Remembering the Queenstown Cinema and Bowling Alley

The iconic Queenstown Cinema with its faded green-bricked facade.

In 2010, a group of friends and I went to Queenstown to take some photos of the place as I’ve heard that several buildings there were going to be demolished soon. Maybe I wasn’t that inspired by the photos that I’ve made on that day but I chucked the photos away on my hard disk and soon forgot about them.

I was reminded of the photos once again when I read in the papers that the landmark in Queenstown would finally be demolished. Regrettably, I did not take that many photos of it (compared to when I was shooting Capitol Theatre after stumbling upon the interior.)

Queensway Cinema, with a now-empty billboard
People walking past the unused Queenstown Cinema/Bowl.
Ticket booth of the Queensway Cinema
The decaying wall of the Queenstown Bowl.
Close-up of a section of the moss-infested exterior wall of the Queenstown Bowl.

While I was there, I also took photographs of the surroundings, including Block 39A, one of the more “popular” blocks as well as the Queenstown Library, Singapore’s first branch library. The latter is still standing, but nobody knows for how long can it remain with the rapid development and urbanisation of Singapore.

Void Deck of Block 39A, where a provision shop used to be.
Brick wall of Block 39A, Commonwealth Avenue. Such brick walls were commonly seen in old HDB flats.
Another look at the void deck of Block 39A, across from the Queenstown Library.
Old school letter boxes. You don’t see much of these nowadays.
A uniquely Singaporean way of drying clothes – hanging them on a bamboo pole hung outside the window.
The facade of the Queenstown Public Library.
Another view of the iconic facade of the Queenstown Public Library.

 

1 comment

  1. As the Queenstown bowling and cinema theatre has been demolished I have always wanted to see the inside since I was a kid but I never did slowly everything I have seen when I was young are or abt to be demolished I guess we just have to see them all go

    Reply

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