Removal of private spaces at 38 Oxley Road does not affect historical significance: Heritage experts

SINGAPORE – Removing the private living spaces of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew from 38 Oxley Road does not take away from the site’s historical significance, said some heritage experts.

They said the site itself, where significant events that shaped Singapore’s independence took place, still holds historic and symbolic value even if the original structure is altered or demolished.

“The loss of a physical object like a building sometimes is unavoidable due to the natural, accidental or intentional circumstances,” said Associate Professor Johannes Widodo, a director of graduate programmes in architectural conservation at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

“In Singapore’s context, respecting our ancestor’s wishes is a virtue that is strongly preferred and accepted in our culture.”

Mr Ho Weng Hin, co-founder of architectural conservation specialist consultancy Studio Lapis, cautioned that in striking a reasonable balance between preserving the house and respecting Mr Lee’s wishes for privacy, the important thing is to avoid “tokenism”.

He gave the example of retaining only the basement dining room – which the Government considers less private – while changing the rest of the building.

“The final form of the preserved site should not diminish its heritage value. It would be important that future generations can still meaningfully appreciate the significance of the national monument beyond just an address or skin-deep facadism,” he said.

According to international heritage charters and best practices, the intactness of a historic space – that is, how much the character-defining elements and spaces have been modified – could affect its heritage value, he added.

On Nov 3, the National Heritage Board (NHB) and the Singapore Land Authority announced their

intention to gazette 38 Oxley Road to preserve it as a national monument

, after an advisory board assessed that it has historic significance and national importance.

If the site is preserved and acquired, it will be converted into a public space, with one possible option being a heritage park.

The authorities added that it will respect Mr Lee’s wishes by removing all traces of private living spaces from the buildings. This could range from clearing out furnishings, fixtures or any objects left, to potentially tearing down such spaces.

The property is now owned by Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the younger brother of Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Around the world, different communities have taken various approaches to the preservation of such homes.

Architectural historian Chang Jiat-Hwee said some countries choose to preserve interior spaces and physical traces that hint at the lives the leaders led.

For example, the home of former British prime minister Winston Churchill in south-east England was restored and preserved as it looked in the 1930s, and had been turned into a museum.

“In the case of 38 Oxley Road, visitors would have to make sense of the absences,” said Prof Chang, who is an associate professor at NUS’ department of architecture.

In the US, however, several historical sites linked to political leaders have been preserved even though the original buildings no longer exist. These include the birthplaces of former US presidents George Washington in Virginia and Abraham Lincoln’s in Kentucky.

Prof Widodo said: “These examples show that even without the original structures, the historical and symbolic value of a site can be preserved and interpreted meaningfully for public memory and national identity.”

He added that a complete documentation of the findings at the site would be necessary for historical and scientific records.

Other examples include the Gandhi Ashram in India – the home of Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, who led the campaign for the country’s independence from British colonial rule – and the Independence National Historical Park in the US, which includes buildings that have witnessed key historical milestones.

These buildings were

brought up by Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo

in Parliament on Nov 6.

In many instances, changes made included modifying or adapting the original buildings with new interpretive structures, to better enable the public to experience the site as a park or heritage space, he said.

He added that this is why the Government will keep an open mind in the treatment of buildings and structures within 38 Oxley Road.

In 2018, a ministerial committee report on 38 Oxley Road noted that the house is among the few remaining bungalows in Singapore that was designed with Malay and Creole influences.

The house has a high-pitched roof, which suggests lofty ceilings typical of bungalows, allowing hot air to rise and cool air to sink, and resulting in cooler rooms. The building is also elevated on arched masonry, which helps ventilate its basement space.

NHB said in 2018 that of the more than 200 bungalows that have been conserved in Singapore, 16 are from the Early style – including 38 Oxley Road.

Bungalows in this style were built from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, and generally have only one storey.

While Prof Chang said he agreed with these findings, Prof Widodo said the building’s condition and craftsmanship were “markedly inferior” compared with other conserved bungalows.

“Restoration is possible if demolition is avoided, but the original atmosphere and tactile resonance would inevitably be lost,” he said.

While 38 Oxley Road is best-known for being the home of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who lived there from the mid-1940s until his death in 2015, the ministerial committee report also noted the house’s association with key national events.

It was in the basement dining room of the house that founding members of the PAP began meeting in the 1950s to consider the feasibility of forming a political party.

The party made its electoral debut at the 1955 Legislative Assembly election and the house served as the party’s election headquarters.

Preparations for that election were made by the PAP in the house’s verandah, where unionists and postal workers prepared posters.

Ultimately, the importance of the site should not be confined to any single figure, but what it represents – a place where ideas of independence, governance, and the nation’s direction were first formed, said heritage educator Ho Yong Min, who runs The Urbanist Singapore Instagram and TikTok accounts.

Heritage author Jerome Lim added that physically being at a site where significant events took place will be “different from reading a textbook or visiting a museum”.

“It will help visitors to visualise and grow their interest in the stories behind the place,” he said.