The temple originated as a small joss house first built around 1821–1822 at the waterfront serving the local Hokkien community, where seafarers and immigrants gave their thanks to the sea goddess Mazu for a safe sea passage on their arrival to Singapore.
The temple is located on Telok Ayer Street and originally faced the sea; the Telok Ayer Street used to be situated along the coastline before land reclamation work began in the 1880s.

Starting in 1839, the temple was rebuilt with funds collected over the years and donations from the community, the largest of which was from Tan Tock Seng, a Hokkien businessman.
 The building materials of the temple and a statue of Mazu was brought over from China, and the statue enshrined in the main hall of the temple in 1840.
Some of the building materials, such as stone for the columns, timber as well as tiles were recycled from ballasts in ships.
The local Indian community of Chulia Street also helped build the temple, and a statue of a man who appears to be an Indian holding a beam up at the ceiling was placed in the right wing as a reminder and gesture for their contribution.
The temple was completed in 1842 at a cost of 30,000 Spanish dollars.

In 1840, the clan association Hokkien Huay Kuan serving the Hokkien community was formed within the temple ground of Thian Hock Keng.
In 1849, the Chung Wen Pagoda and Chong Boon Gate were added to the right of the main temple.
 The building was renovated in 1906, and some 'western-style' features were added, such as a wrought-iron gate from Glasgow and dado tiling.
A scroll was presented to the temple by Guangxu Emperor to the temple in 1907.
The Chong Hock Pavilion was built in 1913, and was once used by the Chong Hock Girls' School established in the temple.

The temple was gazetted as a National Monument in 1973.
 A major renovation of the temple was initiated in 1998 and completed in 2000 at a cost of US $2.2 million.
 The renovation received an honourable mention from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2001.
The temple originated as a small joss house first built around 1821–1822 at the waterfront serving the local Hokkien community, where seafarers and immigrants gave their thanks to the sea goddess Mazu for a safe sea passage on their arrival to Singapore. The temple is located on Telok Ayer Street and originally faced the sea; the Telok Ayer Street used to be situated along the coastline before land reclamation work began in the 1880s. 
Starting in 1839, the temple was rebuilt with funds collected over the years and donations from the community, the largest of which was from Tan Tock Seng, a Hokkien businessman.  The building materials of the temple and a statue of Mazu was brought over from China, and the statue enshrined in the main hall of the temple in 1840. Some of the building materials, such as stone for the columns, timber as well as tiles were recycled from ballasts in ships. The local Indian community of Chulia Street also helped build the temple, and a statue of a man who appears to be an Indian holding a beam up at the ceiling was placed in the right wing as a reminder and gesture for their contribution. The temple was completed in 1842 at a cost of 30,000 Spanish dollars.
In 1840, the clan association Hokkien Huay Kuan serving the Hokkien community was formed within the temple ground of Thian Hock Keng. In 1849, the Chung Wen Pagoda and Chong Boon Gate were added to the right of the main temple.  The building was renovated in 1906, and some 'western-style' features were added, such as a wrought-iron gate from Glasgow and dado tiling. A scroll was presented to the temple by Guangxu Emperor to the temple in 1907. The Chong Hock Pavilion was built in 1913, and was once used by the Chong Hock Girls' School established in the temple.
The temple was gazetted as a National Monument in 1973.  A major renovation of the temple was initiated in 1998 and completed in 2000 at a cost of US $2.2 million.  The renovation received an honourable mention from the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2001.
Thian Hock Keng