The streamlined blocks
Round corners, curved balconies.
Qingwu Zhou (周庆武) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kok Leng Yeo from Singapore. — CC BY 2.0 · Qingwu Zhou (周庆武) — CC BY-SA 3.0 · M. Adrian Jurhami — CC BY 4.0 · Qingwu Zhou (周庆武) — CC BY-SA 3.0
Tiong Bahru is the oldest planned housing estate in Singapore, built in the 1920s by a colonial trust that came before today's Housing Board. It is known for its streamlined old blocks in Art Deco style, and visitors come to stroll among its trees, cafes and independent shops. The original estate has 54 low-rise blocks with over 900 homes, built by the Singapore Improvement Trust, along with newer public and private housing. Since the mid-2000s it has become known for smart cafes and independent shops amid pre-war architecture. It also has an old air raid shelter, a relic of that period. You walk along shaded paths between round-cornered blocks with curved balconies and outside spiral stairs. At the centre are Seng Poh Garden and small cafes, and the green-domed Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah Mosque stands at the edge of the estate with a Chinese temple not far away, a sign of its mixed population. The area is also known for a popular food centre. It is 2.1 km in a straight line from the Pinnacle@Duxton and 1.9 km from the Southern Ridges, and the metro serves it. Mornings are best for walking, though some cafes open a little later. It is a residential area, so respect people's privacy when taking pictures. Ask about halal food at the food centre and cafes, as not all are.
Round corners, curved balconies.
At the heart of the estate.
A green dome at the edge.
Central Singapore, near Tiong Bahru station
Its old Art Deco blocks, cafes and independent shops.
Yes, the green-domed Jamiyah Ar-Rabitah Mosque at the edge of the estate.
