Sri Temasek is a two-storey detached house built in 1869 which is sited within the grounds of the Istana in Singapore. During the island's colonial era, it served as the residence of the Chief Secretary. Since Singapore gained self-governance from the United Kingdom in 1959, the house has been the official residence of the Prime Minister of Singapore, though none of the prime ministers have ever lived there. Together with the Istana, it was gazetted a national monument on 14 February 1992. Name The name of the house, Sri Temasek, means "splendour of Temasek" in Malay. The Malay word seri or sri means "charm; quintessence; splendour; glory" or a "cynosure" (something that attracts attention by its brilliancy or beauty; a centre of attraction, interest, or admiration) Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese, was the name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore. Today, it is used as an epithet for Singapore. The house was originally merely known as the official residence of the Chief Secretary of Singapore (or the Colonial Secretary of Singapore/the Straits Settlements until 1946 and 1955 respectively) and did not have its own name. When the State of Singapore was proclaimed and the first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew assumed office in June 1959, after which the house, which has become the official residence of the Prime Minister, has been officially named Sri Temasek, while the Government House has been officially renamed as the Istana, which means palace. Design The construction of the Istana (then called the Government House) and Sri Temasek was ordered by the Governor of the Straits Settlements, Sir Harry St. George Ord, after the original governor's residence had to be demolished in 1859 to make way for Fort Canning on the hill that bears its name. Sri Temasek was designed by John Frederick Adolphus McNair (1829–1910), a civil engineer who was appointed Executive Engineer and Superintendent of Convicts of the Straits Settlements, and built largely using Indian convict labour from Bencoolen. It was completed in 1869. A two-storey detached house – often called a bungalow in Singapore – with European and Asian features, Sri Temasek has a symmetrical layout consisting of deep verandahs surrounding central living spaces. Notable architectural features include arches on its upper level, an intricate timber arcade with a mixture of eastern and western decorative motifs, and a Chinese moon gate (a circular gateway) on the