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Heritage Board launches research into Singapore's four lookout towers

A vintage postcard of Toa Payoh Gardens. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD
A vintage postcard of Toa Payoh Gardens. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD
Lookout Tower at Seletar Reservoir Park has been named by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) as one of the twelve iconic structures in its conservation efforts to cover towers, bridges and structures other than buildings for the first time. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD
A three-storey spiral tower overlooking Jurong’s portside, located at Jurong Hill off Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD
The Chinese Gardens at Jurong. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL HERITAGE BOARD
A three-storey spiral tower overlooking Jurong’s portside, located at Jurong Hill off Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim. -- ST FILE PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
A great view of Jurong Industrial estate can be seen from the four-storey high lookout tower at Jurong Hill Park. -- ST FILE PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
The Chinese Gardens at Jurong. It is built on a 13.5ha island at a cost of $5 million and resembles a miniature Chinese palace. -- ST FILE PHOTO: MOHD YUSOOF
The Chinese Gardens at Jurong. It is built on a 13.5ha island at a cost of $5 million and resembles a miniature Chinese palace. -- ST FILE PHOTO: JUNID JUANI
The 14ha Chinese Gardens, styled after the Song dynasty gardens, is best-known for its seven-storey pagoda which is modelled on the Ling Ku Temple Pagoda in Nanjing, China. -- ST FILE PHOTO: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA
Princess Alexandra, cousin of Queen Elizabeth at the opening of Seletar Reservoir on Aug 10, 1969. -- ST FILE PHOTO: HAN HAI FONG
Arrival of Princess Alexandra, cousin of Queen Elizabeth at the opening of Seletar Reservoir on Aug 10, 1969. -- ST FILE PHOTO: HAN HAI FONG
Lookout Tower at Seletar Reservoir Park has been named by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) as one of the twelve iconic structures in its conservation efforts to cover towers, bridges and structures other than buildings for the first time. -- FILE PHOTO: URA
On Aug 10, 1969, Princess Alexandra  pressed a little button and unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the new Seletar Reservoir in Singapore. -- ST FILE PHOTO: HAN HAI FONG
The lookout tower at Toa Payoh Town Park on Oct 2, 2008. The National Heritage Board (NHB) has launched a documentation project of four lookout towers in Singapore built in the 1960s and 1970s. -- FILE PHOTO: URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Melody Zaccheus
Housing and Heritage Correspondent
Updated
Published
January 29, 2014 at 11:28 AM

The National Heritage Board (NHB) has launched a documentation project of four lookout towers in Singapore built in the 1960s and 1970s.

The research effort aims to promote greater public awareness of the architectural and historical significance of observation decks, as part of NHB's interest in expanding its database on Singapore's built heritage.

The four are the Seletar Lookout Tower, the Chinese Garden Pagoda, Toa Payoh Town Gardens Lookout Tower and the Jurong Hill Tower.

"We want to raise public awareness among Singaporeans about the architectural and historic significance of these towers even as they enjoy the beautiful views," said Mr Alvin Tan, the board's group director of policy.

The Seletar Lookout Tower, for instance, was officiated by Britain's Princess Alexandra in August 1969 and was designed by the Public Works Department to resemble the shape of a rocket. This reflects the global interest in space exploration at that time, said NHB.

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