Tan Boon Liat Building
This 15-storey building is one of the last physical reminders that the nearby Singapore River was once a place of industry. Before its recent transformation into a leisure destination, the waterfront used to be lined with storage warehouses, also known as godowns, that supported Singapore’s entrepot trade.
Tan Boon Liat Building sits on what used to be a collection of godowns that were owned by Tan Boon Liat & Co. Ltd. This import and export company was started by its namesake, a well-known rattan merchant who lived on Outram Road in the early 20th century. In November 1961, the 50-year-old two-storey godowns went up in flames. The company then built a replacement industrial building in 1976. It was an unusual decision as by the late 1960s, the government was acquiring neighbouring lots with former godowns to sell to private developers for redevelopment into hotels such as its neighbouring Apollo Hotel (now Furama Riverfront Singapore).
The building’s functionalist architecture is defined by its bracket-like floor plan that each contains ten units to create a total of 150 units. Each is accessed through a semi-sheltered parapet which are connected by two vertical external lift shafts. They bisect the building into three segments, with a longer stretch in the middle and shorter wings on both ends. Near the entrance of the site is also a separate two-storey hexagonal building that serves as a canteen.
Soon after its completion, Tan Boon Liat Building got into trouble for selling its strata units as separate offices and stores as it was only given permission for factories with ancillary offices and storage space by the Building Control Division. However, the owners successfully challenged the interpretation in court in what was reported to be the first such case under Singapore’s Planning Act.
Over the years, the building became home to an eclectic variety of industrial uses. There was a computer education centre by the local distributor for Atari computer products and the offices of an entertainment company owned by Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fatt. Around 2009, the building began organically evolving into an unofficial furniture mall and it continues to have a sizeable number of showrooms for modern furniture brands as well as stores selling antique pieces sourced from around the world.
Location: 315 Outram Rd, Singapore 169074
Architects: Chok & Associates
Year: 1976
Status: Not conserved
Sources:
Chong, Elena. “Owners win case under Planning Act.” The Straits Times, 5 April 1989, 15.
“Fire guts $500,000 stores.” The Straits Times, 5 November 1961, 13.
Koh, Tse Ying. “Hin Seng sets up centre on computer education.” Business Times, 6 April 1983, 3.
“Mr Tan Boon Liat dies in Singapore.” The Straits Times, 26 November 1940, 10.
Natasha Ann Zachariah and Hui Shan Rebecca Tan, ‘Tan Boon Liat Building Is a Hit with Fancy Furniture Hunters’, The Straits Times, 18 April 2015.
Teo, Lian Huay. “Chow Yuen Fatt coming back in new soapie.” The Straits Times, 12 September 1982, 8.
Last modified on 24 August 2021. Description by Justin Zhuang.
