Parts of the National Museum of Singapore will be undergoing restoration and upgrading works.
Together with the infrastructure upgrading efforts, the National Museum will also rejuvenate its permanent galleries. The museum will continue to remain open with exciting offerings, including special exhibitions and programmes, throughout the period.
The National Museum of Singapore, a National Monument, will undergo restoration works and upgrading of facilities as part of our on-going efforts to preserve the building for future generations and to provide a quality museum experience for our visitors.
While the museum will refresh some of the displays in its Level 2 galleries (the four Life in Singapore galleries and the Goh Seng Choo Gallery which features a rotational selection from the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings), the museum is exploring a larger revamp of its Singapore History Gallery and the Glass Rotunda experience.
Project Updates
More information on the restoration and revamp will be shared as the project progresses. You may access the below media documents for updates on the project:
Singapore, 11 January 2024
National Museum of Singapore continues public engagement efforts and lineup of vibrant offerings amid ongoing restoration and upgrading works
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Singapore, 7 June 2023
Parts of the National Museum of Singapore will be undergoing restoration and upgrading works. The museum will continue to remain open with exhibitions, programmes as well as dining and retail offerings.
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Phased closure and opening periods
To facilitate the restoration and upgrading efforts, the museum will be closing our permanent galleries in phases starting 4 September 2023. The table below summarises the notable closure periods of the National Museum’s permanent galleries:
|
Estimated Closing Period |
| Level 2 Galleries |
Closed starting 4 September 2023 |
| Glass Rotunda (at modern extension) |
Second half of 2024 |
| Singapore History Gallery |
Early 2026 |
The revamped permanent galleries are slated to reopen in 2025 and 2026, whereby more details will be shared closer to date.
Ensuring a smooth visitor experience
With the commencement of the restoration and upgrading works at the National Monument building of the museum, the museum’s main Rotunda entrance will be closed from 26 February 2024. Visitors can enter via other convenient access points at the Museum Office building and the Reunion Social Space on Level 1 of the Museum. Visitors from Canning Walk at Fort Canning Park can continue to enter the museum via its Coach Bay on Level 2 and at Level 3. All entrances, except for the one at Level 3, are wheelchair accessible.
Details on new entrance, pick-up and drop-off points:
Read details
Capital campaign for revamp
To support our rejuvenation efforts, the museum is raising capital from individuals, foundations and corporations who believe in our vision to continually inspire with stories of Singapore and the world. There are several ways to support the museum:
Adopt an Artefact
The ‘Adopt An Artefact’ initiative was established by the National Museum of Singapore to raise monies for the enhancement of the museum’s Life in Singapore galleries.
The Life in Singapore galleries on Level 2 augment the content presented in the Singapore History Gallery by “zooming in” to what life in Singapore was like, with a stronger focus on personal stories. They present snapshots of everyday life in Singapore throughout the different eras in Singapore’s history.
This is a unique opportunity for partners and patrons to support the museum’s refresh of the Life in Singapore galleries by adopting an artefact in our gallery through a donation. Artefacts for adoption have been curated from the Singapore History Gallery based on their historic significance and rich provenance. The artefacts are presented in three categories: Our Star Artefact, Our National Treasures & Our Singapore Stories.
Please refer to the catalogue here for the list of artefacts for adoption and donor privileges.
*The Singapore Stone and the Revere Bell have been adopted*
Make your Mark on Site
Marked Historic Sites are places of historical significance, where important events or personalities are commemorated to serve as reminders of our history. Although the original buildings may not always be retained at these sites, their stories are told through their heritage markers, which contain interesting nuggets of information on the history of the site.
The site markers at the museum unfold the history to the various sites within the museum’s grounds and building. They allow visitors to learn more about the museum’s history and key architectural features.
There are a total of 11 site markers, four of which are located outdoors. The site markers are available for adoption for 3, 5 or 10 years at a donation of $110,000, $165,000 and $250,000 respectively. All funds raised will go directly towards the revamp of the museum’s permanent galleries and preservation of its historic building.
Naming Opportunities
The Glass Rotunda gallery, which currently houses the popular Story of the Forest installation, will be redeveloped into a brand new gallery / showcase and is slated to reopen in 2025. This presents a rare and exciting naming opportunity for interested family foundations and corporations to leave a legacy at the nation’s leading cultural institution.
To find out more, please contact us at supportNMS@nhb.gov.sg.
Updates to dining and retail offerings
Flutes restaurant has ceased operations from October 2023, while Supermama the Museum Store @ NMS, the Museum’s retail outlet, and the Food for Thought café will close in end-March 2024, in preparation for the building restoration works.
Visitors looking to recharge over light refreshments and meals during their visit can dine at Café Brera at Reunion, which will remain open throughout.
The Museum will continue to work closely with its tenants, and further changes to retail and dining operations will be shared when details are available.
Our current dining and retail offerings:
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Opportunity for public to participate in engagements
Our latest open call seeks objects and stories based on four key areas relating to life in Singapore between the 1920s to 1990s. Selected submissions will be archived and may be displayed at the revamped permanent galleries that are slated to reopen in 2025 and 2026. The open call will run from now till 15 May 2024.
Take part in the open call:
Submit Now
We are also conducting engagements with stakeholders and the public on our approach and content at various stages of the revamp. Through these engagement sessions, the National Museum hopes to explore more ways to make its content and collection accessible to a wider audience. Those who are keen to be part of the engagement sessions may register their interest.
Register Interest