SCCCI marks 60th anniversary of its iconic building with exhibition, $1.2m donation

At 14, he constructed a three-dimensional model of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) building without floor plans or architectural drawings.

- Chin Soo Fang

It was 1962, and Mr Teo Peng Hoe was living opposite the building in Hill Street. He would observe the progress of the building's construction as he returned home from Victoria School, and managed to create an intricate, accurate model made from plywood and office pins.

He gifted it to SCCCI during the building's opening in 1964, where he met founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who was impressed by his talent.

His model of the SCCCI building is one of over 200 artefacts and photographs on display at the building's 60th anniversary exhibition, which is being held at the SCCCI Chinese Business Culture Hub in Hill Street.

The exhibition is centred around the theme "Home to the Business Community", and includes interactive multimedia installations that celebrate the historical journey of SCCCI, the apex body of the Chinese business community in Singapore.

The free exhibition was launched on Sept 17, and will be open to the public from Sept 18 to June 2025. Opening hours in 2024 are between 10am and 5pm from Mondays to Fridays, and 10am and 1pm on Saturdays. Opening hours in 2025 will be announced on SCCCI's website at a later date.

Building that model changed Mr Teo's life. "I was bad in all my subjects except art and geography," he said. "The chamber helped me transfer to Queenstown Technical Secondary School, to learn woodwork in Secondary 3 and 4."