Friday, December 19, 2008

Untouched by time


Can you identify the place shown in this photo? It is one of those few places that has not changed much in decades. You can be forgiven if you mistook it for some place in Malaysia. But it is actually right here in modern Singapore.

There are few places like this around. But it won’t remain like this for long. Big changes are coming to this place soon ….. and that’s the hint.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

If my eyes are not playing tricks on me, the building on the right is from a pre-WW2 era somewhere in Bukit Timah Road.

Anonymous said...

The sign says "Fourth Ave" :-) So yes, it is in Bukit Timah. Behind the former Police Force Transport Branch. Junction with Third Avenue ?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the sign says Fourth Avenue... What's going to happen here?

I recently saw pics of the streets in the Jalan Kayu/Seletar Airbase area having huge signs put up, saying "This road will be expunged"... It makes me very sad to see such unique places erased like that. I guess just as older generations saw their beloved places disappear I am also going through the same thing. I wonder if people would be as sad when the HDBs they've lived in for years, or places like Vivo City get torn down in say 30 years. Something tells me our culture now will not be as different or nostalgic to that of 30 years' time, unlike now and 1978.

yg said...

chun see, learn from victor: blanko the road name or better still, doctored it - change the name to 'cassia avenue' or something.
i have not been to that area but once i used to wonder where 5th avenue was. you pass 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 6th along bukit timah rd but you can't find 5th.

Anonymous said...

I quite agree yg - Chun See with his digital skills should be able to obscure street names on the photo, I am sure he has learnt his lesson!

Lam Chun See said...

Yes. It is Bt Timah Fourth Ave. They will be building an MRT station here as part of the Downtown Line.

Anyway, I have taken some photos of this place just in case. I will show them later.

YG. Fifth Ave joins to Sixth Ave and not Bt Timah Rd; in front of the Cold Storage/Guthrie Building. Very strange. I think its becos of some construction that blocked off the access. I have an old arial photo from Peter of this areas should be able to confirm when I next blog about this area.

Anonymous said...

Is 5th Avenue where there used to be the first IKEA in Singapore? I have a vague recollection of that.

Anonymous said...

Namely Drive area I guess ,Ming Teck Park is somewhere there

Lam Chun See said...

Not Ikea but another similar furniture outlet. Cannot recall the name offhand. Subsequently became Novena showroom for a while. Now its a condo.

Victor said...

Was it Actus?

Welcome back, Chun See.

Lam Chun See said...

Yes it was Actus. Victor's memory is quite good.

I only got back last nite. Previous comments made from Kuching hotel. They charged RM10 per hour to use the internet.

Victor said...

RM 10 per hour for Internet access? That's about S$4.50! Outrageous. But then, it is a hotel.

Unknown said...

Actually I can confirm that it WAS Ikea that used to be exactly where the cold storage is now at Fifth Ave. I remember a small 2 storey building, and playing in the ball pool. http://www.ikea.com.sg/en/about-ikea/history/1960-1970.asp

Actus and Guthrie came in after Ikea moved to Haig Road, where hotel seaview is/or formerly was.

Lam Chun See said...

Thanks Cory for the precious bit of info about Ikea @ Sixth Ave. I only moved to this area in 1986 and hence quite ignorant about the area prior to that. Ah that reminds me. A friend promised to pass me a old photo of the Anamalai area. One of my elderly neighbours told me there used to be an open-air cinema in that area.

Cory since you are new to GMY; you really have a lot of old stories to catch up. I suggest you click on the label Bukit Timah. I am sure there are much new information that you can add to our memories of this area

lim said...

I once walked along Ridout Rd, and my impression was like walking into another country.