Named after Queen Victoria of Great Britain, Queen Street was a one-way lane that connected Arab Street with the junction of Stamford Road and Armenian Street. The street was also known as Eurasian Street in reference to the Eurasian enclaves that were located in the surrounding area, which included the neighbouring Waterloo and Bencoolen Streets. Eurasian families such as the Tessensohns, de Souzas and Mosbergens started moving into shophouses in the area in the 1930s. Many of the Eurasians were Catholics and one of the attractions of living in the area was the large number of Catholic churches that were located nearby. These included the St. Joseph’s Chapel, the Church of St. Peter and Paul, and the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd. Another attraction was the numerous schools that were located along the street, which included Raffles Girls' Secondary School, St. Joseph's Institution, Catholic High School, St. Anthony's Boys School, St. Anthony's Secondary School, Waterloo Girls’ School and Stamford Girls' School. These schools were later relocated to other parts of Singapore, with the St. Joseph’s Institution school building notably being converted into the premises of the Singapore Arts Museum.
