The Istana

The Istana
The northern facade of The Istana
Former names	Government House of Singapore (1869–1959) Istana Negara Singapura (1959–1965)
General information
Type	Mansion
Architectural style	Palladian
Location	Orchard, Singapore[1]
Coordinates	1°18′28″N 103°50′35″E / 1.30778°N 103.84306°E / 1.30778; 103.84306
Current tenants	Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of Singapore
Construction started	1867; 157 years ago (1867)
Completed	1869; 155 years ago (1869)
Owner	Government of Singapore
Technical details
Floor count	3
Floor area	106 acres (0.43 km2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	John Frederick Adolphus McNair
National monument of Singapore
Designated	14 February 1992; 32 years ago (1992-02-14)
Reference no.	24

The Istana (from the Malay word for "palace") is the official residence and office of the president of Singapore. The palace is open to the public during scheduled public holidays and is where the president receives and entertains state guests.

The Istana is also the office of the prime minister of Singapore and contains Sri Temasek, the official residence of the prime minister since Singapore's independence in 1965,^[2] though none of the prime ministers have ever lived there.

The 106 acres (0.43 km²) estate was once part of the extensive nutmeg plantation of Mount Sophia. In 1867, the British colonial government acquired the land and built a mansion to be the official home of the British governor. This continued until 1959 when Singapore was granted self-governance, and the governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, who was in turn replaced by the President of Singapore.