid, the sentencing was said to be a deterrent so that “Little Myanmar” will not go down the path of Little India, in reference to the 2013 Little India riot.