Meyer Road

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Meyer Road
Junction of Meyer Road and Tanjong Katong Road South.jpg
The end of Meyer Road (junction between Meyer Road and Tanjong Katong Road)
Namesake Manasseh Meyer
TypePrimary access
Owner Land Transport Authority (LTA)
Maintained byLTA
Length1.4 km (0.87 mi)
Nearest Mass Rapid Transit station Katong Park MRT station and Tanjong Katong MRT station
Coordinates1°17'53.16", 103°53'29.76"
FromTanjong Rhu Road
ToTanjong 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]

Contents

History

Sea View Hotel in 1928, shortly after it was rebuilt Sea View Hotel in 1928.png
Sea View Hotel in 1928, shortly after it was rebuilt

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]

Fort Tanjong Katong in 1880 John Edmund Taylor, A Fort at Tanjong Katong, Singapore (1880, Wellcome V0037520).jpg
Fort Tanjong Katong in 1880

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]

The Embassy Hotel in March 1953, a month before its opening Embassy Hotel March 1953.png
The Embassy Hotel in March 1953, a month before its opening

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]

Details

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]

Landmarks

[ additional citation(s) needed ]

Chinese National Day at 61 Meyer Road in 1936 61 Meyer Road in 1936.png
Chinese National Day at 61 Meyer Road in 1936
"Hollywood" in September 1934 Braddell House Meyer Road 1934.png
"Hollywood" in September 1934
The residence of M. E. Isaac in 1938 M. E. Isaac residence.png
The residence of M. E. Isaac in 1938
Exit 1 of Katong Park station along Meyer Road (SGP-Singapore) Katong Park MRT Station Exit 1 2024-06-23.jpg
Exit 1 of Katong Park station along Meyer Road

The following is a list of landmarks that are/were near Meyer Road:

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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.

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent Flats</span> Apartment in Singapore, Singapore

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea View Hotel</span>

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.

References

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