Built in 1882, the House of Tan Yeok Nee is of outstanding importance as Singapore’s only remaining traditional Chinese mansion architecture. Surviving the Japanese Occupation and multiple ownership changes, the House of Tan Yeok Nee remained closed off, where it was last used as a private school. Finally, through various changes of use and extensive restoration work by Teochew craftsmen and refreshed interiors, the House has a new lease of life. The compound has been rehabilitated and spaces adapted for family offices, café, restaurant, event hall and a heritage gallery. This historic house will finally be opened to the public.
Since 2023, the House of Tan Yeok Nee has undergone feasibility studies, wall treatments, repairs and reinstatement of historic elements to restore its former glory. Multiple changes in ownership guided our conservation approach and the extent of architectural interventions and interior designs. In-depth exchanges with Chinese craftsmen from Chaoshan, Guangdong allowed the team to discern various aesthetic and construction processes, aiming to restore with historic and visual coherence as opposed to restoring contemporary and visual juxtaposition.
