The new Family and Juvenile Court occupies the former Chinese Protectorate Building, which housed Chinese immigrants in the early days of Singapore. Designed in the neoclassical style by government architect H. A. Stallwood in 1928, the building was gazetted as a National Monument in 1998. It underwent further developments in the 1950s and 1980s to house the Ministry of Labour and Welfare offices.
Two floors and an attic in the roof space are added to the main building. Modifications to the annex blocks are also made along with extensive structural re-strengthening of the existing columns, slabs and beams. Much of the original architecture is retained and, where required, restored. For example, most of the original decorative mouldings are retained while plasterwork replicas are used at spots where such mouldings are removed. The double volume spaces in the large courtrooms and registry areas proudly display the artistry of the ornate fluted columns.
This building represents a successful balance between restoration and re-adaptive use.