Singapore’s final conventional Teochew mansion reopens to public as heritage area, life-style hub

SINGAPORE – The final conventional Teochew mansion in Singapore will reopen to the general public from Nov 1, for the primary time in additional than 140 years.

The House of Tan Yeok Nee,

which was acquired by the Karim Family Foundation in 2022, will function a heritage landmark and a multi-functional life-style vacation spot, that includes an immersive gallery, fine-dining restaurant Loca Niru with modern Japanese-French delicacies, and occasion areas.

Sited on 26,321 sq ft of freehold land – about half the scale of a soccer subject – the mansion at 101 Penang Road features a central residence with two courtyards, surrounded by areas which have been transformed into workplaces for the Karim group of firms.

Extensive restoration began in 2024, led by DP Architects (DPA) and an architectural conservationist, Associate Professor Yeo Kang Shua from the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Built between 1882 and 1885, the double-storey constructing was the non-public residence of Teochew service provider Tan Yeok Nee, who hailed from Chaozhou prefecture in China’s Guangdong province. He got here to Singapore in the 1840s to start out a brand new life as a textile peddler, and later solid his method into the profitable commerce in pepper, gambier, opium and spirits.

Now, the mansion’s new heritage gallery provides the general public a detailed take a look at its structure, craftsmanship and conservation journey.

Its Artist-in-Residence programme debuts with Singaporean artist Tan Ngiap Heng, 59, the great-great-grandson of the late tycoon. Mr Tan will current two collection within the gallery that discover ancestry and id.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Mr Tan, who has two kids, mentioned: “This restoration by the foundation is just wonderful, as it means that descendants of Tan Yeok Nee can visit this mansion any time now, together with the public.”

Before this, his household needed to search permission from the earlier occupants to take action, he mentioned.

At the opening ceremony on Oct 30, Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs, mentioned the restoration exhibits how heritage should be preserved.

“Not just as a static monument, as something that is good to see from far and to say… we are proud of from our past, but to live in and live with as a living space where culture comes alive, where creativity takes a new form, and where we bring community back to the space,” he mentioned.

Supporting the humanities shouldn’t be about simply sources, however additionally pondering imaginatively, Mr Tong added.

“It is also about giving heritage the newness of life… so that culture continues to resonate across different generations.”

Arts philanthropy is a key a part of how Singapore preserves its heritage, he mentioned.

“It’s a partnership. It’s not possible to be done by civil society alone, not possible by the Government alone, but coming together allows us to make one plus one a lot more than two.”

The open home on Nov 1 and a pair of from 10am to 7pm will characteristic guided excursions, a mini Teochew meals competition, a pictures exhibition introduced by the Teochew Sim Clan and cultural performances.

“As the house reopens, it shifts from being a privately tenanted space to a publicly accessible heritage landmark, opening its doors to the community for the first time,” mentioned Ms Cindy Karim, the lead principal of Karim Family Foundation.

The basis is the philanthropic arm of a gaggle of firms owned by the Indonesian-Chinese Karim household, led by palm oil tycoon Bachtiar Karim.

Ms Karim, who’s the daughter of the tycoon, added that the household basis sees philanthropy as not nearly giving, but in addition safeguarding what provides a group its id.

The constructing is the one remaining one among Singapore’s Four Grand Mansions constructed by Teochew tycoons within the late 1800s. It was gazetted as a nationwide monument in 1974.

The different mansions embody the residence of Mr Tan Seng Poh on the nook of Hill Street and Loke Yew Street, and the house of Mr Seah Eu Chin in North Boat Quay – each of which had been demolished. The residence of Mr Wee Ah Hood in Hill Street was additionally torn down, making method for the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry constructing.

The House of Tan Yeok Nee was bought to the Karim household in March 2022 for an undisclosed sum, believed to be between $85 million and the asking worth of $92 million. Including the restoration, market watchers estimate the mission simply value greater than $100 million.

The sellers had been built-in actual property and healthcare firm Perennial Holdings and asset administration agency Charles Quay International. Each held a 50 per cent stake within the property.

Over its 140-year historical past, the mansion has served as a household dwelling and a refuge for orphaned women, the headquarters of the Salvation Army, a college campus and a standard Chinese drugs corridor.

DPA senior affiliate Shawn Teo and architectural govt Jiang Wenhuan flew to Chaozhou in October 2023 with key employees of the Karim Family Foundation and a group of consultants. They organized for 30 expert craftsmen, together with 20 masters of Teochew structure, to return to Singapore to work on the restoration.

Considered a masterpiece of Teochew structure by conservation specialists, the constructing options Teochew ceramic paintings, with its roof adorned with intricate ceramic shard appliques crafted utilizing a standard Teochew inlaying approach.

Visitors can spot ornaments with mythological motifs such because the Three Stars (Gods of Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity), in addition to depictions of the legendary Eight Immortals.

The restored murals depict Chinese folklore and key moments from Mr Tan Yeok Nee’s life. Cultural carvings embody commissioned wooden works, equivalent to a phoenix and peonies, which signify prosperity and auspiciousness respectively.

Other options embody reinstated balustrades – a major fixture in Chinese structure – together with entrance gates and dragonfish-shaped corbels. The authentic rainwater sprouts, formed like carps and positioned in the primary courtyard to help water drainage, have been rigorously refurbished.

Said Ms Karim: “Every ceramic shard, every carving, every revived mural is a tribute to the craftsmanship and entrepreneurial spirit of our early settlers, particularly the Teochew community, whose influence built so much of Singapore’s cultural fabric.”