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media coverage150 year-old Malacca townhouses to serve as a Centre for Asian Architecture and Urban Heritage
28 Sep 2009
A brief historical insight into 54-56 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock
Dating back to the mid-19th century, Unit 54 was first used as a medical facility better known as Ong Maternity House by Dr Ong Bak Hin in the 1930s. Dr Ong was one of NUS' early medical graduates of the King Edward VII Medical School, the former Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School from which NUS traces its origins. Over the years, the units have assumed many business identities, including a clinic and even a rumah tumpangan or rest-house. Ms Agnes Tan, daughter of the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock, purchased and bequeathed the two townhouses to the NUS Department of Architecture.
PAST IDENTITY: The sign on the front doorway reveals one of the past identities of the townhouses
CONSERVATION: The original windows of the townhouse that were retained as part of the conservation effort
OFFICIAL OPENING: (From left) Dean of NUS School of Design and Environment, Prof Heng Chye Kiang; University of Malaya Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Ghauth Jasmon; State Chairman of the Tourism, Cultural and Heritage Committee The Honourable Datuk Seet Har Cheow; TYT Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka His Excellency Tun Datuk Seri Utama Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob; Ms Agnes Tan; NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan; Ms Tan Siok Choo and Head of the Department of Architecture Assoc Prof Wong Yunn Chii
SHOWCASE: (From left) NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan; TYT Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka His Excellency Tun Datuk Seri Utama Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob; Head of Department of Architecture Assoc Prof Wong Yunn Chii and Dean of NUS School of Design and Environment Prof Heng Chye Kiang (far right)
An old maternity ward signage and the wall remains of a stable stall are among the relics found at the two townhouses located at 54-56 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Malacca. Officially opened on 26 September by Guest-of-Honour, the Governor of Malacca, TYT Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka, His Excellency Tun Datuk Seri Utama Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob, the 150 year-old townhouses would be used by the NUS Department of Architecture of the School of Design & Environment (SDE) as a field school and resource centre.
Dating back to the mid-19th century, Unit 54 was first used as a medical facility better known as Ong Maternity House by Dr Ong Bak Hin in the 1930s. Dr Ong was one of NUS' early medical graduates of the King Edward VII Medical School, the former Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School from which NUS traces its origins. Over the years, the units have assumed many business identities, including a clinic and even a rumah tumpangan or rest-house. Ms Agnes Tan, daughter of the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock, purchased and bequeathed the two townhouses to the NUS Department of Architecture.
PAST IDENTITY: The sign on the front doorway reveals one of the past identities of the townhouses
CONSERVATION: The original windows of the townhouse that were retained as part of the conservation effort
OFFICIAL OPENING: (From left) Dean of NUS School of Design and Environment, Prof Heng Chye Kiang; University of Malaya Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Ghauth Jasmon; State Chairman of the Tourism, Cultural and Heritage Committee The Honourable Datuk Seet Har Cheow; TYT Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka His Excellency Tun Datuk Seri Utama Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob; Ms Agnes Tan; NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan; Ms Tan Siok Choo and Head of the Department of Architecture Assoc Prof Wong Yunn Chii
SHOWCASE: (From left) NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan; TYT Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka His Excellency Tun Datuk Seri Utama Mohd Khalil bin Yaakob; Head of Department of Architecture Assoc Prof Wong Yunn Chii and Dean of NUS School of Design and Environment Prof Heng Chye Kiang (far right)
The townhouses were acquired and restored through a S$ 1.5 million gift by Ms Agnes Tan, daughter of the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a highly-respected Peranakan community leader.
Delivering his speech in Malacca to an audience which include Chief Minister of Malacca, The Most Honourable Datuk Seri Hj Mohd Ali Bin Rustam, NUS President Prof Tan Chorh Chuan said: "Embodying the spirit of giving, Ms Agnes Tan has made a very generous gift to NUS that has enabled these two townhouses to be transformed into a rich resource for the study of Asian architectural and urban heritage."
"By giving these houses a new lease of life, it is my hope that they will perpetuate the vision of my father, a son of Malacca, who believed strongly in the pursuit of knowledge and education, and that they will become a place where many who are passionate about Asian culture and architecture can gain a deeper experience, and encourage meaningful exchanges," said Ms Tan. Earlier in 2005, Ms Tan presented NUS with a gift of S$4 million for the Baba House in Singapore.
The two townhouses were restored over a period of two years by a group of six NUS academics and undergraduates working with a Malacca-based conservation architect and building contractors. On the challenges met during the restoration process, Assoc Prof Johannes Widodo, Department of Architecture, explained that conservation work is very complex as the original materials used in the building are not readily available. He noted that care was taken to maintain the authenticity of the townhouses and to make them as a useful pedagogical tool.
The completed townhouses will serve as a field school or a practice and demonstration school in architectural and urban heritage conservation for NUS students, architects and historians. The townhouses will also act as a resource centre, actively receiving, collecting and producing materials to encourage and promote research and communication of findings.
At the opening, Prof Tan also announced the Tan Tun Tan Cheng Lock Scholarships in Architecture, an endowed scholarship by Ms Tan, where NUS students and Southeast Asian students reading accredited architecture courses will have the opportunity to benefit from the scholarship. Up to four scholarships at a total value of up to S$20,000 will be administered through the NUS Department of Architecture at any given time in each academic year. Head of the NUS Department of Architecture Assoc Prof Wong Yunn Chii said the scholarship will allow students to collectively share and understand knowledge on problems special to Asia, in particular the issue on the pressure of historical areas in urban centres.
