Initially named Town Hall when the original structure was completed in 1862, it was used to house administrative offices as well as being a venue for public meetings and theatrical performances. It underwent its first major renovation in the early 1900s and was renamed as Victoria Memorial Hall in 1905 to commemorate the passing of Queen Victoria in 1901. However, it was only in 1906 that the renovation works were fully completed with the addition of a new clock tower. In 1919, the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore, was moved from the Padang to the front of the building as part of the colony’s centennial celebrations. Further refurbishments were carried out in the 1950s and subsequently in 1979, following which it was renamed the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. The structure was gazetted as a national monument in 1992 and continues to serve as a venue for theatrical performances.Adjoining the mouth of the Singapore River on its northern bank was the seafront promenade known as Queen Elizabeth Walk. Covering an area of around 9.5 acres, the nearly-completed promenade was officially opened on 30th May 1953, the Coronation Day of Queen Elizabeth II, and named in honour of the Queen. Built using the money collected to erect a memorial honouring those who died in the Second World War, the revamped promenade was considered part of the Esplanade area opposite the Padang (Malay for ‘flat field’) that was built on reclaimed land in 1943. The promenade was a popular hangout for people to stroll and enjoy the sea view, which has since been blocked by the Esplanade Bridge and the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay arts and entertainment complex. Besides the Walk, other notable landmarks in the area included the Esplanade Park, the Cenotaph, the Tan Kim Seng Fountain, the Lim Bo Seng Memorial, and the Satay Club hawker centre.
