The Malay word seri or sri means "charm; quintessence; splendour; glory"[2] or a "cynosure"[3] (something that attracts attention by its brilliancy or beauty; a centre of attraction, interest, or admiration)[4] Temasek, which means "sea town" in Javanese, was the name of an early city on the site of modern Singapore.

[7][8][9] A 1,600 m2 (17,000 sq ft) two-storey detached house – often called a bungalow in Singapore – with European and Asian features, Sri Temasek has a symmetrical layout consisting of deep verandahs surrounding central living spaces.

Notable architectural features include arches on its upper level, an intricate timber arcade with a mixture of eastern and western decorative motifs, and a Chinese moon gate (a circular gateway) on the building's second floor.

The restoration works on Sri Temasek won the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Architectural Heritage Award in Category A (national monuments and fully conserved buildings) in 2008.

Sri Temasek was the venue for a party hosted in 1962 by Lee Kuan Yew to thank trade unionists and civil servants for their help with the referendum on Singapore joining Malaysia, and in 1983 the body of the late Minister for Finance Hon Sui Sen lay in state there.

[12] On 8 August 2008, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered his National Day message from Sri Temasek for the first time.

[18] Since 2024, Sri Temasek has been the working office of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong due to the ongoing renovations at The Istana.