From Lorong E to Koon Seng Road

Koon Seng Road was once simply “Lorong E”, one of a series of lettered lanes off East Coast Road. In a 1934 renaming exercise it was given its current name, alongside neighbouring Lorong D (Duku Road) and Lorong F (Langsat Road). 1

Who was Cheong Koon Seng?

Cheong Koon Seng (1880–1934) was a Straits-born businessman, auctioneer and real estate agent, the elder son of a wealthy Malacca-born merchant and one of the first 13 students of Anglo-Chinese School. 2 In 1920 he co-founded the auctioneering firm Cheong Koon Seng & Co, which became one of the leading firms of its day. He died in 1934, shortly after a round-the-world trip. 3

He also built the Theatre Royal on North Bridge Road, home of the Star Opera Company, a bangsawan troupe whose stars included Khairuddin — who has his own street, Jalan Khairuddin, in Opera Estate. 4 A pair of semi-detached houses at 157 and 159 Marine Parade, then facing the beach, was meant to be his seaside home, but he died before they were completed. 4

The houses

Most of the two- and three-storey houses along Koon Seng Road were built in the 1920s and 1930s, in ornate Peranakan and Chinese styles, and were gazetted for conservation in 1991. 5 Peranakan families lived here until around the 1970s. Look for the pintu pagar half-doors, floral glazed tiles and decorated five-foot ways. 6

What conservation means for owners

Koon Seng Road lies within URA’s Joo Chiat Conservation Area and falls under its Secondary Settlement guidelines. Conservation Permission is needed before any additions, alterations or change of use, and “residential fronts” — timber casement windows flanking a double-leafed timber door — must be retained and restored. 7 For buyers, that means the façade is part of what you’re buying: renovation plans should be checked against URA’s Specific Restoration Guidelines before you commit.

Sources

  1. The Missing Lorongs (citing Savage & Yeoh, Singapore Street Names: A Study of Toponymics) — Joo Chiat Today
  2. History of Katong-Joo Chiat — Roots.gov.sg, National Heritage Board
  3. 299 River Valley Road — Roots.gov.sg, National Heritage Board
  4. My Grandfathers’ Roads — The Peranakan Magazine, The Peranakan Association Singapore
  5. Landmarks of Katong-Joo Chiat — Roots.gov.sg, National Heritage Board
  6. Colourful Shophouses Along Koon Seng Road — Singapore Tourism Board (VisitSingapore)
  7. 17 Koon Seng Road — Conservation Portal — Urban Redevelopment Authority