Conserved Building
1 Thiam Siew Avenue
Applicable Guidelines
Bungalow Guidelines
Conservation Area
Thiam Siew Avenue No.21 Conservation Area
Historic address: 21 Thiam Siew Avenue
About
21 Thiam Siew Avenue is a pre-war single-storey bungalow among an existing cluster of 5 old bungalows and 16 semi-detached houses located in the eastern part of Singapore. The land used to be largely agriculture farms and sparsely inhabited kampongs. As the city centre became crowded in the early 20th century, the agricultural land gave way to secondary settlements and suburban housing estates.
The History
Built during the late 1930s to 1940s, the bungalow was designed by pioneer generation architect Ee Hoong Chwee and together with the other old houses, are part of the legacy of property magnate and hotelier Wee Thiam Siew, whom the road was named after. Wee was the chairman of Ban Leong & Co., a dealer of tobacco and cigars, and formerly owned the former Lion City Hotel and Hollywood Theatre on Tanjong Katong Road, and New 7th Storey Hotel on Rochor Road.
The pre-war houses continued to be under the Wee family ownership and were leased out by Thiam Siew Avenue Investments and Wee Thiam Siew & Co before they were entirely sold through a public tender exercise in September 2021.
The Building
The single-storey bungalow is a good example of an Art Deco house. The style is characterised by the streamlining of classical motifs to simple geometric patterns and designs. Tropical design elements such as the large overhanging pitched roof and generous verandahs reflect sensitive responses to the local climate. Other architectural elements such as the half-hipped roof on the front and side facades, and the timber barge boards further add to the visual interest and charm of the building.
The Legacy
Recognising the history of the site, the developer who purchased land parcels at Thiam Siew Avenue voluntarily conserved 21 Thiam Siew Avenue as a clubhouse for a proposed residential development. The subject bungalow is representative of the remaining old houses and will serve as a publicly visible marker that recalls the history of the neighbourhood.
The bungalow will be sited in a conspicuous central location within the north parcel and will have unblocked view from the main road. The foreground of the bungalow will be landscaped, and the residential blocks set back away from the bungalow will ensure its visual prominence.
Guidelines and Procedures
All proposed works will need to comply with the Conservation Guidelines and the Specific Restoration Guidelines (SRG). Conservation Permission is required before all additions & alteration works and operations of new use can begin.
Residential Fronts are characterised by timber casement windows flanking a double-leafed timber door. All buildings with residential front which is existing and/or identified in the 'Specific Restoration Guidelines', regardless of land use zoning, shall be retained and restored.
Explore Street View
The building can be found at this street.