The Singapore branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was established in 1903 by Mr. R. D. Pringle. In 1909, the foundation stone of a new building commissioned by the association was laid. Officially opened in 1911, the complex situated along Orchard Road had various facilities such as a billiard room, bar, lecture hall, offices, boarding rooms and a swimming pool, which was constructed later. During the Japanese Occupation from 1942 to 1945, the building served as the headquarters of the Japanese military police, the Kempeitai, but resumed as the venue for the association’s evangelical activities soon after the war. The red-and-white structure was demolished to make way for a new YMCA building, completed in 1984, that still stands on the original site today.
