Built in 1940, this grey-bricked building is located on top of Bukit Timbalan. It used to house the State Secretariat, the Menteri Besar's (Chief Minister) office, State Assembly Hall and the offices of the state government. The building is an architectural blend of British colonial, Malay and Saracenic elements. It has a distinctive, 64m-high Mughal-style tower. During World War II, Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita occupied the tower in order to have a bird's eye view of Singapore to plan his invasion, which eventually resulted in the defeat of the British in Singapore.