District 15 Heritage
D15 Stories: The History Behind the Streets
How District 15’s landed estates got their names and character — from coconut plantations and fishing villages to opera-themed streets and film studios. Researched from the National Library Board, National Heritage Board and URA.
Estate
Opera Estate
From $9,760 Terraces to Million-Dollar Homes: The Story of Opera EstateCoconut plantations, $9,760 terraces, a bridge made of tree trunks and decades of floods — the making of District 15’s opera-themed estate.Aida Street: Where Singapore’s First President Grew OrchidsLong before the Istana, a journalist named Yusof Ishak tended his garden on a quiet Opera Estate street.Jalan Bintang Tiga: From Flood Street to Singapore’s First “Friendly Street”Named after a Malay opera, flooded for decades, and finally famous for its National Day street party.
Estate
Siglap
The Siglap Streets Named After Malay FilmsA 1950s film studio by the sea, and the landed homes that now stand where Malay cinema was made.Siglap: “The Darkness That Conceals” and a Chieftain’s Grave on Jalan SempadanFishing villages, kolek races, a royal grave and a 1990s height limit that still shapes Siglap today.
Estate
Joo Chiat
Koon Seng Road: The Story Behind Singapore’s Most Photographed TerracesThe pastel Peranakan houses of Koon Seng Road, the auctioneer they’re named after, and what conservation status means for owners today.The “King of Katong”: How Chew Joo Chiat Gave His Name to a NeighbourhoodA private cart track, a coconut fortune and a road given away for free.