Saturday, April 08, 2006
On a little street in Singapore
It may not be as famous as Little India, but shophouse owners in Syed Alwi Road (above) are glad it's now a conservation area
By Tay Suan Chiang
DESIGN REPORTER
WHEN shipping executive Peh Kheng Peng received a letter from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) last May that the Syed Alwi Road area where he grew up has been designated for conservation, he was delighted.
 An offshoot of Little India, the ornate, arched windows are a feature of the area. -- LIM SIN THAI |
His childhood home is among 203 shophouses that will be preserved for posterity in the area, which is rich in architecture heritage and immigrant history.
The road, on the outskirts of the more well-known Little India, includes shophouses with ornate Peranakan tiles. Families still live in some, while others house businesses such as motor repair outfits, and Chinese and Indian food stalls.
Mr Peh, 36, is one of 78 shophouse owners affected by the URA's move, and who have mostly welcomed it.
He was pleased to learn that he could keep the two-storey shophouse the way it is now. While he no longer lives in it, his parents, who are both in their 60s, still do.
They have been there for more than 40 years, since Mr Peh's grandfather bought the shophouse when he came from China in the 1940s.
'Before the letter, we were worried that we may have to give up the shophouse should there be road-widening works done, but now with conservation, the house is safe,' says Mr Peh.
The father-of-two has childhood memories of playing marbles and catching spiders along the area's narrow backlanes.
The youngest of eight siblings, he has since moved into a Sengkang HDB flat, but his parents refuse to leave. 'They don't want to move into a flat, they'd rather live here among their friends.'
 Floral wall tiles are a reminder of the handful of Peranakan families who also lived in the area. -- LIM SIN THAI |
Mr Kelvin Ang, an executive architect in the URA's conservation and urban design division, studied the area for over two years and spoke to all 78 owners of the shophouses for their thoughts on conservation.
He says that like Mr Peh, most owners were pleased to hear that the neighbourhood - comprising Syed Alwi Road, Roberts Lane, Birch Road and Rowell Road - will be conserved.
They had some worries, though. These ranged from whether they had to return the shophouse to the government, whether restoration was a must and what they could do to their building.
He reassured them that the shophouses are theirs to keep, and while restoration is not a must, they can choose to do so at any time, but they must retain the original facade.
Out of the 78, only seven objected to the conservation. The URA declined to reveal their names.
'Some owners saw no value in their old buildings and wanted to have them torn down and turned into modern ones for commercial or residential purposes,' says Mr Ang.
Mr John Ting, the immediate past president of the Singapore Institute of Architects, notes that the Syed Alwi area is not as well-known as Chinatown or Little India, and because of its location on the fringe of Serangoon Road, not many people wander there.
'Those who did not grow up there would not see the importance of conserving it, but this conservation will mean a lot to the tight community there,' he says.
 PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI |
'It may be a minority area, but still it is a significant part of our society.'
Conservation status protects such buildings from major changes such as road-widening and redevelopment. It is part of the Government's drive to create a city with a unique buzz, amid keen competiton for global talent.
Owners of the buildings have to retain the original facades. While no monetary incentive is given, the URA has archive pictures of old buildings for owners to consult for any exterior refurbishment.
As for interiors, owners have the freedom to make their own mark.
The URA's Mr Ang notes: 'By retaining the old facade, the original flavour of the area is preserved.'
And that is something welcomed by its residents such as Dr Rajesh Rai, honorary secretary of Hindu organisation Arya Samaj Singapore, which runs the DAV Hindi School in Syed Alwi Road.
'Flavours are lost when old buildings are torn down,' he says. 'Conserving the old buildings helps to maintain the atmosphere within this area.'
The school, which was founded in 1957 and teaches Hindi from kindergarten to secondary school level, occupies a four-storey building with a dome on its roof, making it a distinctive landmark.
Dr Rai, 34, a National University of Singapore lecturer from the South Asian Studies department, says the dome is similar to those found in North Indian temples and he believes this one is unique in Singapore. The school was built by Indian immigrants.
He recalls playing hide and seek with his friends and attending Hindi lessons every Saturday at the school.
Shophouse baroque
SYED Alwi Road was named after a Mr Syed Alwi Aljunied, a Yemeni Arab trader who came to Singapore from Sumatra and lived in the late 19th century. He owned several pieces of land in the area.
The roads are busy one-way streets with cars parked on both sides. Walking along them requires extra care. But a look up at the shophouses provides a compelling view of the rich architecture of the area.
Some shophouses have baroque-inspired facades, while others have a 1920s art deco look. Popular colours include light green, blue and ochre - typical colours for such buildings.
While the area was popular with early Indian immigrants, a handful of Peranakans also lived there. They left their mark in the floral tiles on the walls and floors of some shophouses.
The Syed Alwi conservation completes the protection of the historical streets that link up the Little India and Jalan Besar conservation areas.
So far, more than 6,500 buildings islandwide have been designated for conservation in areas such as Chinatown, Beach Road, Little India and Kampong Glam.
Giving the latest move the thumbs-up is Mr Guan, who declined to give his full name, whose motor shop Yong Guan Motor has been in Syed Alwi Road for more than 20 years.
'Keeping the old will help future generations remember what early Singapore was like, instead of a land of endless skyscrapers,' he says.
While he welcomes the good news about conserving the neighbourhood, he is still the practical Singaporean.
'Yes, it will be good to restore the exteriors, but I will only do that when I have the money.'
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// posted by Shajahan @ 12:01 PM 