City Hall has been the stage for many of the historic events associated with Singapore's nationhood. It was here that the British accepted the surrender of the Japanese on 12 September 1945, formally ending the Japanese Occupation of Singapore (Feb 1942- Aug 1945). It was also here that Lee Kuan Yew, as Prime Minister, proclaimed self-government for Singapore on 5 June 1959 and merger with Malaysia on 16 September 1963. After Separation from Malaysia, the first fully-independent Singapore Government was sworn in at City Hall on 9 August 1965.
Designed by F D Meadows, City Hall was completed in 1929 as the office for the Municipal Council. The Council was established in 1856 to manage the services of the town. The building was renamed City Hall in 1951 when Singapore acquired city status. The Council was dissolved in 1963 and its functions allocated to other Government departments.
This building was home to the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the former Ministry of Culture and was occupied by the Supreme Court, the Singapore Academy of Law, the Public Service Commission and the Industrial Arbitration Court. By 2012, the building together with the former Supreme Court Building will be converted to a museum to house Singapore's national art collection.
The Padang (a Malay word which means "flat field") across the road was reserved as an open space in Raffles' 1822 Town Plan. It is Singapore's most important civic space and the venue for events such as National Day Parades.