The New 7th Storey Hotel
Encyclopedia
The New 7th Storey Hotel was a budget hotel located on Rochor Road in the Downtown Core
of Singapore
.
an businessmen.
The then five-star
hotel did well and became prominent. It was the tallest standing structure
in the Beach Road area, and offered panoramic views of the beach
. It was commonly used as a landmark
by drivers to locate the lower Rochor
vicinity. With the advent of land reclamation
in the 1970s and 1980s, the seascape
s gave way to flyover
s. Following urbanisation directives, shophouse
s, a Chinese
temple
and pasar malam
markets in the hotel's immediate surroundings were also pulled down. In the 1990s, the development of the high-rise skyscrapers in Marina Centre
such as the Suntec City
obscured the sea view that the hotel once enjoyed.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the building's top floor was the site of cha cha
parties thrown by post-war
British
officers and graced by Singapore's veteran singer S. K. Poon. After Singapore's independence
in 1965, most of the hotel's guests were trader
s from India
and Indonesia
. Since the Asian economic crisis of 1997, fewer traders have been putting themselves up at the hotel's rooms. Most guests now are backpacker
s from Europe and North America
.
Wee and his family ran the business for about a decade. It went to other hands, but the Wee family took back ownership of the hotel in 1995. Today, the hotel is run by the third generation
of the Wee family. The hotel continues to be popular due to its proximity to shopping
belts like Bugis Street
and Orchard Road
, and historical landmarks such as the national monuments
located in the nearby Museum Planning Area
.
, self-service laundry
services, Internet
stations and a beer garden
.
The hotel's history was reflected through its architecture
and furniture
, many of which were relic
s still in use till demolition. Distinctive features included a manually-operated lift
and its exterior spiral staircase
.
. The hotel sits on a raft
foundation
with thick marine clay
below the soil
. A certain amount of settlement can be expected in buildings founded on footing
s or rafting in such soil condition. The differential settlement causes the building to tilt. However, the hotel was certified to be structurally sound.
for the Downtown Line. The hotel's owner and occupants had to move out of the premises by the end of December 2008.
Downtown Core
The Downtown Core is a 266-hectare urban planning area in the south of the city-state of Singapore. The Downtown Core surrounds the mouth of the Singapore River and southeastern portion of its watershed, and is part of the Central Area, Singapore's central business district...
of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
History
The New 7th Storey Hotel was established in 1953. The founder of the hotel, Wee Thiam Siew, spotted the potential for a hotel business on its current site in the early 1950s. Wee also owned the Ban Leong Group. At that time, there was an influx of immigrants and EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an businessmen.
The then five-star
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
hotel did well and became prominent. It was the tallest standing structure
Structure
Structure is a fundamental, tangible or intangible notion referring to the recognition, observation, nature, and permanence of patterns and relationships of entities. This notion may itself be an object, such as a built structure, or an attribute, such as the structure of society...
in the Beach Road area, and offered panoramic views of the beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
. It was commonly used as a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
by drivers to locate the lower Rochor
Rochor
Rochor is a place in the central area of Singapore. There are two hotels in the area and there are many commercial buildings in the area as well.-External links:*...
vicinity. With the advent of land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
in the 1970s and 1980s, the seascape
Seascape
A seascape is a photograph, painting, or other work of art which depicts the sea, in other words an example of marine art. By a backwards development, the word has also come to mean the view of the sea itself, and be applied in planning contexts to geographical locations possessing a good view of...
s gave way to flyover
Overpass
An overpass is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway...
s. Following urbanisation directives, shophouse
Shophouse
A shophouse is a vernacular architectural building type that is commonly seen in areas such as urban Southeast Asia. This hybrid building form characterises the historical centres of most towns and cities in the region.- Design and features :...
s, a Chinese
Chinese in Singapore
Chinese Singaporeans are people of Chinese ethnicity who hold Singaporean nationality. As of 2010, Chinese Singaporeans constitute 74.1% of Singapore's resident population, or approximately three out of four Singaporeans, making them the largest ethnic group in Singapore...
temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
and pasar malam
Pasar malam
Pasar malam is a Malay and Indonesian word that literally means "night market", "pasar" being related to "bazaar" in Persian. A pasar malam is a street market in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore that opens in the evening, usually in residential neighbourhoods.It brings together a collection of...
markets in the hotel's immediate surroundings were also pulled down. In the 1990s, the development of the high-rise skyscrapers in Marina Centre
Marina Centre
Marina Centre is a zone of reclaimed land within the Downtown Core in the southern part of Singapore. Together with the Marina South area, it encloses the sheltered Marina Bay....
such as the Suntec City
Suntec City
Suntec City is a major multi-use development located in Marina Centre, a subzone of the Downtown Core Planning Area in Singapore.- Design :Suntec City was designed by Tsao & McKown Architects with emphasis on Chinese geomancy . The five buildings and the convention center are arranged so that they...
obscured the sea view that the hotel once enjoyed.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the building's top floor was the site of cha cha
Cha-cha-cha (dance)
The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953...
parties thrown by post-war
Post-war
A post-war period or postwar period is the interval immediately following the ending of a war and enduring as long as war does not resume. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum when a war between the same parties resumes at a later date...
British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officers and graced by Singapore's veteran singer S. K. Poon. After Singapore's independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
in 1965, most of the hotel's guests were trader
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. Since the Asian economic crisis of 1997, fewer traders have been putting themselves up at the hotel's rooms. Most guests now are backpacker
Backpacking (travel)
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. Terms such as independent travel and/or budget travel are often used...
s from Europe and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
Wee and his family ran the business for about a decade. It went to other hands, but the Wee family took back ownership of the hotel in 1995. Today, the hotel is run by the third generation
Generation
Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
of the Wee family. The hotel continues to be popular due to its proximity to shopping
Shopping
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as well as an economic one....
belts like Bugis Street
Bugis Street
Bugis, in the city-state of Singapore, was renowned internationally from the 1950s to the 1980s for its nightly gathering of trans women, a phenomenon which made it one of Singapore's top tourist destinations during that period....
and Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
, and historical landmarks such as the national monuments
National Monuments of Singapore
National Monuments of Singapore are buildings and structures in Singapore that have been designated by the Preservation of Monuments Board as being of special historic, traditional, archaeological, architectural or artistic value....
located in the nearby Museum Planning Area
Museum Planning Area
The Museum Planning Area is an urban planning area in the Central Region of Singapore. It is located in the area known as the Civic District. The area plays a "bridging role" between the Orchard Street area and the Downtown Core, which necessitates proper transport networks for vehicles,...
.
Facilities and features
Despite its name, The New 7th Storey Hotel was actually nine storeys high. It had 38 rooms catering to backpackers and the independent travellers. Facilities included a restaurantRestaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
, self-service laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
services, Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
stations and a beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
.
The hotel's history was reflected through its architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
, many of which were relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s still in use till demolition. Distinctive features included a manually-operated lift
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
and its exterior spiral staircase
Spiral staircase
Spiral staircase may refer to:* A type of stairway characterized by its spiral shape* The Spiral Staircase , a 1946 American psychological thriller film* The Spiral Staircase , a 1975 British film, a remake of the 1946 film...
.
Tilt
The hotel tilts and it has been compared to the Leaning Tower of PisaLeaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa or simply the Tower of Pisa is the campanile, or freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa...
. The hotel sits on a raft
Floating raft system
Floating raft is type of land-based foundation that protects against settlement and the liquefaction of soft soil due to seismic activity. It was a necessary innovation in the development of tall buildings in the wet soil of Chicago in the 19th century, where it was developed by John Wellborn Root...
foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
with thick marine clay
Marine clay
Marine clay is a type of clay found in coastal regions around the world. In the northern, deglaciated regions, it can sometimes be quick clay, which is notorious for being involved in landslides....
below the soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
. A certain amount of settlement can be expected in buildings founded on footing
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
s or rafting in such soil condition. The differential settlement causes the building to tilt. However, the hotel was certified to be structurally sound.
Demolition
It was announced on June 26, 2008 that the hotel will be demolished to make way for the new Bugis MRT stationBugis MRT Station
Bugis MRT Station is located on the East West Line of Singapore MRT. It is located next to Bugis Junction, which has a direct link to the mall. It has almost the same design as the neighbouring Lavender MRT Station, save for the different colours of lights used...
for the Downtown Line. The hotel's owner and occupants had to move out of the premises by the end of December 2008.