The Founders' Memorial will cost an estimated at S$335 million to develop, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong revealed on Sep. 9, 2024, in a written reply to a parliamentary question.

Sengkang GRC Member of Parliament Louis Chua, who is from the Workers' Party (WP), had asked about the expected total costs of developing the memorial, which is slated to open in end-2028, as well as its annual operating costs.

Tong said:

"The Founders’ Memorial will be an integrated gallery and gardens experience at Bay East, commemorating the values and ideals exemplified by Singapore’s founding leaders and generation. When it opens in end-2028, the memorial will serve as a space to capture the spirit of our nation and unify Singaporeans, by enabling Singaporeans of different generations to reflect on our past, and be inspired for the future.

The development cost of the memorial is estimated at S$335 million, based on current outlook and projections. The estimated cost encompasses building construction and fit-out costs for the exhibition galleries, viewing gallery and outdoor amphitheatre, education and family spaces and amenities, and a 5-hectare outdoor public garden.

The annual operating cost is being worked out in tandem with the development of operational plans."

Background

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in June 2024 that Singapore's journey as a nation deserves to be “commemorated and remembered” and and there are already memorials, such as the Kranji War Memorial and the Civilian War Memorial, to mark significant events in the country's past.

He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the memorial.

“Now, almost 60 years after Separation, and 80 years after World War II, the time has come for us to build one,” he explained, adding that Singapore still does not have a memorial to tell the story of how it became what it is today and what drove the founding leaders.

The Singapore government accepted a recommendation by a 15-member Founders' Memorial committee in August 2017, which followed two years of outreach to more than 32,000 people, and chose the site at Gardens By The Bay.

The committee was formed to conceptualise a memorial for Singapore's founding fathers and find out from the public if people were open to the idea.

Top photo via Founders' Memorial