Key takeaway
Hotel Re!, which was once the home of Pearl’s Hill School, and when that school moved in 1971 / 1972, its 12-storey building was considered the tallest school in Singapore. Over time, that school closed, and the building was repurposed as Hotel Re! The transformation from a landmark school to a retro-themed hotel shows how the city reshapes its own memory, while still keeping traces of the past alive.
Walk down Chin Swee Road today, and you might only see a colourful boutique hotel. But decades ago, the same building was a bustling school, once the tallest school building in Singapore. That journey from institution to hotel captures not just changes in bricks and mortar, but in community, memory, and urban identity. Here is how Singapore’s tallest school in 1971 became Hotel Re on Pearl’s Hill.
From Branch School to Pearl’s Hill School
The story of Hotel Re! begins in 1881, when the British colonial government established one of its earliest English-medium government schools, the Singapore Chinese Branch School. At a time when formal schooling was still uncommon, this initiative reflected the colony’s growing recognition of education as a tool for social development and upward mobility. The school provided children with the opportunity to learn English and gain skills that were increasingly valuable in a changing society. To understand how schools once shaped neighbourhoods, you can see a similar journey along the 24km green corridor, where old infrastructure continues to evolve with the city and serves new generations in innovative ways.
In 1883, the school was renamed Cross Street School to reflect its central location in the bustling town area. After several relocations to accommodate growing student numbers, in 1914 the school finally shifted to Pearl’s Hill Road and adopted the name Pearl’s Hill School, marking the beginning of a long-standing presence in the heart of the community.
The 12-Storey Building on Chin Swee Road: Singapore’s Tallest School
By the early 1970s, there was demand for more school space. Pearl’s Hill School moved to a new address: 175A Chin Swee Road, at the foot of Pearl’s Hill. The new building rose 12 storeys.
At the time of its completion, it held the record as Singapore’s tallest school building. This shift in scale mirrored broader transformations happening across the city, much like how the Kallang River meets history in another redeveloped district. The building even featured lifts, a rare convenience for a school then, to ferry students and teachers between floors. Alumni recall classrooms, a hall on the ground floor, and practical facilities that supported a full primary school experience.
A Hub for the Community
Pearl’s Hill School was more than concrete and classrooms. For many children growing up around Chinatown and Outram, it was where they learned the basics, made friends, and felt a sense of belonging. The school’s motto, “Perseverance, Honour, Success,” resonated with generations of students.
Over the years, the school also absorbed another institution, Pearl Park Primary School, in 1995. But due to declining enrollment, the school eventually closed on 31 December 2001.
The End of a School Era and a New Beginning
With the closure of Pearl’s Hill School, the 12-storey site became a vacant state-owned property. Recognising the potential of the building, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) offered it for tender. A hospitality firm won the bid and invested in converting the old school into a boutique hotel.
In May 2008 the building was relaunched as Hotel Re! @ Pearl’s Hill. The repurposed structure contains 140 guestrooms, with each floor decorated in retro-themed décor, nodding to the building’s 1970s roots.
Hotel Re!’s Design and Location
- Located at 175A Chin Swee Road, Singapore 169879.
- Offers 140 rooms, with retro-chic décor, combining modern amenities and a nod to the building’s past.
- Situated near the foot of Pearl’s Hill, it offers easy access to central areas like Chinatown, Clarke Quay and Orchard Road – an area transformed alongside sites such as Singapore’s largest shopping mall.
- Just a short walk (roughly 5–10 minutes) from Outram Park MRT or Chinatown MRT.
Comparing Buildings: Then and Now on Pearl’s Hill
To better understand the transformation from Pearl’s Hill School to Hotel Re!, it helps to look at the key facts side by side. The table below highlights the original school building’s features, its role in the community, and how it has been repurposed into a modern boutique hotel. This comparison shows both continuity and change, illustrating how adaptive reuse preserves history while meeting contemporary needs.
| Building | Key facts | Nearest MRT | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl’s Hill School (Chin Swee Road) | 12 storeys, tallest school of its time, moved here 1971/1972, closed 2001 | Outram Park / Chinatown | |
| Hotel Re! @ Pearl’s Hill | Boutique hotel with 140 rooms; remade from old school building; opened 2008 | Outram Park / Chinatown |
Why This Transformation Matters
This story shows how buildings can carry memory across generations. For former students of Pearl’s Hill School, the building held years of friendships, routines, and rites of passage. Later, as Hotel Re!, it offered travellers a quirky stay in a city that constantly reinvents itself.
At the same time, the building links past and present in a visible way. It reminds us that today’s hotels, offices or apartments may have started as something very different. Through that lens, Hotel Re! is more than just accommodation. It is a living trace of a past life as an educational landmark, part of Singapore’s evolving urban story.
- The building opened as a 12-storey school block in 1971/1972, making Pearl’s Hill School the tallest school in Singapore at the time.
- Pearl’s Hill School operated until December 2001, after absorbing Pearl Park Primary School in 1995.
- The property was tendered by the state and awarded to a hospitality firm through the Singapore Land Authority.
- Renovations repurposed the structure into a 140-room boutique hotel. It opened as Hotel Re! in 2008.
- Today, Hotel Re! stands as a bridge between memory and modern use, a former school turned hotel, preserving a little piece of Singapore’s past in its walls.
What to Remember Looking at Hotel Re! Today
Hotel Re! is more than just a boutique hotel; it is a window into the layers of Singapore’s urban history. As you explore its retro-themed corridors and modern guestrooms, it is worth reflecting on the stories embedded in its walls. From its time as a bustling school to its current role as accommodation, the building offers lessons about community, memory, and the city’s continual evolution.
- That the building was once a lively primary school serving the local community.
- That it held a distinct landmark status, tallest school building in Singapore.
- That adaptive reuse allowed the building to remain useful and relevant decades later.
- That physical structures can hold social memories over generations.
A Different Roof, The Same Address
Walking past 175A Chin Swee Road today, it is easy to see only a modern boutique hotel with bright signage, colourful wallpaper, and travellers bustling with luggage. Yet beneath this contemporary facade lie echoes of a very different past: classrooms, a school hall, and the daily rhythms of children moving between lessons. The bones of the old school remain, quietly telling the story of decades of education and community life.
This transformation is a vivid reminder of how buildings evolve alongside the city itself. The change from a primary school to a boutique hotel mirrors broader themes in Singapore’s long-term urban planning, where heritage conservation and modern development continually intersect. Hotel Re! does more than offer accommodation; it preserves memory, bridges generations, and embodies the layers of history that give Pearl’s Hill its unique character.
