Home»GALLERY»Exhibitions Resume»Eye e City 2008»Eye Challenge: A Visual Retrospective of the Year (2008)»The Closing Down of New 7th Storey Hotel

The Closing Down of New 7th Storey Hotel

Built in 1953 along Rochor Road, the New 7th Storey Hotel was landmark of a bygone era. In fact, this building had resided in the same spot for the last 55 years. New 7th Storey Hotel was not what its name suggested. It actually had nine storeys with 38 rooms to cater to the budget conscious travellers. Travellers were offered a quaint side of Singapore with its spiral staircase and a "cage" lift that can still be operated manually. Situated near the heart of the city, the New 7th Storey Hotel was ideally located for business, shopping and sightseeing. It's a mere 3 minutes walk away from the Bugis Junction and Bugis MRT station. Arab Street, Little India and Bugis Street are all within walking distance.

The hotel offers individual budget business travellers and backpackers "alternative, affordable and well-kept lodging with warm personal service". Staff are encouraged to provide good service not only to their own guests but to all tourists, adopting the "treat your guest as you would treat your best friend" approach. With this good service attitude, the New 7th Storey Hotel had won a accolade of Awards from Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Hotel Association, FDAWU, Singapore Kindness and HostelBookers.com.

Built by the late property magnate Wee Thiam Siew, who also owned the Ban Leong Group that distributed 555 Brand cigarettes, the top floor offered panoramas of ships sliding across a proverbial blue horizon. With the advent of land reclamation, the seascapes gave way to flyovers. Following urbanization directives, shophouses, a Chinese temple and passar malam markets in the hotel's immediate surrounds were also pulled down. 55 years later, the hotel was closed down due to Government Acquisition.

On June 26 2008, the hotel's tenants and occupants would have to leave before end of October. This was to facilitate demolition works for the new Bugis MRT Station for the Downtown Line. According to the Land Transport Authority, the hotel was not an iconic building and had no conservation status. Since then, there has been a flurry of media attention and negative responses from the public. The Land Transport Authority said the demolition is unavoidable due to engineering constraints and confirmed that demolition is targeted for the first quarter of 2009.

The new Bugis MRT Station is one of the six stations that make up the 4.3-kilometre Downtown Line One, which is scheduled to open in 2013. Once completed, commuters will have more transport choices in the city as the Downtown Line One will serve existing and upcoming developments in the Marina Bay area, including One Raffles Quay, The Sail @ Marina Bay, Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort and the Marina Bay financial center.