On North Bridge Road in Singapore’s Bugis neighbourhood, the Parkview Square building has enjoyed a towering, iconic presence since its completion in 2002.
The grand Art Deco inspired lobby bar was then called Divine Wine Extraordinaire and it boasted a massive wine tower and wine fairy that flew between the tiers.
Now, the bar has been skilfully renewed and renamed Atlas Bar.
With the help of Proof & Company the wine tower has been replaced with a gin tower with more than 1,000 bottles of gin – apparently the world’s largest collection of gin. There’s also a rose gold champagne room housing more than 250 kinds of champagne.
Behind this complex retooling of the bar and its offering is Vicky Hwang, the managing director of the umbrella business, Chyau Fwu Development, that owns Parkview Square, among other vast global holdings.
Vicky Hwang is the third of nine granddaughters and five grandsons of the late patriarch C S Hwang, prominent property tycoon and chairman of the Chyau Fwu Development.
Vicky Hwang’s overhaul has left the general feel of the bar intact so that the grandiose speakeasy-inspired opulence is not lost although the space feels thoroughly refreshed and re-energized. Tuija Seipell.
