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Istana Park

Istana Park
Taman Istana[1]
总统府公园[2]
இஸ்தானா பூங்கா[3]
Istana Park in 2005
Istana Park is located in Singapore
Istana Park
LocationCivic District, Singapore
Coordinates1°17′57.41″N 103°50′37.62″E / 1.2992806°N 103.8437833°E / 1.2992806; 103.8437833[4]
Area1.3 hectares (3.2 acres)
OpeningSeptember 6, 1996 (1996-09-06)
DesignerRen Matsui
Managed byNational Parks Board (NParks)[5]
Open24 hours[6]
Plants151 as of the park's opening
ParkingNone[6]
Public transit access NS24  NE6  CC1  Dhoby Ghaut[7][8][6]
FacilitiesMy Art Space and Singapore Heritage Gallery
WebsiteIstana Park

The Istana Park is a park in the Civic District of Singapore. Bounded by Buyong Road, Penang Road, Orchard Road, and Penang Lane, Istana Park is opposite the Istana, which is the namesake of the park. The park has two buildings: My Art Space, a studio-cafe, and the Istana Heritage Gallery, a gallery focusing on the Istana's history.

The Istana Park was conceptualised in February 1992 as a more prominent entrance for the Istana and the Civic District, with construction beginning in January 1994. The park was officially opened on 6 September 1996, even though it had been open to the public since December 1995, and was added to the Civic District Heritage Trail in December 1998. My Art Space and the Istana Heritage Gallery opened in March 2014 and October 2017. Current redevelopment plans for the park, including expanding the park and integrating it better with the Istana's entrance, form part of the plans to revitalise Orchard Road.

The park has the Festival Arch as the centrepiece of the park and as the gateway to Orchard Road. At the arch's base is a reflecting pool, accompanied by three rows of tall and dwarf coconut palm trees, two of which are dwarfs planted within pools to give the illusion that they are growing out of the water. The park's facilities and plants are illuminated as part of a plan to light up the Civic District.

History

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On 20 February 1992, plans detailing a landscaped park for the Civic District in Singapore to serve as its entrance were unveiled at an exhibit in Marina Square; The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) chose the Istana's front area for this purpose, stating this would give the entrance "more prominence".[9] Two proposals were considered, but the preferred design consisted of a semicircular concept, with the centre containing a water feature and shrubs of the national colours planted around the park.[9] Ren Matsui Landscape Design conceptualised the final plan of the park, which was expected to cost S$13 million (1993) (US$8.05 million), and was unveiled by the Parks and Recreation Department (PRD) on 12 November 1993, with construction supervision from Ren Matsui and the Public Works Department providing architectural and engineering services.[10][11]

External media
image icon 1993 model of Istana Park by The Straits Times
image icon 1995 model of Istana Park by The Straits Times
image icon Map of the Clemanceau Avenue section that would be permanently closed for the park by The Straits Times
image icon Map of Istana Park's expansion by The Straits Times

Construction of the Istana Park began in January 1994, with expected completion at the end of 1995.[12] In June 1995, National Development Minister Lim Hng Kiang announced that Istana Park, along with other landmarks in the Civic District, would be lit up with lights by 2000 as part of a S$10.6 million (1995) (US$7.48 million) plan to make the Civic District a "world-class civic and cultural hub".[13][14] As part of construction works for the Istana Park, a section of Clemenceau Avenue between Orchard Road and Penang Road was announced on 15 June to be permanently closed from 18 June onwards.[15] By July, there was work on an underpass between the park and Plaza Singapura.[16] By November, it was announced that the park would open in 1996.[17] Even though it had been open since December 1995, Lim Hng Kiang officially opened the park on 6 September 1996,[18] with the lighting plan effectuated by January 1997.[19]

In December 1998, the park was included in the National Heritage Board's Civic District Heritage Trail.[20] In March 2008, My Art Space, a studio-cafe, opened in the park.[21] On 7 October 2017, the Istana Heritage Gallery was officially opened by President Tony Tan.[22] In January 2019, it was announced that there were proposed plans for Istana Park to be revitalised, as part of the government's plans to improve the Orchard Road area. Among the proposed plans included adding horticultural history-themed gardens, and connecting the Istana Park to Dhoby Ghaut Green and the open space at Plaza Singapura.[23] A new proposed plan for the park based on public feedback was unveiled in February 2020, which included a connection between Istana Park and other areas, along with a three times expansion of its size by including Dhoby Ghaut Green and Penang Road Open Space in its redesign. There were also plans to pedestrianise a section of Orchard Road so that it would be better integrated with the Istana's entrance.[24] In September 2022, it was announced that works for the plan would begin in 2025, with a tender called by the National Parks Board in August 2022 for consultancy services of the plan.[25]

Details

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The Festival Arch (pictured in 2006) at the Istana Park serves as the gateway to Singapore's Civic District.

Located in the Civic District, the 1.3 hectares (3.2 acres) park is bounded by Penang Road, Buyong Road, Orchard Road, and Penang Lane.[4][6] Istana Park is opposite the Istana, which is the namesake of the park,[26] Istana meaning palace in Malay.[27] The park serves as the gateway for the Civic District and is designed, according to a PRD architect, "to evoke a feeling of formality and grandeur".[12]

A feature of the park is the 26 metres (85 ft) long, four-storey tall stainless steel and concrete Festival Arch as the focal point of the park.[12][28] The design of the arch, by Ren Matsui, is based on the Istana entrance's fence. The Festival Arch symbolises the gateway to Orchard Road and is decorated with banners and flags in August to celebrate the National Day of Singapore.[12][28] At the arch's base is the reflecting pool, which is about 40 centimetres (16 in) deep and produces a reflection of the Festival Arch in the pool.[12][18] There are also three rows of 120 tall and dwarf coconut trees, with two of the rows containing dwarf coconut trees planted within specially-designed plots in eight small, shallow pools, to make it "look as if the trees are growing in the water", according to PRD Commissioner Chua Sian Eng.[11][29] While large coconut trees were present in other parks, the ones at Istana Park were reportedly the first the PRD deliberately planted in Downtown Singapore.[30] In order to create the illusion, the plants were grown in a small space in a plant nursery.[29] As of the park's opening, it had 151 species of plants, such as the tree fern, elephant fern, five foxtail palm trees, and variegated giant reeds. The plants were sourced from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other nearby countries as well as Queensland, Australia, for the foxtail palm trees.[29] As part of the lighting plan for the Civic District, the Festival Arch and some of the plants are illuminated at night.[12]

There are several buildings within the park, such as the My Art Space, a studio-cafe that hosts art classes.[21][6] There is also the Istana Heritage Gallery, which aims to educate visitors on the history, interior, and modern-day role of the Istana, as well as make the Istana more accessible to the general public.[22] Curated by the National Heritage Board's Preservation of Sites and Monuments division, there are six sections in the gallery with over 1,500 state gifts in the Istana's collection.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Edwin Tong: Taman Istana akan diperluas di bawah peningkatan Dhoby Ghaut". Berita Harian (in Malay). 9 August 2022. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  2. ^ "公共场所放置"手榴弹" 两男子引恐慌被控| 联合早报". Lianhe Zaobao (in Simplified Chinese). 30 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  3. ^ "புதிய இடத்தில் முடிவுறும் 'ஸ்டாண்டர்ட் சார்ட்டர்ட்' நெடுந்தொலைவோட்டம்". Tamil Murasu (in Tamil). 25 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Istana Park". OneMap. 29 June 2025. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  5. ^ "About Us". NParks. 1 July 2025. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Istana Park". NParks. 29 June 2025. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Dhoby Ghaut". SMRT Corporation Ltd. 4 February 2015. Archived from the original on 31 January 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Train Service Information". SBSTransit. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  9. ^ a b "Istana Park to be built as gateway to the Civil District". The Straits Times. 21 February 1992. p. 17. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  10. ^ Tan, Hsueh Yun (22 November 1995). "Private firms designing public parks". The Straits Times. p. 22. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  11. ^ a b Pearce, Sandra (13 November 1993). "Plans unveiled for $13m Istana Park in the city". The Straits Times. p. 29. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Tan, Hsueh Yun (3 June 1995). "Trees aglow and reflecting pool for Istana Park". The Straits Times. p. 1. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  13. ^ "Light In The Heart". The Straits Times. 10 June 1995. p. 3. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  14. ^ "Public buildings' light-up not a waste of money'". The Straits Times. 26 June 1995. p. 35. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ "Traffic Alert". The Straits Times. 15 June 1994. p. 19. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  16. ^ Lee, Thomas (20 July 1995). "Soon, cool comfort along Orchard Road underpass". The Straits Times. p. 25. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  17. ^ "Gateway To Grandeur". The Straits Times. 23 November 1995. p. 38. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  18. ^ a b Tan, Hsueh Yun (7 September 1996). "Creative parks possible if people are more responsible". The Straits Times. p. 3. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  19. ^ Tan, Hsueh Yun (24 January 1997). "City gets new sparkle with clever night lights". The Straits Times. p. 3. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  20. ^ "Permanent heritage trail to be launched". The Straits Times. 2 December 1998. p. 43. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  21. ^ a b Toh, Kezia (7 March 2014). "Let's Jam With Paint". The Straits Times. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  22. ^ a b c Zaccheus, Melody (7 October 2016). "Istana Heritage Gallery launched by President Tony Tan Keng Yam". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  23. ^ Fumiko Tay, Tiffany (30 January 2019). "Major revamp of Orchard Road announced with new developments, different offerings in sub-precincts". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  24. ^ Heng, Melissa (13 February 2020). "Part of Orchard Road to be pedestrianised, Istana Park expanded as part of revamp". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  25. ^ Ng, Keng Gene (11 September 2022). "Istana Park expansion, pedestrianisation of Orchard Road stretch to be completed from 2025". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  26. ^ "Garden City". City Weekly. Singapore Press Holdings. 25 April 1997. p. 2. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  27. ^ "The Istana – History". The Istana. 30 June 2025. Archived from the original on 11 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Festival arch at Istana Park". NParks. 30 June 2025. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  29. ^ a b c Tan, Hsueh Yun (22 February 1996). "Unusual palms and colourful plants at new Istana Park". The Straits Times. p. 2. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
  30. ^ Tan, Hsueh Yun (20 June 1995). "Singapore succumbs to palmy days". The Straits Times. p. 22. Retrieved 30 June 2025 – via NewspaperSG.
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