This place is commonly known as the Old Parliament...

This place is commonly known as the Old Parliament House. The Arts House (present name) is where the Singapore Parliament used to sit. Located at Empress Place, it was originally built as a residence in 1827. After a series of major alterations and additions, possibly only the arches inside the porch are all that remain of the original building. The main building and the annex were gazetted as national monuments on 14 February 1992 and 26 June 1992, respectively. Together, they are now known as The Arts House, an arts venue.

The main building served as the Supreme Court until 1939, when the Supreme Court building was completed. Thereafter, Coleman s building served as a government storehouse and as the office of the Department of Social Welfare, before becoming semi-derelict. Renovations began in 1953 to restore the building for use by the Legislative Assembly, and the new Legislative Assembly House was opened in July 1954 by then Governor John Nicoll.

On 5 June 1959, the building became known as the Parliament House, when the People s Action Party became the ruling party of a self-governing Singapore. The first parliamentary session was opened by then President Yusof bin Ishak on 8 December 1965. The building served as the Parliament House until 1999. With the opening of the new Parliament House at 1 Parliament Place in October 1999, Coleman s building became known as the Old Parliament House.

On 26 March 2004, the Old Parliament House was reopened as The Arts House, a venue for the performing and visual arts. Renovations costing S$15 million saw the conversion of the building into an entertainment space and a 75-seat film theatrette, among other changes. The most historical space, the crown jewel of The Arts House, is the 150-seat concert chamber known as The Chamber. It is home to concert recitals, film screenings and art exhibitions.