Paya Lebar Office Centre, formerly the Geylang Fire Station and the Paya Lebar Fire Station, is a commercial and industrial office complex and a former fire station in Singapore.
Description
The building features a cantilevered balcony, vertical balustrades on the second floor. It has tall ceilings, as well as floor-to-ceiling doors and window shutters that were painted red. As with many other Colonial-era buildings in Singapore, the eaves of the building's hip roof are extended.[1]
History
The fire station was opened at the corner of Sims Avenue and Paya Lebar Road in 1929, serving the Eastern part of Singapore. This makes it the second oldest existing fire station in Singapore. It was later renamed the Paya Lebar Fire Station.[2] In 1951, a prayer room was installed in the station, allowing on-duty Muslim firefighters to be able to perform prayers while at the station.[1] It ceased operations in 2002.[3] The fire station was replaced by the Paya Lebar Fire Station on Ubi Avenue.[1]
The building was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in April 2007.[4] In September 2012, Irfan Kasban's play This Placement was staged at the fire station.[5] In April 2015, the National Heritage Board placed the building on the Geylang Serai Foot Trail, a heritage trail covering the Geylang Serai neighbourhood.[6]