{"id":59794,"date":"2026-06-11T08:18:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T00:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=59794"},"modified":"2026-06-11T08:18:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T00:18:02","slug":"century-old-bungalow-in-singapore-built-by-malay-businessman-proposed-for-conservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/?p=59794","title":{"rendered":"Century-old bungalow in Singapore built by Malay businessman proposed for conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Known as Villa Haji Kahar, the bungalow is named after businessman Kahar Abdul Ghani, who in 1882 left Palembang (in present-day Indonesia) for Singapore in search of better opportunities, according to The Straits Times.<\/em><\/p>\n

Kahar, who was 20 at the time, initially worked as a garbage collector, according to the Malay Heritage Foundation. He later established a barter trading business and became a local dealer for His Master\u2019s Voice gramophone records.<\/p>\n

He then bought 12 hectares of land in Bedok and constructed Villa Haji Kahar at 1 Bedok Avenue in the 1920s. Kampong Bedok was an old village settlement in eastern Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Villa Haji Kahar in Kampong Bedok, Singapore. Photo via Instagram\/thelionbricks<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) published a proposal last week to conserve the bungalow because of its historical and social importance, according to Malay-language newspaper Berita Harian Singapore.<\/em><\/p>\n

The authority said the property “showcases an architectural fusion of traditional and imported styles, serving as a reminder of Singapore\u2019s early history as a melting pot of cultures.”<\/p>\n

The bungalow stands on a 5,963-square-meter site owned by a company that is part of Hong Leong Group, which is controlled by Singaporean billionaire Kwek Leng Beng.<\/p>\n

In addition to the villa, the site contains several single-story structures, including a kampung-style house. The land is designated for landed homes of up to three stories.<\/p>\n

Other prominent residents of the villa included Singapore\u2019s first female doctor, Lee Choo Neo, and her husband, Teo Koon Lim.<\/p>\n

The Straits Times<\/em> reported in 2017 that Villa Haji Kahar was owned by Livet Company, a firm held by the couple\u2019s descendants.<\/p>\n

In October 2024, URA rejected an application by Livet Company director and secretary Vera Teo to demolish landed houses on the site, citing a study to gazette Villa Haji Kahar for conservation.<\/p>\n

The conservation of the bungalow would help safeguard one of the last surviving markers of the old Kampong Bedok, URA said in a letter to Teo\u2019s appointed architect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n