Long gone are kampungs and the days before BTO ballot wars, but in a city as small and fast-paced as Singapore, even our newer buildings face an uncertain future. We’ve had to bid goodbye to the iconic Pearl Bank Apartments, the HDBs of Rochor Centre, and more recently, the indie arts and thrift haven that was Peace Centre.
Before you start saying the good old days were better, there’s still some good news. Thanks to the advocacy of local residents and heritage groups, you can still visit these heritage buildings in Singapore that were saved from extinction.
Table of Contents
Image adapted from: HDB Pictorial Record Editorial Committee
Joo Chiat’s candy-coloured Peranakan shophouses are probably what locals and tourists know best, but they’re not the area’s only landmarks with a storied history. One example is Tanjong Katong Complex, the Housing and Development Board’s (HDB) 1st air-conditioned shopping and commercial centre.
Opened in 1983, the $17.4 million complex was home to 150 shops, including a fast food centre, a restaurant, and 21 office suites. One store in particular was so popular that it became a shorthand for the mall itself, with residents calling it the “Yokoso” building.
Image adapted from: Diana Lydia via Facebook
Before late-night Don Don Donki runs, there was Yokoso Superstore – the nation’s 1st 24-hour supermarket and department store.
The Japanese mart was opened by Emporium Holdings, which also established the popular Oriental Emporium department stores across the heartlands. The 1,400sqm supermarket stocked raw meats, fruits, and vegetables, as well as household products and canned food. It drew as many as 10,000 visitors a day.
The original Yokoso price tag is still visible.
Image adapted from: Cecilia Fong Yee Lee via Facebook
Yokoso was also the OG one-stop shop before Giant Hypermarket and Mustafa Centre entered the picture, stocking men’s and women’s casual clothing, from striped polos to 80s-style matching sets with polka dots and plaid prints.
There was something for all ages, from children’s doll house playsets to badminton rackets, billiard game sets, and video cassettes.
2nd Chance outlet at Amara Hotel.
Image credit: National Archives of Singapore
Although the mall’s first few stores were short-lived – Yokoso closed in 1986 while another popular menswear shop, 2nd Chance, shuttered in the 1990s – it remained culturally important for Malay residents around the area.
Tanjong Katong Complex under construction in the early 1980s.
Image credit: Mohd Noor Kadir Ambon Collection via National Archives Singapore
Tanjong Katong Complex stands on the site of a former Malay settlement at Lorong Engku Aman in Geylang, right next to the Geylang Serai Malay Village – now Wisma Geylang Serai, a social and cultural heritage hub.
In 2008, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) announced plans to demolish the building to make way for Paya Lebar Central. 3 years later, they retracted their decision, instead announcing a 10-year extension of the lease.
An artist’s impression of the soon-to-be revamped Tanjong Katong Complex.
Image credit: Jun Jie Development
Following community feedback from engagement exercises held in late 2019 to early 2020, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) recognised the building’s rich heritage and importance to neighbouring residents, and closed the mall for upgrading works.
The mall has remained closed since the second half of 2023, but its new private developers are aiming to reopen by 2029. The revamped complex will feature a multipurpose rooftop community deck and food garden, as well as art and heritage installations paying homage to the area’s past.
Golden Mile Complex was opened in 1972.
Image credit: DP Architects
Before it became affectionately known as “Little Thailand”, Golden Mile Complex was originally called Woh Hup Complex until it was sold to City Developments in 1981.
Image credit: DP Architects
One of the first mixed-use developments in Singapore and Asia at large, the 16-storey complex took its cues from Brutalism in its now-iconic stepped terrace design.
There was even an open-air swimming pool.
Image credit: Akitek Tenggara Collection via National Archives of Singapore.
The topmost 7 floors were home to 64 apartments and maisonette penthouses, while the next 6 floors below housed 210 offices and studios. Accompanying this was a 3-storey podium, home to 360 shops.
From the mid 1980s onwards, as offices relocated and cheap Thai eateries, bus tour agencies, and remittance centres sprouted in the space, the building slowly transformed into the cultural enclave we remember as “Little Thailand”.
Image credit: Kiyoshi Nagashima via Google Maps
The retail space was home to an eclectic mix of businesses, with highlights including a 50-seat makeshift theatre where patrons could watch kick-boxing and Thai films for just $3.
Golden Mile Complex became a third place for Thai foreign workers. Throngs of Thais gathered to eat, drink, and make merry, building a close-knit community miles away from home. During the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship match between Thailand and Singapore, Thai supporters gathered to watch the live telecast at the complex.
The mall also served as the home base for The Friends of Thai Workers Association, which held recreational activities and offered support for Thai workers.
The building’s glory days began waning from 2019 onwards, with 2 failed collective sales.
Around this time, the URA conducted a 2-year study to gain insights from building owners, heritage groups, and other industry stakeholders to decide whether granting conservation status would help preserve the site’s historical and architectural value.
Consequently, the building made history in 2021 by becoming the 1st modern large-scale, strata-titled development gazetted by the URA for conservation, but it wasn’t all sunshine and roses in the end.
While the building itself was saved, the Thai communities that gave the space its own unique character had no choice but to vacate the premises by May 2023.
An artist’s impression of The Golden Mile and Aurea.
Image credit: Perennial Holdings & Far East Organization
The building was later sold collectively to Perennial Holdings, Sino Land, and Far East Organization, with plans to rename it The Golden Mile, as well as add 4 storeys of office spaces, and convert its residential spaces into a 45-storey tower called Aurea.
While the building is set to undergo major changes, the silver lining is that DP Architects, who originally helped to construct the landmark in 1973, are reprising their roles and working with local conservation specialists to modernise Golden Mile Complex.
With news of the upcoming 60-storey HDB project at Pearl’s Hill, it’s hard to imagine a time when the low-rise residential blocks like those at Dakota Crescent were considered novel. Built in 1958 by HDB’s predecessor, Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), Dakota Crescent is one of Singapore’s oldest public housing estates, and is said to be the 1st to feature 1-room flats.
Originally part of the 2,936-unit Kallang Estate, the 17 blocks that make up Dakota Crescent were named after the Douglas DC-3 Dakota planes that often landed at the neighbouring Old Kallang Airport. The original airport runway, now Old Airport Road, still runs parallel to Dakota Crescent today.
Image adapted from: Save Dakota Crescent via Facebook
Some of the estate’s earliest residents had been relocated there in the wake of the Kampong Tiong Bahru fire that occurred on 13th February 1959. Over 700 families were given 6 months of free rental as part of SIT’s relief efforts.
Over the decades, the estate’s unique “dove” playground and “butterfly blocks” became the everyday sights for long-term residents, many of whom raised multiple generations under one roof.
Image credit: Save Dakota Crescent via Facebook
There was even a Chinese Medical Clinic that had been operating out of Block 12 since 1971, but as residents left the estate, business slowed too.
This time capsule of an estate didn’t last long, as news broke of its impending demolition and redevelopment under Mountbatten’s renewal project in 2014.
The residential community pushed back, creating the Facebook group, Save Dakota Crescent, which garnered over 2,000 followers. In October 2016, their appeals for the blocks’ conservation were discussed in Parliament.
Image credit: Save Dakota Crescent via Facebook
The group also created a conservation report in September 2017, detailing suggestions to preserve specific parts of the estate, including the large open courtyards, the dove playground, and all 4 block types in the estate.
In the end, while only half of the 12 proposed blocks were saved, they were still successful in their goal of preserving some of the area’s original landmarks, like the courtyard and dove playground.
Most of the residents left the estate in 2016, with some moving to the nearby Cassia Crescent blocks, marking the end of an era.
Image credit: National Library Board
On 5th October 2024, thousands gathered to watch Singapore’s last horse race at Kranji Racecourse, but for much of Singapore Turf Club’s history, Bukit Timah was its home turf.
In 1933, the Singapore Turf Club moved from Serangoon Road Race Course to Bukit Timah. Aside from racing tracks, the rubber plantation-turned-racecourse was also fitted with stables and the 3-storey tall South Grandstand. There were also amenities to accommodate club officials, including a betting house, luncheon rooms, and colonial-style bungalows.
Singapore Turf Club in 1933.
Image credit: National Archives of Singapore
For the next 66 years, the 176ha site not only bore witness to the sport’s most historic highs, but also the nation’s greatest lows.
During WWII, the British military converted the racecourse into a convalescent hospital. Under Japanese Occupation, it became a prisoners-of-war camp where produce was grown to combat food shortages.
Singapore Turf Club at Bukit Timah in the 1970s.
Image credit: Roots
After the war, horse racing arguably reached new heights of popularity, especially in the 1970s when British royals graced the grounds of the racecourse.
On 20th February 1972, Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip and Princess Anne, were greeted by a 26,000-strong crowd as they inaugurated The Queen Elizabeth II Cup hosted in her honour, marking her 1st state visit to Singapore.
The annual Cup continued until the closing of the Kranji Racecourse in 2024.
Queen Elizabeth II (left) pictured next to the then-chairman of the Singapore Turf Club, the late Tan Sri Dr Runme Shaw (right).
Image credit: Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection via National Archives of Singapore
The monarchs weren’t the only famous people to have stepped foot on the racecourse. On 22nd August 1990, 60s’ rock singer and songwriter Rod Stewart held his 1st concert in Singapore at the Singapore Turf Club to an audience of 8,000 fans.
The club eventually relocated to Kranji in 1999, and the site was leased out until 2023. During this time, The Grandstand gained a new lease of life as a hub for local businesses, including Singapore’s 1st electric karting arena and axe-throwing range.
Plans for the new Bukit Timah Turf City estate were announced in 2024. After conducting assessments and consulting heritage groups, residents from nearby estates, and former Turf Club employees, the URA decided to preserve parts of the site.
Image credit: URA
Of the 27 structures originally studied, 22 have been earmarked for retention, including the South and North Grandstands, which once housed thousands of spectators, with the latter built in the 1980s to accommodate new crowds flocking to the then-buzzing racecourse.
The mere mention of Sembawang Camp might be enough to strike fear in those who’ve trained under the famous Naval Diving Unit during National Service, but few might know that the area was also once the training grounds for Malaysia’s navy too.
Built in the early 1950s, Kapal di-Raja (KD) Malaya was located off Admiralty Road West. It became a home away from home for staff from the Malayan Naval Force, the predecessor of today’s Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN).
Royal Malayan Navy Day at KD Malaya.
Image credit: @rmnspc via X
The naval barracks and parade ground were the stomping grounds of generations of navy personnel, from locals recruited by the British in the 1950s to RMN recruits who continued to train there even after Singapore’s independence.
Image credit: Angelina Chong via Facebook
Children of former naval officers remember growing up in the surrounding blocks near the base and even visiting other families during Hari Raya celebrations.
Screenshot from Facebook.
It continued to serve as the navy’s headquarters until the 1980s, when a new naval base was established in Lumut, Perak.
The naval barracks and jetty were eventually transferred to Singaporean hands after 1997 and later repurposed as the Admiralty West Prison from 2011 to 2018.
Today, most of the surrounding buildings, including waterfront workshops and accommodation blocks, have been demolished to make room for a residential estate. Only the former Malaysian Base Jetty was retained as part of Woodlands Waterfront Park.
However, after consulting stakeholders from the Heritage and Identity Partnership panel alongside former residents, the 3-storey admin block was preserved.
The Art Deco-inspired block, as well as its stone wall and twin stairways, will be incorporated in the design of the new housing development to honour the site’s historic importance.
Despite this, the demolition of the 2 barrack blocks behind the admin block, as well as the parade ground in front of it, has sadly permanently altered the building’s original resemblance to a ship’s bow.
Petain Road shophouses in 1971.
Image credit: Lee Kip Lin via National Library Board
Said to have been built between the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Petain Road shophouses are known for more than the WWI French Marshal-turned-Nazi-collaborator they’re named after.
These 2-storey shophouses stand out from the many others in Jalan Besar because of their Chinese Baroque style.
Like the melting pot of cuisine and cultures that make up Jalan Besar, the shophouses blend a mix of styles and influences from different communities. They feature Greco-Roman columns bearing intricate mouldings of flora and fauna, which are also seen on the Chinese-Peranakan ceramic tiles that line the rest of the shophouses.
In 1977, private developer Kin Ann Pte Ltd bought the land with plans to erect a 6-storey apartment block. They were faced with resistance from residents, some of whom are believed to have sought help from the government’s Legal Aid Bureau.
Despite this, the developer boldly dismantled the front facades of 3 Petain Road shophouses without obtaining a permit.
The damage was believed to be irreparable as there were no tile replacements at the time, and the works were stopped in time to prevent further damage.
A series of conservation appeals published in newspapers cited Petain Road as a case for keeping Singapore’s built heritage alive, and by 1981, the Petain Road shophouses were earmarked for preservation.
Image credit: GT Hodge via Google Maps
In 1991, they became an official part of the Jalan Besar Conservation Area as outlined by the URA. Since then, they’ve become a fixture of the neighbourhood, even appearing on souvenirs and artwork sold in gift stores like Cat Socrates.
Screenshot from: Facebook
While some of the shophouses have since become spaces for yoga studios and boutique hotels, past residents of the area remember a time when they got sweets and snacks from the provision shop that once operated there decades ago.
Image credit: G P Reichelt Collection via National Archives of Singapore
You may have passed by this rundown building on your way to Dhoby Ghaut or Little India without a second glance, but this 2-storey building is not just a forgotten relic of the past. In fact, it was once a marker of Jewish prominence in the area.
Located on the junction of Selegie Road and Bukit Timah Road, the Ellison Building has been standing for over a century. Isaac Ellison, a Romanian businessman and influential member of the Jewish community at the time, established the building in 1924.
Besides the Star of David on its facade, the Ellison Building is easily recognisable from the 2 cupolas found at both ends of the building.
Image adapted from: Joan Bieder
Originally believed to have been dedicated to his wife, Flora Ellison, Ellison’s grandson later clarified that the building was created as a commercial space.
Back in the colonial days, governors were said to have gathered on the roof to catch races at Race Course Road every Sunday. Ellison was also an eager fan of the sport and had 3 racehorses himself.
People on their way to the Singapore Boxing Stadium next door – which later became Rex Cinema after 1946 – would often pop by the building for a quick meal. It was especially popular with the Indian community as it housed some of the earliest Indian vegetarian restaurants like Krishna Vilas and Ananda Bhavan.
Ellison Building next to Rex Cinema, taken on 15th October 1978.
Image credit: Lee Kip Lin via National Library Board
Passers-by could also spot the illuminated movie signs of the now-defunct Rex Cinema next door on the building’s roof back in the 1960s.
Bird’s eye view of the National Day Parade in 1984, with the Ellison Building on the right.
Image credit: Ministry of Information and the Arts Collection via National Archives of Singapore
After a 40-year run, the building was sold by the family in 1989 to a property developer due to high maintenance costs. The property passed through a few hands before eventually coming under the government’s ownership.
In August 2016, it was announced that a significant portion of the heritage structure was slated for partial demolition and rebuilding, despite having been gazetted for conservation in 2008.
Due to construction on the North-South Corridor, 3 sections of the curved part of the building facing Bukit Timah Road were originally at risk of demolition, but strong protests from heritage groups led to a year-long deliberation.
After consulting several heritage groups, it was decided that 2 of the 3 sections would remain untouched, and the cupola would remain intact. Some of the building’s original elements – like its timber window frames and metal name plate – would also be temporarily stored and reinstalled in the future.
However, the interior and back of the building’s corner unit are still slated for demolition since the expressway passes under this section.
Trishaws with tourists near the junction of Selegie Road and Bukit Timah Road, with the Ellison Building in the background.
Image credit: G P Reichelt Collection via National Archives of Singapore
Ellison Building remains fenced off till today, but when its doors were still open, visitors remember patronising the popular Colonial Bar & Restaurant, as well as the mama shop, fruit stall, and several eateries.
With the North-South Corridor set to be completed in phases from 2027 onwards, it may be a long while before the building reopens again.
The Chinese Pauper Hospital, now Tan Tock Seng Hospital, on Pearl’s Hill.
Image credit: National Library Board
Before it became a second home for artists and small businesses, Pearl’s Hill was the site of multiple hospitals in the mid-1800s. The Chinese Pauper Hospital (CPH) – now Tan Tock Seng Hospital – was located on the eastern foot of the hill next to the Seamen’s Hospital, the 4th general hospital in Singapore.
Image credit: Singapore Police Force via National Archives of Singapore
By the early 1930s, CPH relocated, and the Upper Barracks were established by the Straits Settlements government for the expanding local police force. The barracks housed the families of married Sikh policemen for a little over a decade until the contingent was dissolved in 1946.
The 3-storey barracks stood at an imposing length of 160m, making it one of the longest pre-war civic buildings. Its strategic location was also helpful for surveillance and efforts to combat the crime that plagued Chinatown.
Fun fact: The Upper Barracks also housed a bomb-proof bunker, which became an important nerve centre for police communications, known as the Combined Operations Headquarters.
The rostrum where 999 calls were attended to in the Combined Operations Room, circa 1960s.
Image credit: Singapore Police Force via Facebook
From the post-independence period onwards, a revolving door of ministries and government agencies occupied the building, including the Ministry of Interior and Defence – predecessor of the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs – and the Singapore Police Force.
In the early 2000s, the Upper Barracks, along with the Lower Barracks at Eu Tong Sen Street, were gazetted as conservation buildings and leased out.
Over the next few decades, over 100 independent artists, small businesses, and cafes, including Singapore’s 1st and only commercial taxidermy and art studio, injected new life into Pearl’s Hill Terrace.
Close to the end of the space’s lease in March 2025, the URA announced tentative plans to build 6,000 public and private homes in the area over the next 10 years.
In an effort to keep the creative hub alive, master tenant Jerry Tan gathered a list of his tenants’ contributions to charity and the community, hoping to sway the authorities’ minds.
Image credit: GY Ong via Google Maps
It seemed to have worked – in May 2024, the SLA extended the lease by 1 year to March 2026, and later further extended it to March 2028.
While no official changes to the redevelopment plans have been made, Pearl’s Hill Terrace lives to see another day thanks to the persistent efforts of its strong-willed community.
Singapore may be one of the youngest independent nations in the world, but our tiny island has more history than we might realise. As kiasu as we may be, the success of these community efforts to preserve everyday spaces is proof that change doesn’t always have to be the only constant.
These places can only survive if we stop and pay attention to what we often take for granted, so consider this your sign to take a tour of your neighbourhood and play tourist in your own city.
For more heritage-related reads:
Cover image adapted from: Save Dakota Crescent via Facebook, Roots
Punggol feels like Singapore’s favourite child right now.
Some of these buildings have been around since before Singapore gained independence.
Here are all the best things to do this weekend in Singapore.
Nespresso x Blue Bottle Coffee pop-up When cult coffee brand Blue Bottle Coffee opened in…
Includes tips on how to reduce your income tax.
The only guide you'll need.