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Joo Chiat

In the early 1900s, the area was a coconut plantation, which formed part of an estate owned by the Alsagoff family (of Arab descent).  Chew Joo Chiat (b. 1870s, China - d. 5 February 1926, Singapore), a wealthy man who prospered from trading, bought a large portion of the land after World War I to first cultivate gambier and later coconut. His property in Siglap spanned from the original Geylang trolley-bus terminus through Joo Chiat Road to Telok Kurau and Changi Road. For the convenience of the residents in his property, he built up roads naming them Joo Chiat Road, Joo Chiat Place, Joo Chiat Lane and Joo Chiat Terrace. He freely offered these roads as gifts to the Municipality, rejecting any compensation offered him. He also subdivided the area for shophouses and living accommodations. A large population of Straits Chinese shifted from the Telok Ayer basin to the eastern shores of Singapore, building shophouses and residential homes in the 1920s and 1930s.

Key Features
In the 1930s, established personalities owned villas by the beach near Joo Chiat including:

Ean Kian place owned by Tan Ean Kian who's descendant is Tan Tock San, a known community leader.
A villa owned by a founder of Nanyang University, Tan Lark Sye. 
Another villa by Chong Koon Seng, a noted auctioneer. 
Another villa owned by Hainanese community leader Wee Cheow Keng who also had a street named after him. Despite squatters lodging along his street, Wee took good care of them.
Lee Kuo Chuan villa owned by its namesake, the father of philanthropist and educator Lee Kong Chian. The grey and white building stands at Still South Road, split apart into 2 identical villas when the government extended Still Road into Marine Parade Road. Kuo Chuan had bought the villa from an Indian cattle trader and Kong Chian had housed his workers along the Kuo Chuan Avenue beside the villa.

Community
The different community added different flavours to the estate. Malay fishermen villages lined the beaches, explaining the colloqial names of streets reminiscent of seafood used in Malay dishes like Jalan Tambam ( the fish traditionally used in Nasi Lemak) and Jalan Sotong. Chinese fruit plantations gave rise to names after local fruits like Pulasan Road, Rambai Road Duku Road and Rambutan Road. The Indian community who sold goats milk house to house still have a 100 year old temple sitting at Ceylon Road. The British also used a simple alphabetical system to help the less educated locate roads, thus the names Lorong K, L, M and N.

Today
Today these conserved Chinese shophouses, detached and terraced Peranakan houses of delightful colours and with pretty and ornate carvings and tiling, are fine examples of Singapore eclectic architecture. In 1991, at least 4 bungalows and 504 shophouses were gazetted for conservation. Joo Chiat Road itself is lined with a lot of these quaint buildings. Joo Chiat Road, 1.4 km long, is today one of Singapore's most memorable and historic streets. The road stretches between Changi Road/Geylang Road to Marine Parade Road, in the 3 sub-zones, of Marine Parade, Katong and Geylang East. The area is also famous now for it food. Joo Chiat was and still is an important part of Katong.

A key building standing along Joo Chiat Road has been a private hospital, originally the American Hospital and in 1990, renamed East Shore Hospital after it was bought over by the National Medical Enterprises (NME), the parent company of Mount Elizabeth Hospital.



Author
Vernon Cornelius



References
Durai Raja Singam S. [1939]. Malayan street names: What they mean and whom they commemorate (p. 112). Ipoh: Mercantile Press.
(Call no.: RSEA 959.5 RAJ)

Edwards, N., & Keys, P. (1988). Singapore: A guide to buildings, streets, places (pp. 301-302). Singapore: Times Books International.
(Call no.: RSING 915.957 EDW)

Kong, L. (2001).  Joo Chiat: A living legacy.  Singapore: Joo Chiat Citizens' Consultative Committee in association with National Archives of Singapore.
(Call no.: RSING q959.57 KON -[HIS])

Urban Redevelopment Authority. (1997). Enhancing the Charms of Joo Chiat (p. 4). Singapore: The Authority. 
(Call no.: RSING 711.4095957 SIN)

The history of Joo Chiat: Every street tells a story. (June/July, 1999). Contact, p. 15.

Deaths [Microfilm: NL]. (1926, February 8).  The Straits Times, p. 8.

Joo Chiat: A mixture of ethnic traditions. (1993, August 15). The Business Times, p. 3.

Joo Chiat: A Singapore name [Microfilm: NL5338]. (1948, October 8).  The Straits Times, p. 4. 

Mountbatten, Joo Chiat are conservation areas. (1993, August 14). The Straits Times, p. 44.

Renamed American hospital to cater to residents in the east. (1990, July 11). The Straits Times, p. 18.



Further Readings
Conservation guidelines: Our heritage is in our hands. (1995). Singapore: Urban Redevelopment Authority. 
(Call no.: RSING 363.69095957 CON)


The information in this article is valid as at 2008 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
Ethnic Communities
Architecture and Landscape>>Commercial Buildings
Suburbs--Singapore
Historic districts--Singapore
Street names--Singapore
Arts>>Architecture>>Public and commercial buildings
Arts>>Architecture>>Residential buildings
People and communities>>Social groups and communities



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