Yue Hwa Building

Yue Hwa Building
裕华大厦
Yue Hwa Building is located in Singapore
Yue Hwa Building
Location in Singapore
Former namesGreat Southern Hotel
Nam Tin Hotel (南天大厦)
Nam Tin Building
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial
Architectural styleArt Deco
ClassificationM
LocationEu Tong Sen Street, Outram, Singapore
Address70 Eu Tong Sen Street, Singapore 059805
CountrySingapore
Coordinates1°17′05.6″N 103°50′36.4″E / 1.284889°N 103.843444°E / 1.284889; 103.843444
Completed1927
Opened1927
Renovation costS$25 million
ClientYue Hwa Chinese Products Pte Ltd
OwnerYue Hwa Chinese Products Pte Ltd
ManagementYue Hwa Chinese Products Pte Ltd
Technical details
Floor count6
Lifts/elevators1
Design and construction
Architecture firmSwan and Maclaren
Known forFirst Chinese hotel in Singapore with a lift
Renovating team
Architect(s)O.D. Architect
Renovating firmO.D. Architect
EngineerTY Lin South East Asia Pte Ltd
Main contractorHexacon Construction
Awards and prizesArchitectural Heritage Award (1997)

Yue Hwa Building (Chinese: 裕华大厦; pinyin: Yùhuá dàshà) is a historic building located at the junction of Eu Tong Sen Street and Upper Cross Street in Chinatown, Singapore, next to Chinatown MRT station. Built by Swan and Maclaren in 1927, it was then the tallest building in Chinatown and was known as Nam Tin Building (南天大厦), owned by Lum Chang Holdings. The building housed the six-storey Great Southern Hotel (the first Chinese hotel with a lift), along with a few shops and cabarets that were popular among Chinese travellers. In 1993, Lum Chang Holdings sold the building to Hong Kong businessman Yu Kwok Chun, who converted it to the first Yue Hwa Chinese Products department store in Singapore in 1994. The renovation process, which conserved the exterior while adding features such as an atrium and waterfall to the interior, won the building the Architectural Heritage Award by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 1997.