Conserved Building
90 Cairnhill Road
Applicable Guidelines
Residential Historic District Guidelines
Conservation Area
Cairnhill Conservation Area
Historic address: 90 Cairnhill Road
About
This terrace house is part of a row of ten houses designed by Johannes Bartholomew Westerhout in 1919 for the estate of Ong Sam Leong, one of Singapore's earliest speculative property and real estate developers.
The History
Cairnhill Road was an estate road leading to the hilltop nutmeg plantation of Charles Carnie (1810–1873), a Scotsman whose house was called Cairn Hill. There is no consensus on how the name came about. One explanation suggests that Carnie named his estate after a cairn — a common element in Scottish place names meaning a heap of stones, especially on a hill. Another explanation holds that the name is simply a corruption of "Carnie's Hill".
The Legacy
Prior to its restoration, the interior had been partitioned into many small dark rooms and the original timber floor had been replaced with reinforced concrete. The restoration effort aimed to bring back the spacious character and original spirit of the house. The timber floor of the main block was reinstated, while a new three-storey extension complete with a rooftop swimming pool was added at the rear. Between the old and new blocks, a courtyard was created to restore natural light and ventilation to the house.
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.
Use Guidelines and Submission Process for Buildings in Historic Conservation Areas
Apply for Specific Restoration Guidelines (SRG) (opens in new tab)
Explore Street View
The building can be found at this street.