Rochor Centre

Last updated
Rochor Centre
Rochor Centre, Jan 06.JPG
Rochor Centre from Rochor Canal
Rochor Centre
General information
StatusDemolished
Address1 Rochor Road, Singapore 180001
CountrySingapore
Coordinates 1°18′10″N103°51′18″E / 1.302722°N 103.854918°E / 1.302722; 103.854918
Construction started1975
Completed1977
Opened1977
DemolishedMay 2018
Owner Housing Development Board
Website
Official website

Rochor Centre was a group of buildings in Singapore built by the Housing and Development Board. Dating back to the 1970s, there was an increasing number of people living in slum-like condition with poor sanitation due to the insufficient housing for Singapore's increasing population. Therefore, as part of the urban renewal program under the Housing and Development Board, Rochor Centre was completed in 1977 to take in residents and businesses that were uprooted across the city.

Contents

Location and building description

An aerial perspective of the demolition of Rochor Centre Shot in October 2018 Dismantling of Rochor Centre Shot on October 2018.jpg
An aerial perspective of the demolition of Rochor Centre Shot in October 2018
Rochor Centre Buildings.jpg

Situated on the fringe of the centre business district in Bugis, Rochor Centre left a strong impression on the urban landscape of Singapore with its colourful facades. Bounded by Ophir, and Rochor Roads, Rochor Centre is home to an eclectic mixed of developments. However, the bustling activity of Rochor Centre will gradually fade with its vivid colours into the pages of history as it makes way for the upcoming North-South Corridor (NSC) and Ophir-Rochor development programme. Like many other public housing estates that was built during this period, Rochor Centre was designed in a podium-and-tower style building that originally housed 567 households and 183 shops. [1] The void deck located on the 4th storey acts as a communal space that cater to the residents’ recreational and social needs, separating the commercial units on the first 3 storey and the residential units from the 5th storey and onward.

Early Days

Before Rochor Centre was built, the neighborhood was predominantly shophouses involved in trade and commerce that supports communities of coolies and trishaw riders from Hokchia who have settled there. These Hokchia settlers came from the city of Fuqing in the northern part of Fujian province. In their pastime, they found solace in opium and gambling. As a result, this area gained notoriety for its opium and gambling dens. [2]

Similarly, in the same period, the residents of the Rochor Centre had to put up with the strong stench because the night soil trucks had their deposit point located opposite the complex. The night soil collection centre was then phased out in 1987, and has since been replaced by Albert Complex till today. Besides that, Rochor Centre earned its nickname as “Little Johor” in mid 1980s for being a popular stopover for the newly arrived Malaysians who disembarked at the Queen Street Bus Terminal located on Queen Street. This terminal serves as a terminating point for cross-border bus and taxi services between Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Void Deck on Rochor Area.jpg

Like any other public housing estates, Rochor Centre started its life as some plain looking high-rise buildings with a greyish-white coat. It was only in early 1994 when all the blocks underwent a revamped as part of the Interim Upgrading Program. In the late 2000s that they were then repainted with brightly coloured facades of differing shades of blue, green, red and yellow. Due to its bold façade, Rochor Centre then became an iconic landmark in the Rochor area, listed by the Urban Redevelopment Authority [3] (URA) to be protected. [4]

Programs and Amenities

Podium and Tower Style.jpg
"No Trespassing" notice placed at Rochor Center, as the entire building has been barricaded from the public from 1 March 2017 to 17 July 2017. No trespassing notice.jpg
"No Trespassing" notice placed at Rochor Center, as the entire building has been barricaded from the public from 1 March 2017 to 17 July 2017.

Rochor Centre has over 183 shops that sell a wide variety of goods. [5] Out of the 183 shops at Rochor Centre, 15 were involved in the traditional ceremonial businesses, selling religious items such as joss sticks and candles. This serves as a convenience stopover for the Taoist and Buddhist devotees that regularly visit the famous Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple located 350m away on Waterloo Street. Not only that, some of the shops were relocated to Rochor Centre when Blanco Court was acquired in 1997 making way for Raffles Hospital today. [6]

Rochor Centre was also the first housing estate that housed the first old folks home called the Rochore Kongsi Home for the Aged. It was opened in 1977 by Dr Toh Chin Chye, then Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament of Rochor district. According to Dr Toh, the term “Kongsi” means sharing together in Malay and the reason behind this pilot project is that he felt that the aged no longer need to feel estranged from and overlooked by the rest of the world just because they are in their silver generation. As such, the old folks home was built not only to provide a place for the destitute elderly that was found in Rochor area, but also helps to foster a sense of community responsibility in the residents of Rochor Centre. [7]

Surrounding Context

Rochor Canal Panorama. Shot October 2018 Rochor Canal Aerial Panorama October 2018.jpg
Rochor Canal Panorama. Shot October 2018

Other than being a landmark in the Rochor area, Rochor Centre has a longstanding relationship in existence to its surrounding context. It denotes the end of the 1.1 km-long Rochor Canal. Built in 1836, the canal not only served as a conduit that separates Kampong Glam and Little India, it was also a source of portable water for several industries and a channel for the transportation of goods in the early years. The canal was then given a clean look after a four-year long facelift under the Public Utilities Board (PUB) Active, Beautiful, and Clean Waters programme [8] on 8 March 2015. Today, the canal has been transformed into an urban boulevard with amenities such as benches, pedestrian bridges and community plaza that stitches together the neighborhoods along its route. [9]

Redevelopment

However, in November 2011, it was announced that the Rochor Centre would be acquired by the government to make way for the new 21.5 km North-South Corridor (NSC) and the development of the Ophir-Rochor Corridor. This North-South Corridor will become Singapore’s 11th expressway and connects the northern parts of the island with the East Coast Parkway (ECP) when it is completed in 2026. The hope is this will reduce the burden off the congested Central Expressway, Singapore (CTE) and benefit those living in the East and North of Singapore by cutting down the rush hour journeys by up to 30%. After the completion of North-South Corridor, there will be a new commercial development located at the former Rochor Centre, and it will be named "The Rochor Residences/Offices", and there will also be an integrated transport hub, replacing Queen Street Bus Terminal and named 'Bugis Bus Interchange'. [10]

As a result, the residents of Rochor Centre were then relocated to Kallang Trivista, [11] an HDB development with a mix of commercial and residential activities located on Upper Boon Keng Road latest by the end of March 2017. Shops and businesses were also relocated to other parts of Singapore. As of December 2016, 504 of the 567 households who were living in Rochor Centre at the time of its closure had accepted apartments in the Kallang Trivista complex. [12] As of January 2016, 106 shops (out of the original 183) had closed while 36 households (out of 567) had moved out. [13] On 31 March 2016, it was reported that shop tenants would be required to move out by 30 September that year. [14]

Carpark signboard advising drivers that the carpark will be closing from 31 March 2017, as of 1 April 2017, the entry/exit had been barricaded and the Electronic Parking System removed. Carpark closure signboard.jpg
Carpark signboard advising drivers that the carpark will be closing from 31 March 2017, as of 1 April 2017, the entry/exit had been barricaded and the Electronic Parking System removed.

As of 1 April 2017, the entire building had been barricaded and the carpark permanently closed. Pedestrians were advised to stay away from the area since February 2018. Demolition started on 26 June 2018 and completed in April 2019; it became an empty plot of land.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing and Development Board</span> Organization for public housing in Singapore

The Housing & Development Board, is a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development responsible for the public housing in Singapore. Established in 1960 as a result of efforts in the late 1950s to set up an authority to take over the Singapore Improvement Trust's (SIT) public housing responsibilities, the HDB focused on the construction of emergency housing and the resettlement of kampong residents into public housing in the first few years of its existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geylang</span> Planning Area and HDB town in Central Region, Singapore

Geylang is a planning area and township located on the eastern fringe of the Central Region of Singapore, bordering Hougang and Toa Payoh in the north, Marine Parade in the south, Bedok in the east, and Kallang in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kallang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Kallang is a planning area and residential zone located in the Central Region of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampines</span> Planning area and regional centre in East Region, Singapore

Tampines is the regional centre of the East Region of Singapore. With a population of 265,340 living across its five subzones, it is the second-most populous planning area in Singapore, according to the DOS Population Trends 2022. It is home to approximately 5% of Singapore's population. Tampines is bordered to the west by Bedok and Paya Lebar, to the north by Pasir Ris, to the east by Changi, and to the south by the Straits of Singapore. Situated in the historical region of Tanah Merah, its present-day terrain is particularly flat due to the large-scale sand quarrying in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenstown, Singapore</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Queenstown is a planning area and satellite residential town situated on the south-westernmost fringe of the Central Region of Singapore. It borders Bukit Timah to the north, Tanglin to the northeast, Bukit Merah to the east and southeast, as well as Clementi to the northwest and west. Its southern and southwesternmost limits are bounded by the Pandan Strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toa Payoh</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in Central Region ----, Singapore

Toa Payoh is a planning area and mature residential town located in the northern part of the Central Region of Singapore. Toa Payoh planning area borders Bishan and Serangoon to the north, the Central Water Catchment to the northwest, Kallang to the south, Geylang to the southeast, Novena to the west and Hougang to the east. Toa Payoh New Town is situated in the western portion of the Toa Payoh planning area. The latter occupies a much larger area, encompassing estates such as Potong Pasir and Bidadari.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boon Lay</span> Place in Singapore

Boon Lay is a neighbourhood located in the town of Jurong West in the West Region of Singapore. Its borders very roughly correspond to the URA subzone of Boon Lay Place, situated within the Jurong West Planning Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Area, Singapore</span> City centre in Central Region, Singapore

The Central Area, also called the City Area, and informally The City, is the main commercial city centre of Singapore. Located in the south-eastern part of the Central Region, the Central Area consists of eleven constituent planning areas: the Downtown Core, Marina East, Marina South, the Museum Planning Area, Newton, Orchard, Outram, River Valley, Rochor, the Singapore River and Straits View, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The term Central Business District (CBD) has also been used to describe most of the Central Area as well, although its boundaries lie within the Downtown Core.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Novena, Singapore</span> Planning Area the Central Region of Singapore

Novena is a planning area located within the Central Region of Singapore. Novena is bounded by Toa Payoh to the north, Bukit Timah to the west, Tanglin to the south and Kallang to the east. While Novena is not classified as a "new town" by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the estate of Whampoa within the subzone of Balestier constitutes part of the Kallang/Whampoa New Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sengkang</span> Planning Area and HDB Town in North-East Region ----, Singapore

Sengkang is a planning area and residential town located in the North-East Region of Singapore. The town is the second most populous in the region, being home to 249,370 residents in 2020. Sengkang shares boundaries with Seletar and Punggol in the north, Pasir Ris and Paya Lebar in the east, Hougang and Serangoon to the south, as well as Yishun and Ang Mo Kio to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tanjong Rhu</span> Subzone of Kallang Planning Area in Central Region

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Future developments in Singapore</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North-East Region, Singapore</span> Region in Singapore

The North-East Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the country. The region is the most densely populated and has the highest population among the five, with Sengkang being its most populous town as of 2020 and Seletar as the regional centre. Comprising 13,810 hectares, it includes seven planning areas and is largely a residential region with 217,120 homes. Housing largely consists of high-density HDB public housing estates, however private housing is also present in the region. As its name implies, it is located in the north-eastern part of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochor River</span> River in Singapore

The Rochor River is a canalised river in Kallang of the Central Region in Singapore. The river is about 0.8 km in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kovan, Singapore</span> Place in Singapore

Kovan is a neighbourhood located within the town of Hougang, in Singapore. The neighbourhood today largely consists of private housing properties, where majority of the residents live in terrace homes, semi-detached houses and bungalows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North–South Corridor, Singapore</span> Future expressway and cycling path in Singapore

The North–South Corridor (NSC), originally conceptualised as the North-South Expressway (NSE), is an under-construction expressway that will be the 11th of Singapore's network of expressways when completed. The North South Corridor will serve increasing traffic along the north-south corridor that is currently served by the Central Expressway (CTE). The 21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi) expressway is expected to cost about S$7.47 billion when fully completed in 2029 as North-South Corridor and will connect the East Coast Parkway (ECP) with the northern parts of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New towns of Singapore</span> Administrative organization of public housing buildings

The new towns of Singapore are planned communities located across Singapore that are designed to be self contained. Designed to house up to 300,000 residents, these new towns contain areas zoned for housing, recreation and employment, and are composed of multiple neighbourhoods, each of which is further subdivided into multiple precincts. Amenities in these new towns are provided through a multi-tiered system, and based on Housing and Development Board (HDB) guidelines. As of 2022, the country has 24 new towns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lavender, Singapore</span> Subzone of Kallang Planning Area in Central Region, Singapore

Lavender is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Lavender is composed of an area bounded by Tessensohn Road in the north; Balestier Road, Lavender Street and Crawford Street in the east; the Rochor River and Rochor Canal in the south; as well as Syed Alwi Road, Serangoon Road and Rangoon Road in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crawford, Singapore</span> Subzone of Kallang Planning Area in Central Region, Singapore

Crawford is a subzone within the planning area of Kallang, Singapore, as defined by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA). Its perimeter is made up of Rochor River and Rochor Canal in the north; Crawford Street, Nicoll Highway, Kallang Basin and Marina Channel in the east; East Coast Parkway (ECP) in the south; as well as Ophir Road, Beach Road and Jalan Sultan in the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaw Tower, Singapore</span> Defunct commercial tower in Singapore

Shaw Tower, also sometimes referred to as Shaw Towers, is a defunct high-rise commercial building located on Beach Road in Singapore. At the time of its completion in 1975, the tower housed the largest cinema in Singapore.

References

  1. ↑ Johnny Chen. "The Colours of Rochor Centre" . Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Jerome Lim. "Parting glances: Rochor Centre in its last days" . Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Plan showing Gateways, Landmark Sites & Focal Points". Urban Redevelopment Authority.
  4. ↑ Johnny Chen. "The Colours of Rochor Centre" . Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "Rochor Centre". Housing and Development Board. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Johnny Chen. "The Colours of Rochor Centre" . Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Toh Yong Chuan. "In Search of old Rochore" . Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  8. ↑ "Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters Programme". Public Utilities Board.
  9. ↑ Johnny Chen. "The Colours of Rochor Centre" . Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  10. ↑ "City Centre - Rochor / Ophir". Urban Redevelopment Authority.
  11. ↑ "Kallang Trivista brochure" (PDF). HDB
  12. ↑ Sen, Ng Jun (24 December 2016). "Rochor Centre community to live on in Kallang with most residents moving to new flats there". Straits Times. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  13. ↑ Chia, Rachel; Teo, Dominic (31 March 2016). "Long-time residents bid goodbye to Rochor Centre: 'Each neighbour is worth a million bucks'". The Straits Times . Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Chia, Rachel; Teo, Dominic (31 March 2016). "Counting down to the end of Rochor Centre". The Straits Times . Retrieved 1 April 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.