High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Sri Temasek is a two-storey detached house built in 1869 which is sited within the grounds of the Istana in Singapore. Previously, it served as the residence of the Colonial Secretary during the island's colonial era. Since Singapore's independence in 1965, it has been the official residence of the Prime Minister of Singapore, though none of Singapore's Prime Ministers has ever lived there. Together with the Istana, it was gazetted a national monument on 14 February 1992.The name of the house, Sri Temasek, means "splendour of Temasek" in the Malay language. The Malay word seri or sri means "charm; quintessence; splendour; glory"or a "cynosure"r (something that attracts attention by its brilliancy or beauty; a centre of attraction, interest, or admiration),and is derived from the Sanskrit wordTemasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese, was the name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore. Today, it is used as an epithet for Singapore.