Singapore’s final conventional Teochew mansion reopens to public as heritage house, 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 over 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 area – 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 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 personal 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 cast his approach into the profitable commerce in pepper, gambier, opium and spirits.

Now, the mansion’s new heritage gallery gives 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. Tan will current two collection within the gallery that discover ancestry and id.

Speaking to The Straits Times, 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 Thursday (Oct 30), 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 is not only about assets, however additionally pondering imaginatively, 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 couple of, from 10 am to 7 pm, will function guided excursions, a mini Teochew Food Festival, 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 Cindy Karim, the lead principal of Karim Family Foundation.

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

Karim, who’s the daughter of the tycoon, added that the household basis sees philanthropy as not nearly giving, however safeguarding what provides a neighborhood its id.

The constructing is the one remaining one in all 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 Tan Seng Poh on the nook of Hill Street and Loke Yew Street and the house of Seah Eu Chin in North Boat Quay – each of which had been demolished. The residence of Wee Ah Hood on Hill Street was additionally torn down, making approach 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 S$85 million and the asking worth of S$92 million. Including the restoration, market watchers estimate the undertaking simply price greater than S$100 million.

The sellers have 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 house and a refuge for orphaned women, the headquarters of the Salvation Army, a college campus, and a conventional Chinese drugs corridor.

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

Considered a masterpiece of Teochew structure by conservation consultants, the constructing options Teochew ceramic art work, with its roof adorned with intricate ceramic shard appliqués crafted utilizing the 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 Tan Yeok Nee’s life. Cultural carvings embody commissioned wooden works, such because the Phoenix and Peonies, which represents prosperity and auspiciousness.

Other options embody reinstated balustrades – a big fixture in Chinese structure – together with entrance gates, and dragonfish-shaped corbels.

The unique rainwater sprouts, formed like carps and positioned in the primary courtyard to help water drainage, have additionally been rigorously refurbished.

Said 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.” THE STRAITS TIMES

Starting Nov 6, the heritage gallery and the restaurant might be open from Tuesday to Saturday, 6pm to 11pm. The final seating on the restaurant is at 8pm.