Walk Down on Memory Lane of Havelock Road

Old Blk 29 Havelock Road taken in 1990

Looking through the old albums of the times staying along Havelock road was once my parent-in-law lived till 1998. Recalled the times they spent of their life living in their area facing the former land of blk 29 Havelock road that built around 1967 later than their block after they moved in early 1965. The junction of in front of Block 29 was the children's playground was known Emerald park now demolished. Isetan Office building (below picture) is just beside of Blk 29 Havelock road is still operating.

Behind Blk 29 Havelock road was Blk 31 and 33 soon to be demolished and now left this block still stands waiting to its fate that been boarded up in scaffolding in green and grey in colour.

Blk 29 Havelock Road (To Be Demolished)

They are now covered up with scaffolding and demolition is already underway. Sad to see this ironic 40-year old building is going to turn into history.

Salon Foto and Kong Ming Electric & Radio Service

Close-up of Salon Foto of two envelope sizes

I remember that there was once a 'Salon Foto', unit no. 631 that operated for a long time, specialised in Bridal Gowns & Suits for rental.They came with two envelope sizes which many current photo shops use long A4 sizes and others. My parents-in-law went there to have a Family Portrait and Passport Photo taken at this Salon Foto. And also there was a shop (Kong Ming Electric Radio & Service) that sold households appliances at former Blk 29 Havelock road unit no. 01-649 where my late in-laws bought a table fan in 1990 and its brand name 'KDK' 16' inch. I believe you still remember this brand for decades.

Bukit Ho Swee Community hidden away of constructions of the building

In front of the Blk 29 is the Kim Seng Community Centre is located in Tiong Bahru district. it was constructed in 1980 and was ungraded and extended in 1995.

Kim Seng Community Centre

In 2004, it was then decided that Bukit Ho Swee Community Centre (BHSCC) be closed, Kim Seng Community Centre was then further renovated and extended to absorb all activities from BHSCC. With the completion of the new extension and renovations, Kim Seng CC was able to maximize land use and consolidate the activities of both CCs for their residents.

Grange Centre

Ganges Centre located at 554 Havelock Road in the junction of Ganges Avenue, is the commercial property building and its space for office rental and sale.

Close-up of Ganges Centre

This Ganges Centre built in 1930s, is wholly-owned subsidiary by Kovan Properties Pte Ltd, of all strata units and the common area of the property known as Ganges Centre no. 554 Havelock Road, for an aggregate sold en-bloc for SGD$23.5 million. This building has been fenced up to prevent any access to this building as if it's going to be redeveloped into residential.

Blk 22 Havelock Road

Walking Through the old Havelock road would bring back memories of the times we shared before we shifted to the new house at Holland Village in 1998. I stayed at my late parents-in-law in 1993 till 1998. And my late parent-in-law stayed at blk 22 Havelock road from early 1965 to 1998 for around 33 years. The memories of them still lingers where I stayed for 5 years and it seems to be peaceful surrounding along the Havelock road and Beo Crescent. But before that, there was no shopping centre till in 1994, the opening of Tiong Bahru Plaza along the Tiong Bahru road stretched down the road of Lim Liak Street in the junction of Seng Poh road.

The green facade of the building 

The outermost of green facade designed of the block (Blk 22) is the same as former Blk 29 Havelock road (top picture) and its colour was light orange. The Deco design of this block is much older and well-maintained till it was ungraded in 1998 that was when we shifted to the new location after sold to the second buyer (resident). My hubby and I managed to come back to take a look at his old block after so many years since we moved out in 1998, he was once lived when he was in primary school kid then. He recalled that there was once a 'big' fire behind his block that up the hill along Bukit Ho Swee that was used to be wooden villages and he saw big 'black' smoke as if it was going to burn down all the wooden villages in the rows.

Corner of Kopitiam at Blk 22 Havelock

At the corner of kopitiam of Blk 22, these stalls used to sell famous 'Pak Ku Teh' and other foods where the residents of this block used to come down and have their lunch and dinner as well as meeting friends for a cup of tea or coffee. These stalls are still operating since after the completion of this block (22) in early 1964. I used to come down and bought 'take-away' for dinner and the next building is the shophouses known as 'Eating Houses'  that operated in restaurants and eating houses that was once the famous food like 'Teochew porridge'. Behind the Blk 22, there is a Cooked Food Centre at Blk 22A/B Havelock road built in 1969 and currently upgraded in 2007, comprised 30 cooked foodstalls, is the famous of Bak Ku Teh, and also at  Ya Hua Bak Kut The Eating House at 593 Havelock Road.

Shing Lee Bookstore at Blk 22 Havelock Road

Just below Blk 22 Havelock road, near to the 7-11 store, is the famous bookstore that has been operating for over 40 years. 

Havelock Family Clinic

At the corner end of Blk 22 Havelock road, is a Havelock Family Clinic that has been operating for over 40 years but the doctor-in-charge has changed and I could remember the name of its doctor when I visited this doctor in 1995. This Havelock Family Clinic still remain the same as it is and it could be his next family generation to take over or its partners. Family Practice Clinic specialises in Skin; Hair Problems, Laser Tattoo removal, Laser Photo, rejuvenation, Aesthetic Medicine.

Facing the road of shophouses and old HDB flats (Now)

Shophouses facing vacant land

Shophouses facing the vacant land that used to be HDB blocks 51 to 54 (demolished) along Havelock road. Block 50 is seen in the photo background beside rows of shophouse.

In front of Blk 22 Havelock road

In front of Blk 22 Havelock road were Block 53 & 54 that was once stood in early 2000, was the pot of empty land which is now built high-rise buildings (below)

Upgraded Eating Houses and Current Flats (Then)

There was once the rows of flats (Blk 51 to 54) that built in early 1969 and the shophouse opposite. For the block of 51 to 54 along Havelock road had been demolished in the year 2000 after we shifted to a new location in 1998. These picture (above -Then) was taken in the year 1990 and it looked like the modern time of Singapore flats.

Ads of 'Coca Cola' no longer there

At the corner of eating houses and restaurants, the signage of 'Coca Cola' had long gone from the look of the old photo above and it was done by the upgraded of the wall of the painted that transformed to a Deco design and the rooftop had changed.

Corner end of the Eating Houses - B/W photo 

The facade of the this eating house is well-maintained and furnished of the outermost facade of the building to the touch painted.

Then current HDB flats after demolished of old flats

The Development of the current flats is now known as 'Havelock View' of Blk 53, right behind is Blk 52 highrise flats. Furtherdown on the right, there is current flat of Blk 54. Well, there is no Blk 51 now used to be the site of Blk 53 Havelock View.

Blk 50 Havelock Road

Now, the remaining of an old ironic Block 50 Havelock road still stands today and the ground floor is the supermarket - NTUC fairprice has been operating since.

Coin-phone (public phone)

Coin phone (Public Phone)

Along the Block 50, there are few old humble coin-phones (public phones) located at the void deck of the block still stands today even if the old residents living in this block use it. Long time ago, there was an old phone (orange) at Clementi hawker centre where my childhood friend's foodstall still operates in business, the coin 'orange' phone is still in use.

Card-Coin phone

Over the years, the public phones would change into card-coin-phone (prepaid card) located in this same block near the NTUC supermarket. I could see some foreign workers or housemaids could still use public phone as if they couldn't afford to buy handphone.

Back view of Beo Crescent Market and Food Centre

As we walked at the back of the Beo Crescent Market and Food Centre at Blk 38A to the front of this old wet market that has been operating for over 40 years. I always went for marketing and buy food during the period of 1994 to 1998 before I shifted to a new house. My late parents-in-law went there for 30 years when they were alive. It's just behind their old Blk 22 Havelock road.

Side view of Beo Cres. Market and Food Centre

In font of the Beo Crescent Market and Food Centre, there is a Refuse Centre on the right of the photo shown (above picture) which is a Garbage Waste for the recycle.

Passageways leading to carpark

At the corner of the Beo Crescent of blk 38 Beo Crescent is the passageway to the carpark above.

PSB Academy

Walking towards blk 34 Beo Crescent, there is a foodcourt that is still operating. Walked up the staircase leading to the building - PSB Academy located at 355 Jalan Bukit Ho, is a well established private institutions that offers full time and part time certification from degree, diploma to master courses. PSB begins traces back from 1964 in Singapore. A small Productivity Unit was set up in the Economic Development Board (EDB). Its to upgrade the knowledge and skills of Singapore’s workforce in order to meet the needs of the growing economy.
From there, we headed toward the Tiong Bahru Plaza (completed in 1994) just behind this building at the junction along Bukit Ho Swee crescent.
Do you know Bt Ho Swee fire on  25 May 1961 that spread across the roads that sparked fly by strong wind to Havelock road and Beo crescent to where my hubby's family stayed and there was second fire in Nov 1968 in Bukit Ho Swee. But the early fire broke in 1907 at Havelock road along godowns warehouses. Two big fires in 1961 and 1968 made 9,000 people homeless and had changed them all.