Merlion Park

Merlion Park, a landmark of Singapore, is a major tourist attraction at One Fullerton, Singapore, near the Central Business District (CBD). Two structures of the Merlion are located at the park. The original merlion structure measures 8.6 metres tall, whilst a Merlion cub located near the original statue measures 2 metres tall.

1964 to present
The park was first designed as an emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 1964. On 15 September 1972, the park was officially opened at an installation ceremony of the statue, officiated by then Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The original statue of the Merlion used to stand at the mouth of theSingapore River. The statue was made from November 1971 to August 1972 by the late Singapore sculptor, Mr. Lim Nang Seng, it measures 8.6 metres high and weighs 70 tons.

Upon the completion of Esplanade Bridge in 1997, the statue could no longer be viewed clearly from the Marina Bay Waterfront, so on 23 April 2002, the statue was relocated to a new pier specially built on the other side of Esplanade Bridge. With a cost of $7.5 million, the move was finished on 25 April 2002, where it is now located adjacent to One Fullerton hotel.

Merlion statue damage
On 28 February 2009, between 4 pm and 5 pm, the Merlion statue was struck by lightning. Staff in the vicinity said they heard an explosion followed by a loud thud when broken pieces fell to the ground. Repairs were completed in March that year, although the Merlion itself resumed spouting water on 18 March 2009.
The Merlion statue has undergone restoration in 2006 and 2012 to repair cracks and clean stains.