This park is a prominent and well-known feature of the Civic District because of the civilian War Memorial fondly referred to as "The Chopsticks". The 61-metre tall memorial comprises four columns, which represent the four races, joined at the base signifying the unity of all races and is dedicated to the civilians of all races who were victims of World War II.
In 1962, a large number of remains belonging to civilian victims were unearthed in areas like Siglap, Changi and Bukit Timah. The need grew to gather these remains from all over the island and to find a place to bury them as a symbolic act of remembrance. The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce undertook this responsibility.
In 1963, the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew set aside the present piece of land for the building of a memorial. Upon its completion in 1967, the memorial was officially unveiled by the then Prime Minister Lee, who laid a wreath on behalf of the Government and the people of Singapore. On 15 February every year, memorial services opened to the public are held at the park.
Today, the park is characterised by open lawn areas with Gnetum gnemon (Melinjau) trees lining the walkway leading up to the memorial from the four corners of the park. Around the memorial is a pond.
