Decofabulous

Bangulzai SG

Decofabulous

Appreciating Art Deco architecture in glossy, glassy Singapore. By Ramesh William

It’s pretty safe to say that not everyone jumped with glee and yelled “woo-hoo!”recently upon hearing that the historic Clifford Pier will reopen in September, refurbished and all, sporting an upscale restaurant and a (yawn!) bar.

Boats of multifarious persuasions ceased calling in at this regal Art Deco landmark sometime ago now, and one can’t help but muse that the authorities may have missed a trick on this one. Instead of plumping for the eye-rollingly predictable—that of yet another (doubtlessly) transient “lifestyle space,” they could have gone with something a little less exclusive and a helluva lot more permanent. A public space, be it some form of walkthrough gallery or a museum, to celebrate the seafaring days of yore on what was once Singapore’s southern shore before reclamation devoured the sea, would have been a more tasteful ode to one of the totems of 1930s local Art Deco architecture.

The renowned Indian architect Charles Correa once remarked, “Architecture is an extraordinarily sensitive indicator of our times, of our values and of our dreams.” And Art Deco symbolized the zeitgeist of the period between the two world wars, when it infused elements of Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau and Futurism into all aspects of the decorative arts—including architecture, film, graphic arts, painting and fashion.

It also borrowed heavily from Egyptian iconography (influenced by the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922) and Mesoamerican culture (through exhibits at early 20th century World Fairs) with the ubiquitous use of ziggurats (square pyramids of the Aztecs).

The 20th century was an era of unparalleled technological advancement and Art Deco, as a burgeoning aesthetic movement, sought to incorporate and express the speed and intensity—through swishes, swooping facades, curved walls, speed lines and stepped profiles—at which electricity, the motorcar, radio, trains, planes and ocean liners were fast transforming civilization.
Such eclectic building form depicting contemporary undercurrents is strikingly evident a mere 200 meters away from Clifford Pier (built in 1933) in the curvy façade and the rounded balconies (reminiscent of those found on ocean liners of the day) of the fiercely handsome Waterboat House (1919), which till 1990, supplied fresh water to incoming ships. Another fine embodiment is the grand Kallang Airport (1936), with its ornate interiors, fluid, intricate railings and columns.

Art Deco’s bold use of anthropomorphic curves, decorative twists, geometric forms, clean lines, vivid colors and its intrinsically cheery, modern nature filled the populace with optimism, suffusing them with renewed hope in the aftermath of the Great Depression, which hit Singapore hard, while endowing a keen sense of civic pride.

One wonders if we can take civic pride in the buildings of today? Can we find pleasure and comfort in all this glass, gloss and shiny metal, or are they simply vacuous, soaring temples to capitalism, commerce and high-end tourism?

The Story So Far
The aforementioned historic landmarks have already been bestowed conservation status by the government, but there are many, especially the Art Deco shophouses, which lie unprotected from the wrecking-balled greed of developers.

Unlike New York City’s skyscrapers, it was the humble shophouse that provided Singapore with its wittiest, and most common, examples of Art Deco. Here the classical motifs of the early shophouse style were streamlined into geometric design, and decorative wall tiles were totally dispensed with. Literally topping it all off was (and still is) the emblematic flag mast and the date on the façade.

Also incorporated into the shophouse structure is the five-foot walkway (a town planning diktat from Sir Stamford Raffles himself, aimed at protecting people from the elements), along with sunshades, overhangs and ledges around windows to provide shade and rain deflection.

Hence, these local examples of tropical deco survive and remain relevant because they are not merely standard issues of a movement, but instead have adapted perfectly to suit present living and working conditions.

But would functionality alone save it from a possible bleak fate? For unlike its ornate predecessors—like those masterfully restored examples found on Syed Alwi Road and Emerald Hill—these might be deemed too bland and too boxy to be worth preserving. Some excellent examples of these are to be found on, and off, South Bridge Road and North Canal Road and they, unlike their restored counterparts in Chinatown’s Bukit Pasoh Road, Keong Saik Road, Ann Siang Hill and Amoy Street enclaves, haven’t been slated (yet) for conservation.

The Cathay Building (1939) and the Asia Insurance Building (1954) were the skyscrapers that screamed Art Deco in Singapore. The latter with its stepped façade, distinctive roofline and crown will get a new lease of life as a luxurious serviced apartment complex run by the Ascott Group, while The Cathay, after numerous makeovers, looks more like any other mall today than a once proud cinema.

One of Singapore’s leading contemporary architects Randy Chan, agrees that The Cathay has lost its original charm. He says, “The preservation of Cathay, with its mixed use of retail and cinema has been a superficial and an unsuccessful one.” Which is a pity because the local cinema provided most Singaporeans with a memorable first-hand exposure to Art Deco. Aside from The Cathay, the now defunct Roxy cinema in Katong, the Alhambra along Beach Road and the Majestic Theatre in Chinatown were all also oases of fantasy, glamour and escapism.

Even Singapore’s fairground fixtures—Great World, Gay World and New World—boasted welcoming, stepped Art Deco facades which screamed fun and good times ahead, and though long gone, they still occupy many a sunny corner in the collective memories of Singaporeans.

The Future of Art Deco
So what will become of Art Deco classics in land scarce Singapore? Well, there’s a high likelihood that the remaining ones will be preserved for conservation. After years of relentlessly razing down swathes of city neighborhoods in the name of progress and modernization, prompting the late local poet Arthur Yap to once lament “There is no future in nostalgia,” the Government began a concerted conservation plan in the late 1980s, which has helped restore and revive numerous vestiges of our past.

Former Senior Minister S Rajaratnam said in 1984: “Buildings demolished are historical records gone. While some must make way for progress, some, we hope, will remain to link us with our past.” “I think as a city grows, there is a need to accommodate periodical buildings alongside new developments,” says architect Randy Chan. “It is also important that the street not be gentrified overnight—this was the main criticism of the early planning policy of the Urban Renewal Authority (URA). Instead of a tabula rasa (blank slate) attitude in the name of progress, it is imperative that we see such buildings readapted to modern uses and reintroduced to the cityscape.”

Chan himself bought and restored a unit in an Art Deco building along Selegie Road, transforming it into a bar and art gallery known as Night & Day.
Preserving buildings is one thing, engaging with them or urban spaces for that matter is another thing altogether. We’ve seen instances of how Singaporeans engage with space; the same people who cried an ocean over the loss the National Library on Fort Canning probably didn’t think twice about signing over their home for a collective en-bloc sale.

But how do we get people to engage with space, or to love a particular building? How do we even get them to appreciate Art Deco? Should our buildings be symbolic of the times? If so, what architectural form best represents the prevailing materialistic ethos of the noughties?
With so much inconsistency in our urban landscape, be it due to the present mélange of confused architectural styles or the spatially disorienting aspect of losing so many of our urban reference points, it’s nice to know that the quirks and eclecticism of our Art Deco fixtures are still alive and kicking and retain the power to uplift our spirits.

Singapore’s Art Deco Highlights

Asia Insurance Building
2 Finlayson Green
Once known fondly as the Robot building because of its unique design and rectilinear dashes, the Asia Insurance Building has been an icon of Singapore architecture for well over 55 years. The 20-floor Art Deco masterpiece was once Southeast Asia’s tallest building and was also a prestigious office address. It will assume a new guise in the third quarter of this year when it reopens as the Ascott Singapore Raffles Place.

“The decision to buy and conserve the landmark building was a no-brainer,” says Celina Low, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Brand & Marketing at Ascott International Management. “The building stands on a strategic site between the old Central Business District and the new Business and Financial Centre. “Also where possible, we tried to recreate the Art Deco opulence in Ascott Singapore Raffles Place through various ways. At its entrance, the original Nero Portaro granite colonnade will welcome you to this exclusive serviced residence. Step further into the lobby and you will see a mosaic grand staircase with timber railings—a throwback to the luxury of the bygone era.

Cathay
2 Handy Road
The Cathay today is, in the words of a leading architecture magazine, “An incoherent collage of styles, not anymore an Art Deco architectural classic by any stretch of the imagination.” Completed in 1939, the 16-storey building cost a cool million—boasting luxurious stone finishes in the lobby—and was the island’s first skyscraper, which pilots used as their final approach into Kallang Airport. Cathay’s Art Deco façade was gazetted as a national monument but the remainder has been renovated on numerous occasions in its 69-year history. Today the iconic keystone with the vertical letters spelling out “C-A-T-H-A-Y” has long been demolished and part of the central podium wall cladded over in shiny steel.

Its new transparent façade is solely designed to engage the city by presenting the contents of the building as a form of spectacle. Which means, it’s a mall with a Cineplex, not the other way around.

Kallang Airport
9 Stadium Link
Shortly before her disappearance in 1937, Amelia Earhart hailed Kallang Airport as “an aviation miracle of the East.”
Upon proposing the building of the airport in 1931, Governor Sir Cecil Clementi prophetically trumpeted, “Looking into the future, I expect to see Singapore become one of the largest and most important airports of the world...”
The genesis of Changi’s present day success lies within these walls, and with the People’s Association vacating the premises after 49 years next year, it is time to give the Grand Old Dame a fitting role. With its generous grounds, a civilian aviation museum would be perfect. We for one would sorely be tempted to place ourselves in the path of a speeding concrete mixer if they turn this into a kitschy seafood restaurant.

Ford Motor Factory
351 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Perched on a hillock, the Ford Motor Factory with its chunky exteriors and soaring facades, is one of the more magnificent exemplars of Art Deco on the island. In 1939, Ford opened its assembly plant here in Bukit Timah which later infamously became the site of the British surrender. After many years of neglect and under-utilization, the premises is now a war museum focusing on the Fall of Singapore.

Parkview Square
600 North Bridge Road
Probably the tallest Art Deco building outside Manhattan, Parkview Square has got to be one of the most curious buildings in Singapore. With its wholesale adaptation of 1920s New York Deco glitz, it comes off as pretentious and stuffy. The lobby of the building is filled with ornate decorations motifs, sculptures and numerous handcrafted items and its bar has a three-storey wine chiller.

Art Deco Clusters
It’s high time someone started an Art Deco appreciation society walking club, and if someone does, here’s where they can go for a look-see:

Arab Sreet/Bugis
You won’t find too many old-school examples of Art Deco in this quarter of the city, but you’ll find a veritable Deco classic in the former premises of Chung Cheng School on Aliwal Street. The only drawback: A tacky costume shop leases a good part of the building.

Armenian Street
A whole row of shophouses here will be out of action for restoration work after it was recently awarded conservation status. A particular highlight will be the Mayfair Hotel when it reopens on the junction of Loke Yew Road.

Chinatown
The gentrified, upscale nooks of Amoy Street, Club Street and Ann Siang Hill offer the odd Art Deco highlight. The true gems are found off Neil Rd on Keong Saik and Bukit Pasoh Road, where retro coffeshops (the red and white number on the junction of Teck Lim Road and Keong Saik Road is easily Singapore’s most recognized Art Deco coffeeshop building) and even retro-type uncles infuse the area with a hearty sprinkling of charm.

Lavender Street/Jalan Besar
You’ll find a whole cornucopia of Art Deco gems—from the funky Taoist temple on Beatty Lane to impressive balcony fronted shophouses on Hamilton Road—it’s well worth your time to give the area a good old-fashioned checking out.

Little India
Race Course Road has several phat looking Art Deco mommas that are used by clan associations. The open spaces and column free interiors make it highly suitable for bringing out the Mahjong tables and all other forms socializing. You may not necessarily place Little India and churches in the same thought bubble, but Singapore’s most “street” enclave boasts two Art Deco churches in the Kampong Kapor Methodist Church and the nearby Church of The True Light.
Also check out Hotel 81 on Mayo Street and the Madras Hotel on Madras Street—both boast pastel walls, speed lines, rounded fins and large windows—a little piece of Miami Beach in Singapore.

South Bridge Road
South Bridge Road itself has some great looking Deco buildings, while Carpenter and Hong Kong Streets are institutions in their own right, with Art Deco shophouses dotted throughout. These shophouses still continue to house a large number of dried goods wholesalers, but space is also being taken up by KTV bars, production and design houses and recording studios. Also check out the colorful Deco buildings on nearby North Canal Road.

Circular Road/Boat Quay
Circular Road has Singapore’s answer to the flatiron building, and this classic Deco building today boasts Khazana restaurant and Archipelago Brewery as its proud occupants. The street also has some fine examples of Art Deco shophouses and although Boat Quay too has some obvious deco landmarks, they’re looking a bit forlorn and worse for wear, much like Boat Quay itself.

Tanjong Katong/Joo Chiat
Loads of fine Art Deco buildings can also be found jostling alongside Joo Chiat Road’s numerous newspaper-featured hawker stalls. The popular Bombay Café on Tanjong Katong Road is tucked in a cozy corner of one of a few Art Deco buildings on this busy road. The old Tanjong Katong Girls school across the street is also a good example.

The section of Tiong Bahru bordered by Seng Poh, Outram and Tiong Poh Roads was given conservation status in 2003, making it the first public housing estate to be preserved. “The legacy left behind by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) in the 1930s was the spacious and green communal areas as well as attractively designed blocks,”says Randy Chan. “That legacy has carried through till today with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) where open, green, communal areas are still very much part and parcel of the today’s public housing design.”

Interestingly, the design of the new Tiong Bahru Market, with its concrete ledges, rounded corner treatments and circular columns bear all the hallmarks echo the of Art Deco architecture. However, not all of Tiong Bahru has conservation status—the row of four-storey flats on the straight road towards Tiong Bahru Plaza was built later and is equally fascinating architecturally. A striking feature of these 1950s flats is their pillbox gun turret-like staircases. Similarly designed blocks along Prinsep Street have been bulldozed to make way for the present La Salle-SIA College of the Arts, and one seriously hopes that a similar fate isn’t in store for this parcel.

i-s mag