Some of Orchard Road’s residents established clubs where they could gather to dine, drink and dance. The earliest club in Orchard Road was the German Teutonia Club (Teuton refers to people of German origin), which was originally founded in 1856 at North Bridge Road. In 1861, the club acquired land at Scotts Road, where it became so successful that a grander clubhouse with a castle-like central tower, designed by Bidwell, was built in 1900.
Teutonia Club became a popular hub for social and musical gatherings for the German community at this time. However, these parties came to a halt during World War I (1914-18) when Germans in Singapore were declared enemies and imprisoned, while the club was confiscated by the British government.
In 1918, the former clubhouse was bought by three Jewish brothers – Morris, Ezekiel and Ellis Manasseh, who renamed it Goodwood Hall after a famous English racecourse. Goodwood Hall became a popular venue for weddings, recitals and balls. The Manassehs then expanded the building in 1929 into Goodwood Park Hotel. The hotel’s notable guests included Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Nobel Laureate William Golding and actor Jackie Chan.
In 1947, Ezekiel Manasseh’s stepson Vivian Bath took over the hotel. He added more rooms and a kidney-shaped swimming pool, making it the first hotel in Singapore with a pool. In 1968, the hotel was acquired by banker Khoo Teck Puat, who made it the flagship hotel of the Goodwood Group, Singapore’s first local hotel chain. The historic Tower Wing of the hotel was gazetted a National Monument in 1989.
