Located off the southern coast of mainland Singapore, Sentosa (Isle of Tranquillity) was initially known as Pulau Blakang Mati (Island Behind Death). Starting from the 1880s, the island was an important British military base with a number of forts built on it to protect the southern shipping lanes. In 1970, the island was renamed Sentosa following a naming contest organised by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB). The development of the island into a tourist and recreation resort came under the management of the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), which was formed in 1972.In 1980, the STPB announced plans for a second round of development to attract more visitors to Sentosa. Part of the plans involved the construction of a new ferry terminal on the island to improve visitor accessibility. Built at a cost of $14.5 million, the New Ferry Terminal began operations in October 1987 and was officially opened by then Minister of Trade and Industry Lee Hsien Loong in November 1988. The terminal had double the capacity of the old jetty, and was able to receive up to three ferries at one time and 5,000 visitors every hour. Its location also cut travelling time from the mainland from six to four minutes. Designed by local architect Lee Coo, the three-storey terminal building resembled a white colonial mansion with green balustrades, a red-tiled roof, and a 32-metre-high clock tower. Housed within the terminal were shops, food outlets and a monorail station located on the second floor. Situated directly behind the terminal was the European-style Fountain Gardens.
