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  Architecture

The houses in Heeren Street portray a rich and detailed mix of Chinese, European and Peranakan architecture but the architecture style is focus on Dutch style because the houses in Heeren Street were originally built by the Dutch in the 17th century. The buildings are among the oldest townhouses in the country. These types of shop houses and townhouses are either one or two storey height with simple façade design with limited openings on the upper floor, normally with only one centralized or at the most two symmetrical windows. The ground floor are mostly now being used as residential rather than shops, with symmetrical façade design of centralized door and two side windows The five foot way is not connected to the adjacent buildings therefore this type of buildings have private entrance porch. Structurally the walls are of Dutch brick and plastered with lime, the roof structure is of timber.

 

The front of these houses are so decorative, it is like a heady visual perfume: brightly coloured tiles, elaborate doors, wooden shutters and large gold Chinese characters on the black signboard. It is distinctly oriental, but the floral plaster motifs look Western. 

 

The houses have two sets of doors. The main wooden doors, with their intricately carved panels, are left open during the day to let air in. The second outer set are swinging half-doors based on the Malay pintu pagar (literally, fence door). 

 

On either side are large square windows with vertical bars and sometimes shutters. Above the windows are air vents, which are sometimes decorated. Most windows are also beautifully decorated with motifs.

 

The floors and corridors of the houses were lined with beautiful and colourful tiles. Every house will have different pattern of tiles on the floor.

 

Above the door of every house, there will have large gold Chinese characters on the black signboard. The black signboards usually are made of teak. The Chinese character normally is the family names or mottos.

The buildings in Heeren Street are mainly framed by heavy Roman columns because the buildings are influenced by European architecture.

 

The houses on the street are rather narrow and small when viewed from the outside but are long and spacious inside. This is because the house owners then were taxed on the width of the buildings instead of the total area. Some of the houses can go back as far as 100 meters in some cases with private courtyards, wells, ornate metal spiral staircases, decorative tiling and many other fine features.

 

Inner courtyards or air wells helped to let light into the otherwise dark house. The courtyards serve as indoor gardens with potted plants, a fountain, and a well or large ornate jar filled with water. The courtyards were always lower than the rest of the ground floor and with drain holes so that the house would not be flooded during a downpour. 

 

The brickwork of the drainage system is characteristic of this period. The material used for the steps at the main entrance and at the thresholds of the passage leading into the air well, was indicative of the social standing of the original owner.

Chee Ancestral Mansion

The grandest house in “Millionaires’ Row” is the Chee Mansion, which stands majestically directly opposite Hotel Puri. The Chee Mansion, also known as the Chee Yam Chuan Temple, is used as the family’s ancestral home. The breathtaking building is a Dutch era architectural gem, complete with a fairy-tale inspired watchtower.

 

It was built by tycoon and philanthropist Chee Swee Cheng, the first chairman of the Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) in year 1925. As it was run almost entirely by the Baba’s in the old days, OCBC was jokingly referred to as Orang China Bukan China. Chee Swee Cheng built the mansion at 117 Heeren Street as a dedication to his father, Chee Yam Chuan.

The entry hall reaches from front to back with rooms opening along both sides.

The arched front doorway is emblazoned with four characters indicating the Chee (Xu) Family Ancestral Hall.

In the front area

The rear doorway is even more elaborate in style than the front entry.

A Blackwood settee with mothers-of-pearl and marble inserts rests alongside the stairwell leading to the floors above.

With a standard placement of doorway and windows that open on to the covered five-foot way, a through-the-wall arched opening connects this residence with that of the adjacent home.

Along one side of the main family room, a Blackwood settee with inlaid mother-of-pearl and marble sits beneath an elaborately ornamented framed mirror.

The upstairs front bedroom can overlook Jonker Street. Full-length wooden louvers and half-length pressed glass window panes make it possible to regulate both airflow and privacy.

 

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