Boon Tat Street

By Thulaja, Naidu Ratnala written on 2003-05-12
National Library Board Singapore

Comments on article: InfopediaTalk

History
 Boon Tat Street was originally called Japan Street. After the Japanese Occupation ended, this was the first street to be renamed. It was named after Ong Boon Tat, a businessman who owned the New World amusement park in Jalan Besar as well as some brickworks, sawmills and rubber estates. He also served as a Municipal Commissioner.

Description
From the direction of Amoy Street, the first landmark on Boon Tat Street is the Telok Ayer Green Park, located at the junction of Telok Ayer Street and Boon Tat Street. Next to the park is the Nagore Durgha Shrine, a national monument, built between 1828 and 1830. Other prominent landmarks  include Cecil Court, a commercial building built in 1984, and the Octagon, which was built in 1982, both located at the junction of Cecil Street and Boon Tat Street.

The Octagon, a prominent landmark along the street, is a fully double-glazed, octagon-shaped office building. It is 26-storey high and houses a banquet hall and three penthouse apartments at the top floor. Other commercial buildings on Boon Tat Street include The Globe, Tong Eng Building, OUB Building, the Ogilvy Building, and the SGX Centre (Singapore Exchange).

Lau Pa Sat, an eatery formerly called the Telok Ayer Market, is located at the end of Boon Tat street. The market was dismantled for MRT construction work during the 1980s. About 3,000 individual pieces were tagged and stored for restoration. Restoration was completed in 1989 and it was reopened on 7 February 1992.  Occupying a significant part of the road, it is a popular eating place.  The presence of Lau Pa Sat and other food vendors nearby have made this street a popular food alley.

Variant Names
Chinese name: Ma-cho kiong pi (Hokkien), meaning "beside the ma-cho temple", a reference to the Thian Hock Keng Temple near where the street begins.


Author
Naidu Ratnala Thulaja



References 
Dunlop, P. K. G. (2000). Street names of Singapore (p. 25). Singapore: Who's Who Publications.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 DUN)

Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1996). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (pp. 431, 453-4, 457, 509). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 EDW)

Hooi, C. (1982). National monuments of Singapore (pp. 20-21). Singapore: National Museum.
(Call no.: SING 722.4095957 NAT)

Savage, V. R., & Yeoh, B. S. A. (2003). Toponymics: A study of Singapore street names (p. 59). Singapore: Eastern Universities Press.
(Call no.: RSING 915.9570014 SAV)

Song, O. S. (1984). One hundred years' history of the Chinese in Singapore (p. 99). Singapore: Oxford University Press.
(Call no.: SING 959.57 SON-[HIS])

Tan, B. C. (1976-1977). Street names in selected areas of Singapore: A study in historical geography (p. 31). [Singapore].
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 TAN)

Boon Tat St stalls return. (1992, February 28). The Straits Times, p. 25.

Ghosh, N. (1992, February 16). Market melange. The Straits Times, p. 6.

Temporary closure of Boon Tat St. (1991, December 15). The Sunday Times, p. 28.   



The information in this article is valid as at 2005 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
Architecture and Landscape>>Streets and Places
Architecture and Landscape>>Building Types>> Monuments
Street names--Singapore
City planninag--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Public and commercial buildings
Arts>>Architecture>>Architectural structure

Librarian Recommendations
>> Shenton Way
>> Telok Ayer Street
>> Nagore Durgha Shrine
>> Telok Ayer Market


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