Home / Commerce and Industry

East Coast Road

East Coast Road, beginning at the junction of Tanjong Katong Road and Mountbatten Road, is a thoroughfare along the east.  It extends as Upper East Coast Road after it forms a junction with Siglap Road and continues before ending sharply at a bend into Bedok Road. Hugging the eastern coast of Singapore, the road had been designated as early as 1828 in Lt. Jackson's Town Plan but was built only in 1902. Since then, it has served as the main vein to the culturally rich and diverse Katong area.

History
Lt. Philip Jackson's 1828 Singapore Town Plan, following Raffles' recommendations and vision of 1823, designated roads on either end of the island as East Coast Road and West Coast Road. Both the roads, though not constructed until much later, were thus one of Singapore's earliest roads delineated. The only approach, to the areas around Joo Chiat to Geylang, was initially through Geylang Road and Tanjong Katong Road.  But in 1902, a laterite road was constructed, connecting Katong to Bedok. This was to become East Coast Road, running along the coast until the land reclamation of the 1960s. The extensions to Tanjong Katong Road in the west began in 1906. Along with this highway into rural Singapore came new modes of transportation such as the mosquito buses and the motor trolleys and trams, transporting business and transforming life along the coast. Though predominantly a Peranakan and Eurasian enclave, East Coast Road houses cultural institutions of the other major races in Singapore. Having the best seafront views, East Coast Road was a place sought after by the rich to build seaside bungalows. Many by-lanes or offshoots from East Coast Road continued to be named "East Coast Road" as well. They are now lined with numerous flats and apartments that currently dominate the landscape of the area. In the late 1990s, Upper East Coast Road was extended to join the PIE.

Description
Katong area
The stretch of road from Katong Shopping Centre on East Coast Road to Still Road is commonly referred to as the 'Roxy area' and was supposedly the traditional heart of Katong. A shopping and entertainment haven, the area bustled and throbbed with people. Popular landmarks in the 1950s and 1960s include Katong's first supermarket, Tay Buan Guan Building and cinemas like Odeon, Palace and Roxy. Rapid urban re-development has taken its toll in Katong with many buildings already demolished although some are reused with other business functions today. The Palace Theatre site was redeveloped into an office and condominium complex in the mid-1990s while Katong Bakery & Confectionery, the famous "Red House" was closed in 2003. The Tay Buan Guan shopping centre were torn down in 2001 to make way for a condominium project. The Sea View Hotel was sold to the Marco Polo group in 2003 which has plans to develop the site into a condominium project. Building landmarks, that are however still standing, are Katong Shopping Centre, Odeon Katong Shopping Complex, Eastgate building, Katong Plaza, Katong Mall, Paramount Shopping Centre, Paramount Hotel, Century Roxy Park Hotel, Tembeling Centre and the Church of the Holy Family. Some of these buildings have been extensively renovated or reconstructed at the same site in recent years, such as the Katong Shopping Centre and the Church of the Holy Family.

Telok Kurau area
East Coast Road from its junction with Still Road, across Telok Kurau Road up to its junction with Frankel Avenue makes up the Telok Kurau area. This area was predominantly a residential one with grand houses lining its streets. It showcases examples of domestic Peranakan architecture of the 1960s in the form of intricately designed bungalows, villas and shophouses. However today the area is dominated by apartments with a lot of new construction work having taken place recently. Buildings present in the area include St. Patrick's Secondary School, Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus Primary School and the Christ Methodist Church.

Frankel area
The short stretch of East Coast Road from its junction with Frankel Avenue to its junction with Siglap Road makes up the Telok Kurau area. Also a popular residential area with pleasant bungalows, the area is distinct due to the presence of Frankel Estate. Frankel Estate, built in the 1950s from a coconut plantation and cattle ground clearing, is exclusively made up of houses with not a single apartment in the area. Dominated by schools and religious buildings, the area is home to St. Stephen's School, Katong Special School, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and Bethesda Frankel Church.

Siglap area
The area of East Coast Road around Siglap Road makes up the Siglap area. The area is made up of private apartments and residential estates.

Upper East Coast Road
Apart from the many residential units along this road, there are buildings and institutions including Crescendo Building, The Emmanuel Assembly of God Church, Chai Chee Secondary School, Temasek Primary School and Temasek Secondary School. 



Author
Thulaja Naidu 
 


References 
Braga-Blake, M., & Ebert-Oehlers, A. (Eds.).(1992). Singapore Eurasians: Memories and hopes (pp. 61-65). Singapore: Times Editions.
(Call no.: SING 305.80405957 SIN)

Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 72). Singapore: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: SING 959.57 DUN)

Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1996). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (pp. 291-293, 295, 299). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: SING 915.957 EDW)

Kong, L., & Chang, T.C. (2001). Joo Chiat: a living legacy (pp. 21, 25-27 ). Singapore: Joo Chiat Citizens' Consultative Committee in association with National Archives of Singapore.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 KON)

Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2003). Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names (pp. 115). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV)

URA. (1995). Chinatown historic district (p. 15) Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority
(Call no.: RSING 363.69095957 CHI)

Shops and maisonettes at Siglap Road/Upper East Coast Road. (1976). Journal of the Singapore Institute of Architects, 76, 14-15.
(Call no.: RCLOS 720.5 SIAJ)

Rashiwala, K. (1994, November 18). Ex-Palace Theatre site makes way for $70m office-condo project. The Straits Times, p. 47.

Upper East Coast Road to be extended to join PIE: Mah. (1996, February 10).The Straits Times, p. 32.

Yeo , S. (1995, August 22). Siglap set to be hub - More shops will combine to pull people to the area. The Straits Times, Life!, p. 1-2.


Further Readings
Yeoh, B. S. A., & Kong, L. (Eds). (1995). Portraits of places: History, community and identity in Singapore (pp.118-123). Singapore: Times Editions.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 POR)

Street atlas Singapore 2002-2003. (pp. 73-77). Hongkong: Periplus.
RSING 959.57 S

Tan, B.B. (1993, April 4). Portuguese Malaccans: Home at last? The Straits Times, Sunday Plus, p. 1,2.

Teo, G. (2003, August 26). View point; Laidback and rundown, Sea View Hotel will soon close. The Straits Times, Life! 

The information in this article is valid as at 2003 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Transportation
Architecture and Landscape>>Streets and Places
Events>>Historical Periods>>Founding of Modern Singapore (1819-1941)
Street names--Singapore
Singapore--History--1867-1942
Social planning--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Public and commercial buildings
History>>Asia>>Southeast Asia>>Singapore

Librarian Recommendations
>> Still Road
>> Roxy Cinema
>> Red House Bakery
>> Church of the Holy Family


All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2004.