On 4 Sep 2011, Singapore leading Newspaper The Sunday Times published on its front page an interesting headline…

Abandoned and derelict, but beautiful and brimming with history

The article featured a number of houses, seemingly abandoned in Singapore. The 1st house mentioned in the ST article was the Chee Guan Chiang House. 

Built in 1938, the House was designed and built by Ho Kwong Yew, one of the leading architects of the Modern Movement (ie., De La Warr Pavilion) in Singapore during the 1930s.

The House was named the Chee Guan Chiang House, after 1 of its 2 owners. The other owner being the Chee Swee Cheng & Company Private Limited. The Company owned many properties in Orchard including The Heeren. 

The House was given Conservation Status by URA on 23rd May 2008. (link)

According to the ST report:-

A red mailbox hung from the gate, alongside two signs warning against trespassers and illegal parking on the private property….. in 2007 that the property could be seen only by residents from neighbouring condominiums who used it as a short cut to Orchard Road.

Before 2008, residents from a condomimum still could use an old road to gain access to the back gate of their condo…….

Following them, you will see that those people are the Residents of Grange Heights, who use this path every day as a short cut from the back gate of Grange Heights to Orchard.

Just off the path that leads to the back gate of Grange Height, you saw that there are 2 houses standing on the left of the path. 1 is a majestic-looking house , and another similarly but very badly rundown house near it.

Going back outside, you will notice that there is a sign that says :No Tresspassing”. Yet you see people walking up that road without even bothering about that dreadful sign that stand right in their face.

WHY?

Answer lies in a 30 years old court case waged by the 2 land owners.

It started in 1919 when the then owner, Mutual Trading, sub-divided it into 5 lots, namely 4 houses, and 1 road.

Mutual Trading states that the any of the 4 houses may use this road freely.

In 1930s Chee Guang Chiang bought the land. He later sold the land in 1936 to Chee Swee Cheng & Company P L. (Chee Swee Cheng was his father who died in 1938 and the Company was formed in his father’s name, together with the rest of the Chee family).

In 1973, The Company sold the land with 3 Houses, including the CYC House to Lee Tat Properties (then knowned as Collin Development), but the 4th House was bought by Grange Heights, who then decided to convert the land into Tennis Courts and Garden.

Renovation started soon after, and the contractors for Grange Heights used that road to gain access to Grange Height.

Lee Tat brought Grange Heights to court to object to them using the small road, but the case was dismissed in 1976.

Then in 1989, Lee Tat erected an Iron gate and fence to block the residents of Grange Heights form using the road.

They went to court again, and Lee Tat lost the case.

Then in 1997, Lee Tat brought over that private road.

So in June 2004, Lee Tat brought the case to court again to prevent Grange Heights from using the small road.

Lee Tat still lost the case to Grange Heights.

Lee Tat continued appealling and finally on 1st December 2008 Lee Tat won the case, and in 2009, an appeal by Grange Heights was dismissed.

Next… the history of Chee Guan Chiang House, revealed for the 1st time…..