13. The Old Supreme Court (by Amelia)

The Old Supreme Court was built between 1937 and 1939. It was designed by Frank Dorrington Ward of the Public Works Department, and was his last and most significant work. The courthouse’s Corinthian columns, classical design, and spacious interiors featuring murals were by the Italian artist, Cavalieri Rodolfo Nolli, whose work was most noted.

Before the building of the courthouse, it was where many colonial houses were built. However, these houses had to make way for the Grand Hotel de l’Europe in 1900, the only other hotel in Singapore that could compare with the landmark Raffles Hotel. The Grand Hotel boasted a lounge, reading room, a bar, shops, and a roof garden, a novelty at that time.

In 1932, the hotel’s business declined and filed for bankruptcy. It was demolished in 1936 to make way for the present building. The verandah of the old hotel had a good view of the Padang.

The Allegory of Justice is the central figure in the tympanum sculpture fronting the Old Supreme Court Building, with a figure immediately to its left representing the lost soul begging for protection from it. Next to this figure are two legislators with books in hand, representing the law. To the right of Justice, a figure bows in gratitude, followed by a man with a bull, representing riches and prosperity. Two young children holding a sheaf of wheat represent abundance from law and justice.