Empress Place, located near the mouth of the Singapore River, was named after Queen Victoria in 1907 to commemorate her visit to Singapore. Although it was built in 1864-1865 with the intention of being a Court House, its first occupant was the Government Secretariat in 1865. It continued to be used by various government offices before it reopened as the second wing of the Asian Civilisations Museum in March 2003.
