394 Alexandra Road

Commemorative plaque, Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Inclined columns, Former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market and Food Centre

U-shaped roof profile, Princess House

Former Anchor Brewery House

Main Sanctuary, Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Geometric entrance arrangement, 394 Alexandra Road

Pre-cast blockwork sunscreen, Princess House

Steel parabolic trusses, Former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market and Food Centre

Former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market and Food Centre

Concrete sunscreens, Queenstown Public Library

Perimeter wall, Queenstown Public Library

Queenstown Public Library

Commemorative plaque, Queenstown Public Library

'Bow-tie' motif, Queenstown Public Library

Timber ventilation screen, 8 Rochester Park

Interior of a bungalow at Nepal Park

Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Bungalow at Nepal Park

Princess House

Rusticated wall, Alexandra Hospital 3-storey high pilasters with simple elegant capitals, Alexandra Hospital

Pre-cast blockwork sunscreen, Former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market and Food Centre

Metal railing, Former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market and Food Centre

Pre-cast concrete cross balustrade, Alexandra Hospital

Verandah, Alexandra Hospital

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The URA Centre 45 Maxwel l Road S ingapore 069118 Tel : (65) 6221 6666 Fax: (65) 6227 5069 Emai l : ura_emai l@ura .gov.sg Websi te : www.ura .gov.sg

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UEENSTOWNQ

Alexandra Hospital

Concrete pilasters, Alexandra Hospital

Fair-faced brick façade, Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Alexandra Hospital378 Alexandra Road

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The Alexandra Hospital was built by the British Army in 1938 as preparation for the impending war with Japan. The original hospital complex has five linked buildings designed in simplified neo-Classical style typical of local military buildings of the 1930s. There is extensive use of pre-cast concrete for vents and balustrades. It serves as a reminder of Singapore’s role as an important military base for the British Empire, the tragedy of WW2, and finally, the growth and provision of quality public healthcare after Singapore attained independence.

Church of the Blessed Sacrament1 Commonwealth Drive

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The church, designed by architect Y. G. Dowsett, was officially opened in 1965, complementing Queenstown's growth as Singapore's first satellite town. Its most iconic feature is the dramatically structured slate roof with folds looking like a tent to symbolise the “tent of meeting” in the Old Testament of the Bible. The three main entrances have multi-coloured glass ventilation panels which are remarkably vibrant when viewed from the inside. Visitors and residents also fondly refer to the building as the “origami church” at Queensway.

This was the brewmaster's office for Singapore’s first commercial brewery, the Archipelago Brewery Company. The brewery was started by German businessmen in 1931 and Anchor Beer was one of its most famous labels. The site, located near the Malayan Railway line, provided convenient transportation for the import of ingredients and the export of its beer. The prominent two-storey building of crisp early ‘Arts & Craft’ style of the 1920s and 1930s, has been adapted for commercial use.

Former Anchor Brewery House368 Alexandra Road

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A photo from the 1970s showing the aerial view of Queenstown

Rochester & Nepal Park8

Rochester Park and Nepal Park were developed by the British Army in the late-1930s within the greater British Military Area (Alexandra) to house officers and their families serving in Singapore, then the most important British military base east of the Suez Canal. Rochester Park was named after a port town on the Thames estuary.

Nepal Park was named in recognition of the British Crown’s ties with the sovereign country of Nepal, homeland of the famed Gurkhas. The Gurkha Regiments in Singapore, led by British officers, were stationed in Slim Barracks at the foot of the hill.

The URA Centre 45 Maxwell Road Singapore 069118Tel: (65) 6221 6666 Fax: (65) 6227 5069 Email: ura_email@ura.gov.sg Website: www.ura.gov.sg

Designed and produced by the Urban Redevelopment Authority for the Queenstown Library's 45th Anniversary, in partnership with

More information on Singapore's built heritage can be found onhttps://www.ura.gov.sg/conservationportal/consmap.html

More information on Queenstown Heritage Trail can be found on

UEENSTOWNQ

The public housing programme in Singapore had its beginnings in 1927 when the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) was formed by the British colonial government. One of its missions was slum clearance and the subsequent re-housing of the affected residents. However, hampered by the lack of a long-term overall vision, legislation and funds, it hardly made headway.

1953 marked a turning point. A more generous system of government loans and subsidies and a steady fall in the prices of materials, allowed the SIT to press ahead more vigorously with the re-housing programme. 1953 also saw the beginnings of Singapore’s first full-scale satellite town for public housing – Queenstown. This was named after Queen Elizabeth II to mark her coronation that year.

Queenstown occupied a large swampy valley with two hills on either side and a village settled mainly by Hokkien and Teochew residents. The village was a collection of attap-roofed huts with small farms. Buller Camp, a British military barrack, was also located at Alexandra Road. The camp site was cleared for the development of Queenstown housing estate, which was completed in May 1953.

In 1960, after self-governance was attained, the Housing & Development Board (HDB) was formed to replace the SIT, and the major part of Queenstown was developed between 1960 and 1965 as part of the HDB’s first Five Year Building Programme.

The planning strategy for Queenstown reflected the HDB’s policy of providing a “Total Environment” in a high density new town for the residents. A shopping centre was provided for each residential neighbourhood. A Town Centre with cinema, shops, restaurants, a night-club and other community facilities was built along Commonwealth Avenue, the main street of the new town. A sports complex was also added later in late-1960s. By 1970, Queenstown had about 19,000 dwelling units housing more than 100,000 residents.

As the new town undergoes redevelopment to house more people, some significant old buildings have been conserved as identity markers.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is the national planning authority for Singapore. Its active involvement in conservation started as early as the 1970s with the rehabilitation of some state-owned properties for adaptive reuse. To-date, conservation status has been given to more than 100 conservation areas involving over 7000 buildings throughout the island.

Conservation of our built heritage is an integral part of urban planning and development in Singapore. Our historic areas add variety to our streetscapes and modulate the scale of our urban fabric. They create visual contrast and excitement within the city while serving as important reminders and representations of our collective past. They firmly add to the distinctive character and identity of our country, giving us a sense of history and memory of place.

Introduction The URAConservation Programme

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Queenstown Public Library53 Margaret Drive

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The Queenstown Public Library was Singapore’s first branch library. It was officially opened on 30 April 1970 by then Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew. Planning for the library had started four years earlier by librarians and architects from the Public Works Department. The result was a library designed on a modular principle that allowed the librarians to customise internal spaces for changing uses. The exterior has unusual elegant ‘bow-tie’ fascias on its concrete frame structure.

Former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market & Food Centre38 Commonwealth Avenue

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The former Commonwealth Avenue Wet Market & Food Centre, built in 1956, is a rare building, being the only remaining market in Singapore built by the SIT. Before the establishment of wet markets, fresh produce and cooked food were purchased from itinerant hawkers. Conditions were invariably unsanitary. The situation improved as purpose-built covered markets and food centres were established in the public housing estates as hygienic and convenient amenities for residents. This market was one of the first such buildings to be built and is a precursor to the wet markets and hawker centres in all New Towns today. It has pre-cast curved concrete beams. Above the second storey is its most striking feature of a bold parabolic-vaulted metal sheet roof on steel frames.

394 Alexandra Road7

Perched on a low hill off Alexandra Road, this large two-storey detached building was built to accommodate the staff of the former Federated Malayan States Railway, later known as the Malayan Railway. Designed in the ‘Arts & Crafts’ style, it has a steeply-pitched tile roof and gable walls. The asymmetrical arrangement of architectural features and band of brick skirting around the base gives an impression of a 1930s country cottage.

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Princess House332 Alexandra Road

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Princess House was built in the mid-1950s by the SIT and became the first headquarters for the HDB in 1960. It played a key role in shaping the post-war development of Singapore. It was here where renewal plans were drawn up and displayed, and, notably, Singaporeans visited to apply for their first HDB flats. It also hosted various foreign dignitaries who came to learn about Singapore’s social housing programme, which was internationally recognised as a success.

A map from 1957 showing the public housing in Queenstown

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Mr Lee Kuan Yew, then Prime Minister, at the opening of the Queenstown Public Library on 30 April 1970.

This branch library in Queenstown is a milestone in our rising standards of life. We shall have similar branch libraries in every major area like Toa Payoh, Katong, Jurong and Woodlands.

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More heritage trails can be found onhttp://www.nhb.gov.sg/NHBPortal/Places/Trails