Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Sculpture Square

Located at the corner of Waterloo Street and 155/161 Middle Road started as a Chapel Gallery in 1872 by English Missionary Charles Phillip to promote Christianity in Singapore. The area was used to uphold social activities with the church for the community as well as worship.
There are a lot of changes starting from 1894 which was used to be the first Methodist Church known as the Straits Chinese Methodist Church serving the Babas, next it becomes the Tamil Girl's School and then Methodist Girls' School during 1900, after that become the Baba Malay Church, Middle Road Church in 1930 the building was sold to Eu Tong Sen and at this time the church was renamed as Kampong Kapor Methodist Church.  During the Japanese Occupation is was May Blossom Restaurant in 1980 the place was turned into a motor workshop and car park operated by Sin Sin Motor Co. In 1990 the Church was allocated to arts groups as part of NAC Arts Housing Scheme and the adjacent two-storey building was used as a budget hotel named Continental Hotel.
In 1999 the Church was converted to Sculpture Square as an Art Gallery dedicated to exhibitions and the adjacent ground floor of the two-storey was converted in a gallery space.
In 2014 onward the ownership was passed down to Objectifs which a gallery for film and photography.