Construction
Reclamation work began on the 103 hectares of tidal swamp in Kallang Basin in 1932. Seven million cubic metres of earth were used for the filling of this tidal swamp. By 1936, all reclamation and consolidation of land were completed, forming a 915-metre diameter, dome-shaped landing ground.
On 12 June 1937, the Kallang Aerodrome was officially opened by Sir Shenton Thomas, who had taken over the governorship of the Straits Settlements from Sir Cecil in 1934. At the time it was hailed as "the finest airport in the British Empire", with facilities that were considered revolutionary. The circular aerodrome allowed planes to land from any direction, and the slipway allowed seaplanes to be served at the same terminal building as regular planes. The terminal building itself was considered a marvel, with a large open-air viewing gallery on the top of the two-storey building and a circular control tower in the middle of the glass-covered building.
Read more about this topic: Kallang Airport
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—Walter Benjamin (1892–1940)
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—Edmund Burke (1729–1797)