Being a modern city with limited land, Singapore's old buildings and places are often fully or partially demolished in the name of development and progress. We have seen this with places such as the Ellison building, Rochor Centre and Bukit Brown.

So, it is heartening to know that four heritage buildings have been celebrated with awards for their restoration excellence.

We introduce you to them:

1. Capitol Singapore at Stamford Road

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This building, which housed the old but classic-looking Capitol Theatre, was left unused and neglected for over a decade. It's since been restored to match its status as a cultural landmark, and is now duly honoured for the great work done.

The restoration of theatre's ornate interior included reinstating the original gold gilding on the ceiling grid. The theatre's grandeur in the picture below says it all:

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2. Goh Loo Club at 72 Club Street

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This three-storey pre-war building is close to a century old. It used to house a gentlemen’s club that promoted basketball among the Chinese community.

The restoration of the building saw the discovery of long-hidden interior columns, which were restored. Original bricks and floorboards of the building were also salvaged and reused in the restoration.

3. Roman Catholic Church of Saints Peter and Paul at 225A Queen Street

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Built in 1870, the restoration of this church along Queen Street included the retention of its memorial plaques and the cleaning of its existing stained-glass windows by expert Italian artisans.

Flooring patterns similar to the original tiles, and religious artefacts and relics were also carefully reinstated.

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4. Sultan Mosque at 3 Muscat Street

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This famous, gilded mosque at Muscat Street dates back to the 1920s. Its restoration retained its original windows and timbre doors.

The mosque's internal arches were painted with the original shade of green, giving one a breathtaking view of the prayer hall.

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If only more of such buildings from old Singapore could be saved and restored to their rightful glory — we'd certainly have a better appreciation of our past with them around.

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Top photo from Desmond Lee's Facebook page

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