Forum: Don’t reduce 38 Oxley Road to a marker on the sidewalk

I find it concerning that Mr Lee Hsien Yang said he was applying to demolish his old family home, which the Government has responded to (Lee Hsien Yang’s claim on 38 Oxley Road inaccurate, creates false urgency for demolition: Govt, Oct 25).

The house has architectural heritage and historical merit.

Commissioned in 1898 by Dutch merchant Hermann Verloop, the bungalow was built in the style of the late 19th and early 20th century, with pitched tiled roofs supported by columns, broad verandahs and timber floors elevated on brick piers.

Recently, it was reported that a plain-looking HDB block in Siglap built in the 1960s merited conservation; so, why not the much older and rarer 38 Oxley Road? (Retention of Siglap HDB block shows everyday, ordinary buildings matter, Oct 12).

Even before Mr Lee Kuan Yew became prime minister, his house received many visitors such as unionists, who sought his help and legal advice.

It has also often been mentioned that Singapore’s founding fathers gathered in the dining room to hold long discussions that eventually led to the founding of the ruling People’s Action Party.

I think it would be no exaggeration to say that those meetings held in that humble, simply furnished room determined the future of Singapore.

Although the grand Founders’ Memorial will be built, I believe that for the ordinary Singaporean, nothing will beat being able to stand in the house where Singapore’s history was made.

Our nation has already lost too many historic buildings to urban redevelopment over the years. As a Singaporean passionate about the country’s heritage, I earnestly hope that 38 Oxley Road will not be reduced to just a National Heritage Board marker on the sidewalk.

Edwin Pang