Namesake | Manasseh Meyer |
---|---|
Type | Primary access |
Owner | Land Transport Authority (LTA) |
Maintained by | LTA |
Length | 1.4 km (0.87 mi) |
Nearest Mass Rapid Transit station | Katong Park MRT station and Tanjong Katong MRT station |
Coordinates | 1°17'53.16", 103°53'29.76" |
From | Tanjong Rhu Road |
To | Tanjong Katong Road |
Other | |
Known for | Katong Park, Katong Park Hotel, and Crescent and Mayer Flats |
Meyer Road is a primary access street in Katong, Singapore. Named in 1921 after Sir Manasseh Meyer, it stretches from Tanjong Rhu Road to Tanjong Katong Road at a length of 1.4km. It is connected to many prominent past and present landmarks such as Katong Park (and by extension, Fort Tanjong Katong) and formerly the Crescent Flats and Meyer Flats (thought to be Singapore's first luxurious beach-front condominiums) as well as Katong Park Hotel (Malaya's biggest hotel since World War 2). It is nicknamed "the Little India of East Coast" due to the large number of Indian residents living there. [1]
The road was named after Sir Manasseh Meyer, a Jewish businessman known for his extensive philanthropic efforts such as donating to those in or out of the Jewish community as well as establishing Singapore's only synagogues: the Chesed-El Synagogue and the Maghain Aboth Synagogue. Ostensibly, the road was named by Sir Meyer himself since he owned the old Sea View Hotel and the Adelphi Hotel, the former of which was located at present-day Meyer Road. However, the name of the road was established in 1921 as a part of a street-naming exercise to simplify the house numbering system in Katong. [1] Prior to land reclamation works in the area, the road "enjoyed an enviable seafront." [2] Sharon Lim Weekend East reported in March 1993 that penthouses in eastern parts of Singapore, "especially those in the Meyer Road area", had "soared in value." [3]
It is thought that the earliest beach-front, luxurious condominiums built in Singapore were located on Meyer Road: the Crescent Flats in 1909 and the Meyer Flats in 1928 (both built by Sir Meyer). The crescent curves for both buildings were inspired by the design of terrace houses in Bath, United Kingdom. [1] Both were demolished in the early 1990s. [4]
Arguably, one of the most famous landmarks connecting to Meyer Road is Katong Park. Katong Park was initially built by the British in 1879 as a coastal fortress to defend against sea attacks. However, in 1901, it was abandoned and buried. Subsequently, Katong Park was built over the buried fort and was opened on 19 December 1931. [5] Between September and October 1963, a total of three bombs exploded in Katong Park as a part of the Konfrontasi. Apart from there being no casualties, the bombs did damage nearby cars and the windows of the Ambassador Hotel (better known as Katong Park Hotel) on the opposite side of the park. [6] The park remained popular until the 1960s, when reclamation works in the area shifted the shore away from the park, which lost it seafront. The extension of Fort Road also led to much of the park being demolished. [7] [8]
Another famous landmark that was in Meyer Road was the Katong Park Hotel (formerly the Embassy Hotel, Hotel Ambassador, and Duke Hotel). Opened on 26 April 1953, it was operated as the Embassy Hotel by the descendants and relatives of the late Lim Ah Eng. The Embassy Hotel was famed for being Malaya's biggest hotel since World War 2. It was closed in 1960 and was briefly opened, closed, and renamed a few times before being owned by the Tan family in 1994. They tried to sell it in September 1998 but they withdrew it due to selling it for a high price. However, since the Tan family failed to repay the Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions from November 1997 to May 1998, the CPF board declared the Katong Hotel to be insolvent, therefore resulting in the closure of it. It was demolished to make way for the condominium project TheView@Meyer by GuocoLand, which was completed in 2006. [6]
Meyer Road is a primary access street [9] that stretches from Tanjong Rhu Road to Tanjong Katong Road at a length of 1.4km. [10] According to The Sunday Times , the road "offers a fairly wide mix of housing choices", with a "clear delineation" between the condominium complexes on one side of the road and the semi-detached houses on the other and offers "relative peace and [quietness]". The neighbourhood is popular with Indian expatriates due to its location near East Coast Park and the city. [11] In fact, the surrounding area of Meyer Road is nicknamed the "Little India of the East Coast" due to a large number of North Indians living there. [1]
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The following is a list of landmarks that are/were near Meyer Road:
Katong is a residential neighbourhood in the eastern portion of the Central Region of Singapore, within the Marine Parade planning area. The Katong district stretches from Fort Road area to the Joo Chiat area. It used to be located by the sea, before land reclamation towards the south to East Coast Park was created for housing and recreational purposes beginning in the 1960s to 1970s.
Marine Parade is a planning area and residential estate located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore. Straddling the tip of the southeastern coast of Pulau Ujong, Marine Parade serves as a buffer between the Central and East regions of the country. Bordering it are the planning areas of Geylang to the north, Kallang to the northwest, Bedok to the northeast, Marina East to the southwest and the Singapore Straits to the south.
Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.
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Kallang Basin is an enclosed bay in Kallang, Singapore. The Kallang River, Rochor River and Geylang River empty into the Kallang Basin. The Marina Channel connects the Kallang Basin with the Singapore Straits.
Tanjong Rhu, is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). The perimeter of Tanjong Rhu is made up of Nicoll Highway in the north; Mountbatten Road and Fort Road in the east; East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south; as well as Marina Channel and Kallang Basin in the west. Tanjong Rhu is the largest in terms of physical area among the nine subzones that make up Kallang.
This article shows the notable future developments in Singapore. Most of them are currently under construction with most to be completed within the next five years.
Fort Tanjong Katong, which stood from 1879 to 1901, was one of the oldest military forts built by the former British colonial government of Singapore. The fort gave its name to today's Fort Road, and it used to stand on the grounds of the present Katong Park. Fort Tanjong Katong, the only one of its kind on the eastern side of the island, was part of a series of defensive batteries and fortifications along the southern coast of Singapore, that defended the eastern approaches to the Singapore Harbour and Singapore Town against seaborne attacks. Due to its poor structural design and remoteness, the fort was subsequently abandoned and buried until its rediscovery in 2001. Found with traces of a moat and near intact perimeter wall, the fort was considered by local archaeological experts as one of Singapore's most important archaeological finds of a "true 19-century fort" to date. As a result, an archaeology group has been lobbying for the site to be gazetted as a National Monument. As of May 2010, the National Heritage Board has stated that it has no plans to gazette the fort for the time being.
Tanjong Katong Primary School is a government primary school, located on Seraya Road in Tanjong Katong, under Marine Parade Planning Area in the East Region of Singapore.
The Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore. Coloured brown on the rail map, it is fully underground. When fully completed, the sixth line on the country's MRT network will serve 32 stations around 43 kilometres (27 mi) in length, becoming one of the world's longest driverless rapid transit lines. It runs along a combined north–south and east–west corridor, starting in the north at Woodlands town, passing through Upper Thomson and the towns of Ang Mo Kio and Bishan, heading south to the city-centre at Orchard Road and Marina Bay, subsequently heading eastwards along the eastern coast of the country through Kallang, Marine Parade and southern Bedok before ending at Upper East Coast.
Tanjong Rhu MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL) in Kallang, Singapore. Situated at the junction of Tanjong Rhu Road and Tanjong Rhu Place, the station serves nearby condominiums such as Pebble Bay and Casuarina Cove. Other surrounding landmarks include the Tanjong Rhu Lookout Tower, Singapore Sports Hub and the Tanjong Rhu Footbridge.
Katong Park MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL). Situated along Meyer Road and adjacent to Katong Park, the station serves Dunman High School and Singapore Swimming School alongside nearby residential developments. The station is operated by SMRT Trains.
Tanjong Katong MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL). Located underneath Amber Road at the intersection with Tanjong Katong Road South and Meyer Road, the station serves nearby condominiums such as Aalto and King's Mansion. The station is operated by SMRT Trains.
Marine Parade MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the Thomson–East Coast line (TEL) in Marine Parade, Singapore. Located underneath Marine Parade Road, the station serves nearby residential and commercial developments including Parkway Parade, Roxy Square and I12 Katong.
Marine Terrace MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit station on the Thomson–East Coast line at the boundary of Marine Parade and Bedok planning areas, Singapore. The station took its name from Marine Terrace, a road as well as the residential estate within its proximity. Nearby residential areas such as Marine Terrace and Telok Kurau are also served.
Katong Park is neighborhood park located in Katong, Singapore at the junction of Meyer Road and Fort Road. Built in the 1930s above the buried remains of Fort Tanjong Katong, it was one of Singapore’s oldest parks with the first public bathing pagar and was highly popular with families during the weekends. After the coastal reclamation works in the 1970s, the park lost its sea frontage and declined greatly in popularity. It now remains as a small community park serving nearby residents.
Meyer Flats was an apartment building on Meyer Road in Katong, Singapore. Completed in 1928, it served as a companion block to the Crescent Flats, which was the first apartment building built in Singapore. Designed by Regent Alfred John Bidwell for Manasseh Meyer, both were demolished to make way for a condominium project.
Tanjong Rhu Road is a minor arterial road in Tanjong Rhu, Singapore. A combination of the words Tanjong and pokok rhu, the earliest mention of the road is thought to be in Emanuel Godiho de Erédia's 1604 map of Singapore where it was referred to as Tanjon Ru. In 1828, as a part of the Jackson Plan, Tanjong Rhu was made as a shipyard. However, there were squatters and water pollution in the shipyards, culminating in the government getting rid of them to build luxurious condominiums.
Crescent Flats, also known as The Crescent, was an apartment building on Meyer Road in Katong, Singapore. Completed in 1912, it is believed to have been the first apartment building built in Singapore. Designed by Regent Alfred John Bidwell for Manasseh Meyer, both the building and the neighbouring Meyer Flats, built as a companion block, were demolished to make way for a condominium project.
Sea View Hotel was a prominent hotel on Meyer Road in Singapore. Opened in 1906, it was converted from a bungalow owned by businessman Sir Manasseh Meyer, the road's namesake. In 1923, the hotel came under the ownership of the Sarkies Brothers, prominent hoteliers, after which it received extensive refurbishments. In its heyday in the 1930s, it was popular, especially with those who had recently recovered from an illness. The hotel suffered from several strikes in its final years of operation. It closed in 1964, after which it was demolished. Another hotel, also named Sea View Hotel, opened near the former premises of the original hotel in 1969.