The 1,300-seat cinema was fully air-conditioned. The cinema, restaurant and roof garden formed part of the section rising from Dhoby Ghaut the other section, comprising eight storeys of apartments and other amenities, was built on a higher level with its entrance at Mount Sophia. Ĭonstructed at a cost of $1 million, the building was completed in two phases: the auditorium housing the cinema finished first in 1939, while the apartments and restaurant were completed in 1941. Unfortunately, one Chinese labourer was killed and another injured by falling stones while excavating earth at the building site. At least 100,000 tons of rock and earth were excavated, following which 40,000 tons of concrete and 7,659 cu m of reinforcements were used in its construction. As the building stood at the foot of the hillock, Mount Sophia, the work required strong reinforcements and entailed some danger. Work on the building began at the end of November 1937. They also tore down three retaining walls measuring five ft (1.5 m) thick, taking two months to complete all demolition work. In 1937, workmen began demolishing a Victorian-style building, as well as associated buildings on the site which housed at various turns the Far Eastern Film Services, Royal English School, Toyo Hotel, Teo Hoo Lye Institution and Louis Molteni’s bakery. Khoo Tiek Ee, a relation of the Lokes and one of the company’s partners, managed the construction of the Cathay Building, completing it in time for Loke Wan Tho’s return from overseas studies. It was commissioned and owned by Mrs Loke Yew née Lim Cheng Kim and her son Loke Wan Tho, who established the cinema arm of the Loke business by establishing Associated Theatres in 1935, the predecessor of Cathay Organisation. Ĭathay Building was designed by Scottish architect Frank Wilmin Brewer of Arbenz and Brewer, who practised in Singapore between 19. At 83.51 m tall, the 16-storey building is considered Singapore’s first skyscraper, and its cinema was the first fully air-conditioned public space in the colony at the time. Located at 2 Handy Road, Cathay Building was Singapore’s tallest building upon its completion in August 1941.
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