Finlayson Green was a triangular oasis of flowers and trees, designed for visual appeal among the buildings housing, shipping and insurance offices. It was bounded by Collyer Quay, Raffles Quay and a street which was also named Finlayson Green, and it was one of several streets metalled, named and declared a public street in 1895. It was named after John Finlayson, head of Boustead and Co. and chairman of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce. He was also chairman of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company and a Legislative Councillor. The white building is The Straits Times building, standing at the corner of Robinson Road and Cecil Street. The oldest newspaper in continuous operation since 1845 appeared on 15 July of that year as a weekly and grew into a daily newspaper in 1858. The offices were initially at Commercial Square, but a fire on 17 February 1869 destroyed the newsroom. The offices reopened in this location.
