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THE AMERICAN CLUB
SEP / OCT 2017
PRESIDENT
FROM THE
to start The Club. (It’s interesting to see that surveys were
successful in obtaining member feedback even then!)
On September 10, 1948, The Club officially opened with
111 founding American members, 35 founding members
of other nationalities and 15 honorary members, including
Singapore’s then governor Sir Franklin Gimson.
Here are some other interesting historical facts I discovered
from this project:
• The original American Club was located in Singapore’s
first skyscraper – the Cathay Building (now known as
The Cathay). It was decorated with furniture and
plants donated by the community.
• In 1955, The Club moved to 21 Scotts Road where a
portion of it still remains today.
• In 1958, the Club opened a cocktail lounge called
The Manhattan Room, a popular meeting spot and
predecessor to our beloved Union Bar.
• The first pool was added in 1963, parts of which were
uncovered earlier this year during the demolition of
the Scotts Road building and pool.
• The American Club was home to Singapore’s very first
bowling alley, opened in 1966.
The Club will be celebrating its 70th birthday next year, a
wonderful milestone that will coincide with the completion
Dear Members,
During the summer, life slows down at The Club. While
Members head for home and holidays all around
the world, The Club uses this downtime to tackle
projects that get neglected during the year. Many are
housekeeping matters, but this summer the Marketing
and Communications team began an exciting project to
memorialize The Club’s long and valuable history.
Time for a pop quiz. What group started the American
Club? Answer: The American Association of Singapore.
How many attempts did it take to get The Club formed?
Answer: Three! AAS tried to start The Club in 1932 but was
unable to gather enough interest. They tried and failed
again in 1939. It wasn't until 1948 when the American
Association sent a survey to all Americans in Singapore to
gauge interest that they finally garnered enough support