“The building stands on the grounds of a colonial mansion that used to function as a hotel.

Called Hotel De L’Europe then, it used to be owned by a Dutchman. It was at one time frequented by the crew and passengers of Dutch airline KLM, which gave rise to its nickname.

The Cockpit name became official in 1960.

In 1972, the present 13-storey structure was built by Indonesian businessman Hoo Liong Thing as an extension to the old one, which had been around since 1947. The old mansion was pulled down a decade later.

In 1980, Hongkong jeweller Kevin Hsu bought the hotel for $45 million. He, in turn, sold it to hotelier Teo Lay Swee for $62 million in 1983.

When the Raffles Hotel closed for renovations in 1989, about 60 long-serving staff moved over to the Cockpit, as did the recipe for the Singapore Sling.

The 200-room building was bought by a Wing Tai-led group last year. It now stands vacant while awaiting work into a residential and commercial project.”

The new apartment is built.

Nothing wrong with the hotel just that it was old and small. It probably did not adhere to the current fire safety codes.