These two historic performance venues play a vital role in Singapore's cultural life.
The core of the Victoria Theatre (on the left) is the 1862 Town Hall. Victoria Memorial Hall (on the right) was built as a grand gesture to the memory of Queen Victoria in 1905. Major renovations completed in 1909 included the harmonising of the facade of the older building with the new adjoining structure. The two buildings are linked by a 54-metre clock tower.
The Memorial Hall has many historic associations. It was used as a hospital during the bombing of Singapore by the Japanese invading troops in 1941-42. It was also the venue of Japanese war crime trials at the end of WWII in 1945. During the 1950s, it was the venue for important political events including the inauguration of the People's Action Party on 21 November 1954.
The Hall was renovated in 1979 for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and was renamed Victoria Concert Hall. The Theatre was renovated in the mid-1950s and again in the 1990s. The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall was gazetted as a national monument in 1992.