Eye on Tanjong Pagar: A place to live, work and play
Historical shophouses and modern skyscrapers make up the precinct, including the new Tanjong Pagar Centre. At 290m tall, it is currently the tallest building in Singapore. (Photo: GuoccoLand)
Located in the heart of the city, Tanjong Pagar has evolved over time to become a hip and trendy place. Today, the area is home to an interesting mix of offices, hotels, eateries and clubs, making it an exciting place to live in.
By Joanne Poh
Each morning, thousands of people in Singapore head to work in Tanjong Pagar. As part of the Central Business District (CBD), the Tanjong Pagar area has its fair share of modern skyscrapers and lunchtime crowds.
But when evening falls, Tanjong Pagar morphs into a hip dining and nightlife district, home to some of the country’s most stylish hotels, bars, restaurants and clubs.
What is more, as the availability of homes in the area rises, more people are seizing the chance to live in the very heart of the city.
The making of a business centre
More than a century ago, Tanjong Pagar played a key role in Singapore’s transformation into a cosmopolitan business centre.
The area was previously a humble fishing village. Its transformation began in the 19th century, when Keppel Harbour was built to maximise Singapore’s strategic location as a trading post, since the estuary of the Singapore River, where trading activities were carried out prior, could no longer cope with the volume of trade.
As the harbour off Tanjong Pagar was endowed with naturally deep waters, it was selected as the site of New Harbour, the construction of which was completed in 1886. It was later renamed Keppel Harbour in 1900.
Tanjong Pagar became home to the many Chinese and Indian workers who came to Singapore to work on the docks. The Chinese and Indian temples in the Chinatown area, still in use today, are a living testament to these early immigrants.
While the opium dens and brothels of the late 19th and early 20th century are long gone, many of the area’s original shophouses remain.
See and be seen
Today, you are more likely to visit Tanjong Pagar to sip on an artisanal cocktail than to watch coolies labouring on the docks.
The area is now one of Singapore’s most fashionable districts. The colourful shophouses of yesteryear have been impeccably restored and are now home to businesses whose mission is to indulge a chic, trendy clientele determined to enjoy their after-work hours in style.
One of the most notable entertainment zones in Tanjong Pagar is Duxton Hill, extremely popular with well-heeled professionals who work in the CBD. Luca Loco, a Mexican bar and restaurant, is one of the most popular joints of the moment thanks to its festive al fresco terrace.
Just a stone’s throw away, Tras Street is a more low-key area where many excellent examples of prewar shophouses can be found. The stretch has its fair share of fashionable F&B establishments, including the evocatively-named Jekyll and Hyde, a broody cocktail bar.
In proud defiance of Singapore’s stuffy image, Tanjong Pagar also has the distinction of being the biggest gay nightlife hub in the country. Some of the longest-standing gay bars here are located on Neil Road.
Tantric Bar is one of the more popular LGBT-friendly establishments on Neil Road and known for its party vibe. Those looking for respite from the raucous crowd can nip upstairs to the down-tempo May Wong’s Cafe. The grand dame of the Tanjong Pagar LGBT scene is Taboo, one of Singapore’s oldest gay clubs, with broad mainstream appeal.
The proliferation of chi chi eateries in the area doesn’t force those on a budget to leave with empty stomachs. Maxwell Food Centre has a legendary reputation in Singapore for its many storied stalls such as Tian Tian Chicken Rice, which has been endorsed by Anthony Bourdain himself.
While the interior is anything but fancy, the hawker centre, which was renovated in 2001, is a lunchtime favourite of the office crowd, and brings relief to clubbers looking for late-night supper options.
The entertainment scene isn’t the only thing that’s noteworthy about Tanjong Pagar. The area is situated right beside the Chinatown district, the original ethnic Chinese enclave occupied by immigrants to Singapore in the years after Sir Stamford Raffles landed.
Today, historic shophouses lining both sides of Hokkien Street and Telok Ayer Street have been developed into stylish lunch hotspots for the CBD crowd, while further south on Temple Street, Mosque Street and Pagoda Street, the Chinatown district bustles with tourists.
The former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station is now a national monument, and is considered one of the most famous examples of art deco architecture in Singapore. (Photo: alicereneztay, Wikimedia Commons)
One of the best-loved historic sites in Tanjong Pagar is the now-closed Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, which served as the terminus of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu, linking Singapore to Peninsular Malaysia.
The art deco-style main building has been gazetted as a national monument. The upcoming Cantonment station on the MRT network’s Circle Line will be constructed below the railway station, and there are also plans to integrate the latter into the Rail Corridor, so the site is likely to undergo significant transformation in the coming years.
The future of Tanjong Pagar
Tanjong Pagar continues to undergo transformation at a dizzying pace.
One of the area’s most hotly anticipated new developments is Tanjong Pagar Centre, an integrated development by GuocoLand.
Duncan White, Head of Office Services at Colliers International, Singapore, said: “With a successful leasing position and occupancy takeup of Guoco Tower at Tanjong Pagar Centre, the Tanjong Pagar micro market now has a leader in terms of high quality and high spec development.”
White thinks Guoco Tower will be a game-changer. “With a mixed basket of occupiers in Guoco Tower, we may well see the Tanjong Pagar area become a market for all industries. We expect to see most of the new demand to come from the Tech, Media, Advertising and IT (TAMI) sector.
“With proximity to residential property, historical shophouses, up-and-coming F&B businesses and ever-expanding amenities and transportation links, Tanjong Pagar will attract corporations with innovation and differentiation at the forefront of their growth initiatives,” he said.
One major change that Tanjong Pagar will undergo in the coming years is the transition to not just a business and commercial hub, but a residential one as well, in line with the government’s “Live, Work and Play” vision.
Tricia Song, Head of Research at Colliers International, Singapore, said: “In the last few years, substantial transformation has been seen in the Tanjong Pagar precinct due to the refurbishment of 100 AM, completion of Orchid Hotel and the rejuvenation of interesting independent restaurants and bars along Tanjong Pagar Road and Club Street.
“As the precinct continues to see an influx of new retail spaces, the government’s plan to transform the Tanjong Pagar precinct into a Greater Southern Waterfront area with a Live, Work and Play concept will come to fruition.”
Indeed, it is Tanjong Pagar’s proximity to not just the CBD but a range of lifestyle options that ensures the area will continue to be one of Singapore’s most highly sought-after residential and commercial areas.
Eunice Lim, a 33-year-old accountant and Tanjong Pagar resident, relishes the convenience of her area.
“I can walk to my office in Shenton Way from home in less than 20 minutes. Sometimes I even go home for a nap during lunchtime,” she said. “After work, I can easily meet friends for drinks at Club Street or dinner at Duxton.”
Naturally, more residential developments make up part of the equation in Tanjong Pagar’s transformation.
Wallich Residence, which will be Singapore’s tallest residential development following its completion, will occupy Tanjong Pagar Centre’s 39th to 64th floors. It will also feature a super penthouse – Singapore’s largest at 21,108 sq ft – estimated to be worth more than $100 million.
Other residential developments in the area include Onze @ Tanjong Pagar, where retail and F&B units are tucked below residential units, and Spottiswoode Suites. Both are freehold developments.
The feather in Tanjong Pagar’s cap comes in the form of enhanced public transport connectivity to the area.
While Tanjong Pagar is already served by the Tanjong Pagar MRT station on the East-West Line and Telok Ayer station on the Downtown Line, when the Thomson-East Coast Line opens, Maxwell station will offer commuters instant access to the area around the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
Did you know?
– According to a Malay legend, the former inhabitants of Tanjong Pagar frequently fell victim to swordfish, which would leap out of the waters and attack them. These attacks abated when a young boy came up with the idea of building a wall made from banana trunks by the water, thereby ensnaring the swordfish when they jumped out of the water.
– Tanjong Pagar Road is one of Singapore’s most popular Korean enclaves, with numerous authentic Korean eateries offering everything from fried chicken to barbecue meat.
This article was first published in the print version PropertyGuru News & Views. Download PDFs of full print issues or read more stories now! | |||
