Nestled among towering new HDB blocks along 53 Margaret Drive is Queenstown Library, Singapore’s oldest public library, standing at a humble 2-storeys tall since 1970. While newer libraries come with sleek study spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows, Queenstown Library has held on to its old-school, no-frills charm, serving as a neighbourhood library many Singaporeans grew up visiting and a familiar view for Queenstown residents.
But this familiar version of Queenstown Library will soon look very different on the inside. The library is slated to close from 31st August 2026 for a 2-year revamp. Although its iconic facade will not be going anywhere, the interiors we know today will go through a major facelift. Before the carpet gets a refresh and the nostalgic corners get refurbished, we went down for a final wander through its familiar aisles and retro details.
Let’s start with a bit of history.
Queenstown Library was officially opened on 30th April 1970 by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. As Singapore’s 1st full-time public library, it marked an early move to bring library services closer to residents outside the city centre.
Then-PM Lee Kuan Yew at Queenstown Library on its opening day.
Photo credit: NLB
It is also, quite literally, a library of firsts. In 1978, Queenstown Library became the 1st fully air-conditioned Singapore library, and in 1987, it became the 1st branch to computerise its loan and membership services.
The library began lending video cassettes in 1997 and later saw a 9-month refresh, after which it reopened in 2003. It was then selected and gazetted for conservation under URA’s 2014 Master Plan, meaning its iconic exterior will be preserved even as the interiors get a makeover.
You don’t need to see the blue NLB sign to recognise Queenstown Library.
Decked out in a tropical Modernist style typical of post-independence Singapore, the 2-storey building stands out with its reinforced concrete frame, crisp geometric lines, and bold brutalist elements like flying beams and double-curved parapets. Situated in an increasingly modernising neighbourhood, it almost feels like a little piece of old Queenstown has been frozen in time.
Look a little closer, and you’ll spot the bow-tie roof canopies, high ceilings, and latticework wrapping around the structure. These features were designed together with generous windows to help with ventilation prior to air-conditioning and to let natural light in.
Its low-rise, standalone design is also a far cry from many of today’s libraries, which are commonly situated inside malls. With such unique architecture, we think it’s a great relief that the building itself will retain its iconic facade.
The 1st thing we noticed when we stepped in, besides the waft of books as the automated doors slid open, was the olive green carpeted floor. It’s a colour you don’t often see in today’s modern interiors – paired with the beige walls and light wood accents, it immediately transported us back in time.
The slightly dim fluorescent lighting added to the nostalgia, casting a soft glow over the shelves of books.
That said, the interior isn’t entirely frozen in 1970, as the 9-month renovation in 2003 saw some facilities reworked and a lift added for accessibility. Even so, much of the space still retains that unmistakable neighbourhood library feel, thanks to its old shelves and muted colour palette.
A couple of self-checkout machines stand by the doors, their sleek screens and stark white frames looking out of place against the old-school interiors. It’s a little reminder that while the library has held on to its retro charm, it has also kept up with the times.
We also spotted a few pre-renovation memory projects dotted around the library, in the form of large, foldable notice boards pinned with historical photographs and notes from library-goers.
These offer a glimpse into just how much the library has meant to the community over the years.
Veer left upon entering the library, and you’ll find yourself in the children’s section, featuring picture books and colourful low tables and chairs. If you grew up around Queenstown, chances are you have some early memories of picking out as many books as your library card allows, or being hushed by your parents for making too much noise in the library.
Children were wandering around the section during the after-school hours when we visited, sliding stacks of books from the shelves and reading while sprawled on the carpeted floor.
We even had fun spotting some familiar titles from childhood, like the Rainbow Magic series that had kids in a chokehold. Seeing those familiar covers brought on a wave of nostalgia – especially knowing that, after the renovation, we may never again get to thumb through them under the fluorescent lights of this comfortingly dated library.
We also stopped to appreciate the fun paintings on the walls that will likely go with the renovation, like this cute, brightly-coloured piece above an equally adorable little giraffe bench.
All the way behind the kids’ section is a study room furnished with wooden tables, where some may remember mugging for their exams. You’ll probably have to head down as early in the day as possible if you want to chope a seat, though, as the space is pretty popular among students. Every table was occupied when we visited the library at 2pm on a Friday.
The rightmost wall of the children’s section is lined with floor-to-ceiling glass panels and doors that open out to a tiny community garden, which is open on certain days for participants to tend to their plants.
Image credit: NLB
As a library staff member explained the community garden concept to us, we realised that Queenstown Library has long been more than a place to borrow books. It has also served as a community space that holds a special place in the hearts of Queenstown residents.
Over the years, the library has not only served generations living around Queenstown, Commonwealth, and Tanglin Halt, but also hosted community activities and accessibility-focused programmes, even partnering with nearby special-education schools.
A storytelling session for children at Queenstown Library.
Image credit: NLB
It’s this deep connection to the surrounding community that gives Queenstown Library a distinctly neighbourhood feel, distinguishing it from the more polished, mall-based libraries we are familiar with today.
Once you’re done exploring the 1st floor, head back to the entrance, and you’ll see a staircase, right by a lift framed in bright turquoise tiles. The staircase is lined with patterned blue carpet – a throwback to the days when bold patterns reigned supreme over minimalism.
And when we were going up the stairs, we noticed one of the most charming relics still on display too. Standing at a small landing along the stairs is this hefty metal filing cabinet, used to store physical library membership cards long before we could pull up our library accounts with a few taps. Each tiny drawer would have held records that staff had to retrieve by hand, offering a glimpse at just how analogue a trip to the library used to be.
Upstairs, the library becomes quieter, save for the noticeable whirring of old fans working alongside the aged air-conditioning units. The fluorescent lights are slightly warm and dimmer, their likely once-clear panels yellowed with age.
The 2nd floor of Queenstown Library is the adult section, offering recreational, business, finance, Mother Tongue books, and more.
The old shelves are arranged as neatly as you’d expect a library to be, and the place, despite its quietness, is far from abandoned. People from all walks of life – students, the elderly, working adults – sit reading, scattered among the black leather chairs placed at the ends of the shelves.
Lined up by the windows on both ends of the large room are study tables, with every last seat filled while we were there – we spotted mostly students poring over their books quietly. For many of us, this might be the most familiar sight of all – afternoons spent revising schoolwork, and scrambling to secure a table before other students arrived.
To the right of the 2nd storey is a Quiet Reading Room, with a few people sitting spaced out, immersed in their reading.
There’s really nothing flashy about the 2nd floor, but perhaps that’s exactly the charm. The slightly worn furniture and occupied study tables give the space a lived-in feel – something that newer libraries simply cannot replicate.
On our way out of the library, we also noticed a reservation collection point situated just outside the doors. It’s a wall of lockers for people to pick up their reserved books – a fitting reminder that while Queenstown Library may look like a time capsule, it has also evolved alongside its readers.
Image credit: NLB
While NLB has yet to reveal the redesigned interiors, what we know so far is that Queenstown and the library’s heritage will influence the space’s new design and offerings.
The last day to visit Queenstown Library is on 30th August 2026, and it will no longer be available as a reservation pick-up branch from 11th August 2026. However, its book drop remains open round the clock until the last day of operations. Books can also be returned at any other NLB public library.
This August, we can still celebrate the old Queenstown Library by attending some of its events. Capture your last memories, or make your 1st memories of this version of Queenstown Library while it lasts until the end of the month.
For the ones who love getting crafty, there’s an ixora flower plush-sewing workshop happening on 19th August from 2pm-5pm. You’ll have to register beforehand, and bring your own sewing needles and scissors for this one.
Those with kids can also share their childhood memories by bringing them down for a storytime session on 22nd August from 10.30am-11am, and movie fanatics can head over for a movie screening, also on 22nd August from 3pm-5pm. Prior registration isn’t required for these events.
Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis for each event, and you are required to arrive 10 minutes before the session starts.
Getting there is pretty straightforward. From Queenstown MRT Exit A, cross the road to a bus stop. Hop on bus 32 or 122 and alight at the Block 30 bus stop, where the low-rise library sits among the surrounding HDB blocks.
While we’re only saying goodbye to the interior of Queenstown Library, it still feels a little bittersweet. This was a place where many of us made simple but fond memories, and grew from children reading picture books to students cramming for exams and adults unwinding with a book.
So, if this old-school library holds a place in your heart, or you simply want to explore, there is still time to pop in for one last look at the familiar shelves, worn-in corners, and retro interiors.
When Queenstown Library reopens its doors again in late 2028, it will undoubtedly look very different inside, although its conserved facade and the decades of memories attached to it will remain.
For now, though, consider this your excuse to make one last library run before it turns the page.
For more nostalgic reads:
Photography by Chin Lee Ren.
Cover image adapted from: The Smart Local, NLB
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