Tiong Bahru

Tiong Bahru was built from 1936 by the Singapore Improvement Trust as the colony's first public housing, and the blocks are Streamline Moderne: curved corners, horizontal bands, spiral staircases and flat roofs, low-rise and arranged around courtyards. The estate was conserved in 2003 and has since filled with independent cafes, a bookshop and design shops, while the market and hawker centre at its centre continues to serve the original residents.

History

The Singapore Improvement Trust acquired 70 acres here in 1927 as a test case for public housing, and the first block, block 55, was ready in December 1936. The streets are named after Chinese pioneers such as Tan Chay Yan, and by 1941 the estate had 784 flats, 54 tenements and 33 shops (Wikipedia, Tiong Bahru).

What's there

• The Streamline Moderne blocks - curved 1930s public housing with spiral stairs.
• The market and hawker centre - the working heart of the estate, busy from dawn.
• The air raid shelter - a preserved wartime shelter under one of the blocks.
• The independent shops - cafes, a bookshop and design stores among the flats.

When to go

Year round; the market is busiest in the early morning and hawker stalls sell out by afternoon. Cafes fill at weekend brunch. Evenings are quiet.

Things to know

Gentrification has been rapid and the estate is now expensive and self-conscious. The blocks are private homes and the courtyards are people's front doors. Weekend cafe queues are long.

Nearby

Chinatown is northeast, and Baba House is east.

Key facts