Fort Fullerton and the Singapore Stone The northern end of the building covers the site of Fort Fullerton, a
fort built in 1829 to defend the settlement against any
naval attacks. The fort consisted of an Artillery Barrack, a house for the officers, barracks for soldiers and a 68-pounder gun guarding the entrance to the river which used to stand on the location known as Fullerton square. In 1843, the fort was extended after a
sandstone monolith, the
Singapore Stone, with an
inscription possibly dating back to the 13th century was demolished. The Singapore stone was, unfortunately, destroyed by the British. A fragment of this monolith was salvaged and preserved in the collection of the
National Museum at
Stamford Road. However, there were several criticisms as well as apprehensions regarding the building of Fort Fullerton. Merchants thought that it was a waste to use the prime location of the city for military instead of trading purpose, which would have prevented Singapore from generating more revenue and boosting its trading business. They were also worried that they would be in the direct line of fire if there were any attacks on the fort because the offices along the Singapore River were situated in close proximity to the fort. The fort was also said to be incapable of deterring any potential attacks from the sea, and had very low efficacy. Following these criticisms, the fort was finally demolished in 1873. The fort gave way to the first General Post Office and the Exchange Building in 1874. During the initial groundwork, excavations revealed the gun casements of the old Fort Fullerton. In fact, the Fullerton Building was built over reclaimed land. Built at a cost of
$4.1 million and after delays of a few months, the building was completed in June 1928. It also housed the Chamber of Commerce, and various government departments dealing with agriculture,
fisheries and
forestry. The building was designed to utilize natural ventilation, thus has four internal air-wells to cool the interiors. Fullerton Square was an important commercial zone in Singapore attracting many European immigrants and soon became the core of major business activity. Many European businesses were set up at Fullerton Square together with large banks such as the
Chartered Bank and
HSBC. It also housed the Club for the Colonial Elite, an exclusive club that took up almost of the upper floors. A lighthouse was built on the Fullerton Building. Called the Fullerton Light, the lighthouse was used to guide ships ashore and anchor along the piers. It was built to replace the Fort Canning Light, which was decommissioned in 1979 since it was gradually blocked because of the construction of more high-rise buildings in Singapore. The location of the previous lighthouse is now occupied by The Lighthouse Restaurant. The location of the Fullerton Hotel was once referred to as "
Mile Zero" before the introduction of the modern road system. All locations in Singapore were measured and stemmed from "Mile Zero".
General Post Office The building was originally commissioned as the General Post Office (GPO). The GPO covered the two lower floors with postal halls, offices and sorting rooms. Large
mail drops placed mail on a band
conveyor in the basement to be taken up to the sorting room. All mail was sorted by hand. One of the most memorable features of the GPO was its curved service counter which was almost long. The basement was linked to a
subway, also called the GPO tunnel, that ran underneath Fullerton Road to a pier. From there, a lift would bring bags of mail to the Master Attendant's Pier, for transferring onto ships. Special mail was sent to neighbouring countries via sea, thus requiring at least 2 months to reach United Kingdom. Before postal workers were allowed to work, they had to pledge to uphold their integrity. As public servants, they were not allowed to leak any information on what went through them (including the origin of the mail). Everything at work was strictly confidential. People often sent money by post using envelopes without using registered mail due to the higher cost incurred. Thus, it was extremely important that postal workers were honest and did not steal any items that went through the mail. To reinforce the importance of confidentiality, the comptroller of the General Post Office would stand at the gallery above the sorting halls to observe all postal workers and ensure none of the letters or mail were opened while being sorted. They were also forbidden from personally separating local and overseas letters. The General Post Office continues to hold the Santa Claus Main Office even today. During Christmas seasons in the past, the post office would be filled with letters from children directed to Santa Claus. These letters were then sent to the Salvation Army, who would reply the children on behalf of Santa Claus. Presently, these letters are forwarded to the Santa Claus Main Office which is situated in the Santa Claus Village in Finland. There are rooms where members dined,
lounged, conferred, and played
billiards and cards. Bedrooms on the
attic storey provided accommodation for members. When the
Economic Development Board (EDB) was formed in 1961, it
evicted the Singapore Club from the Fullerton Building. Subsequently, the Singapore Club relocated to Clifford House at
Collyer Quay and then to Straits Trading Building on Battery Road near
Boat Quay, vacating the Fullerton Building for use by the EDB and more government offices.
World War II In the last days before Britain's surrender to Japan in 1942, the building was used as a hospital, with makeshift operation rooms for wounded British soldiers. During the
Japanese Occupation of Singapore, Governor Sir
Shenton Thomas and Lady Thomas sought refuge in the sleeping quarters of the Singapore Club. In 1965, Fullerton Square hosted a rally for Singapore's independence. Before the majestic background of the Fullerton Building, crowds declared their support for merdeka independence. From the 1970s to 1995, the
Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore used the building as its headquarters. Internal alterations were carried out on the building by the Public Works Department in 1985. The General Post Office, under
Singapore Post, vacated the building in March 1996. The site, sandwiched between the Civic District and the central business district, was sold together with an underpass and the seafront site on which One Fullerton now stands for S$110 million. The two are linked by an
air-conditioned underground pedestrian walkway with travellators. To ensure that the historical Fullerton Building continues to be visible from
Marina Bay, URA specified a low building height for One Fullerton across the road. This also ensured that guests at the Fullerton Hotel would have unobstructed views of the sea. ==Architecture and conservation==