Hotel de la Paix was established in 1865, making it one of the earliest hotels to be set up in Singapore. It operated from Coleman's House, the personal residence of Singapore's first architect, at 3 Coleman Street in the hotel belt of Singapore at that time. In its hey-day, it was considered a first class hotel with state-of-the-art facilities
History
Coleman's House was built by George Drumgoole Coleman, Singapore's first architect, for his own personal residence. When Coleman left Singapore in 1841, the landmark building at 3 Coleman Street was occupied by a succession of hotels and residences. In 1865, it was occupied by Hotel de la Paix. However, in the late 1880s, Coleman's House became the home of Tan Yeok Nee (or Tan Hiok Nee) for about two years until the tycoon's mansion (present House of Tan Yeok Nee) in Tank Road was ready. During this period, the hotel operated at first from 1 Coleman Street and then from 20 Coleman Street. After moving back to Coleman's House, it remained there till around 1914. Subsequently, the building changed hands several times to become a hotel or a boarding house. The last occupant before World War II was the Burlington Private Hotel. Today, the Peninsula Hotel and Shopping Centre occupies the former site of the Hotel de la Paix.
Description
Hotel de la Paix was one of the two notable hotels along Coleman Street, the other being the Adelphi Hotel. It was also one of the few hotels in early Singapore. The two-storey brick mansion constituting the hotel, and measuring seven bays (34 m) wide and eight bays (39 m) deep, was a piazza style building with verandahs and a porch. It had a simple classical design with tall and flat stuccoed pilasters. Many residents of the town stayed in the hotel, and its charges were very moderate. In an advertisement placed in G. M. Reith's Handbook to Singapore, and in Singapore and Straits directory, 1902, Hotel de la Paix was described as a first class hotel located in one of the healthiest and most central part of the city, and was within easy distance from the business district, and telegraph, post and other offices. The advertisements also mentioned its telephonic communication to all parts of the city, unparalleled cuisine, wines and spirits of first-class brands, comfortable and best-furnished beds and sitting rooms, shower and cold baths, and billiard tables.
Author
Joshua Chia Yeong Jia
References
Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 58). Singapore: Who's Who.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)
Friends of Singapore. (1958). The house in Coleman Street (pp. 3-6) [Microfilm: NL 12702]. Singapore: Printed by Straits Times Press.
Peet, G, L. (1985). Rickshaw reporter (pp. 129-130). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 070.924 PEE)
Reith, G. M. (1985). Handbook to Singapore (p. 20). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 REI)
Samuel, D. S. (1991). Singapore's heritage: Through places of historical interest (p.145). Singapore: Elixir Consultancy Service.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 SAM)
Singapore and Straits directory for 1889 (p. 160) [Microfilm: NL 1178]. (1889). Singapore : Printed at the Mission Press.
Singapore and Straits directory for 1890 (p. 130) [Microfilm: NL 1179]. (1890). Singapore: Printed at the Mission Press.
Singapore and Straits directory for 1891 (p. 127) [Microfilm: NL 1179]. (1891). Singapore: Printed at the Mission Press.
Singapore days of old: A special commemorative history of Singapore published on the 10th anniversary of Singapore Tatler (p. 169). (1992). Hong Kong: Illustrated Magazine Pub.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 SIN -[HIS])Souvenir of Singapore: A descriptive and illustrated guide book of Singapore (pp. 60, 138-139, 142) [Microfilm: NL 16348]. (1905). Singapore: Printed by Straits Times Press.
Tyers, R. (1993). Singapore then & now (pp. 42, 48-49). Singapore: Landmark Books.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TYE)
Wong, Y. S. (). Captain Whalley's walk (p. 203). Retrieved on December 29, 2008, from
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/staff/wong/conrad's%20walk.doc
Wong, Y. S. (). So small a community (pp. 168-172). Retrieved on December 29, 2008, from http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/staff/wong/vanda%20miss%20joaquim.doc
The information in this article is valid as at 2008 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
