Conserved Building
5 Adam Park
Applicable Guidelines
Bungalow Guidelines
Conservation Area
Adam Park Conservation Area
Historic address: 5 Adam Park
About
Adam Park is a historic estate comprising 19 bungalows set amid lush greenery along Adam Road. Built in 1929 for officers of the Municipal Council and the Singapore Improvement Trust, the estate bears witness to both Singapore's colonial past and one of the most significant episodes of the Second World War. Today, it stands as one of the most intact pre-war residential estates in Singapore, preserving not only its original architecture but also the memory of the events that unfolded within its grounds.
The History
The 19 bungalows at Adam Park was built in 1929 for officers of the Municipal Council and Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT). The estate was named after the former managing director of Pulau Brani Smelting Works, Frank Adam.
During World War 2, heavy fighting ensued at this location between the British battalion and the invading Japanese forces in the last few days before the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942. After the British surrender, the estate became a prisoner-of-war (POW) camp. Many of the POWs were put to work on the Syonan Jinja shrine at nearby Macritchie Reservoir. Evidence of the POW camp, such as a painted chapel mural in No 11, POW calendar and various battleground artefacts have been found, and some still exist within the grounds and buildings there.
The Building
The whole Adam Park estate remains highly intact in terms of topography, site layout, and style and form of buildings originally constructed. The bungalows are representative of the residential typology built by the municipal government in the late 1920s. They consist of two architectural styles :
• 14 are black-&-white bungalows built into the hilly slopes of the site, with an entrance hall at the ground level leading up to the residential spaces at the upper floor. Above the front porch is the main living room with sweeping views of the garden landscape.
• five are large two-storey bungalows sited on higher ground. They have a more modernist architectural expression, characterized by a grand entrance porch with a second storey open terrace, and extensive verandahs.
The Legacy
The 19 bungalows will continue to be used for residential purposes amid lush landscaped setting. The estate is a physical reminder of the events that had occurred and forms part of the story of the wartime defence of Singapore.
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.