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Caption: 45 Emerald Hill Rd Tracing the family
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Caption: It started with an enigmatic photo of a large extended family in front of one of the most beautiful house ever seen posted in a Facebook group. The house is identified to be 45 Emerald Hill Road.
A picture of the house in NAS Archives identified the picture to be taken around 1925
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Caption: DR. JULIAN DAVISON’S FAVOURITE 5 SINGAPORE BUILDINGS
Ref : http://www.nowsingapore.co.id/dr-julian-davisons-favourite-5-singapore-buildings/
The town house at Number 45 Emerald Hill was built in 1903 for the wealthy Seah family. Although Dr. Davison is impressed with this ‘rare instance of a double-fronted townhouse in the Teowchew style,’ (which is where old man Seah Eu Chin originally hailed from), he is equally interested in the enigmatic story of the architect, Wee Teck Moh.
“We know frustratingly little about him in terms of his life and who he was, but it is his genius which defines the classic turn-of-the century shophouse in its most elevated form,” he says.
“In his time he was without doubt the shophouse king, not least because of his extraordinarily prolific output. By 1903, he had taken the Sino-Baroque shophouse to its ultimate limits, and his townhouse for the Seah family is perhaps the most sublime example of his art still standing. The entrance to the property is prefaced by a traditional Chinese gateway, with a swallow-tail roof and a mosaic frieze. The façade of the house, however, is pure Singapore Baroque. The windows have both shutters and glazing, while the fretwork lights over the windows are in the Peranakan style.”
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Caption: Base deed of Emerald Hill
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Caption: Plan for 45 Emerald Hill Road Property of Messrs Seah for VRC N Pillay
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Caption: The house was immediately sold after being built and Seah never did stayed there. It changed hands a few times, selling for profit
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Caption: In 1920, the Tans moved in They would stayed until 1960
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Caption: From the names, we gathered these could be brothers : Tan Jin Kye, Jin Luan, Jin Thia, Jin Keng
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Caption: Malayan Tribune, 17 Jan 1936
Picture of Tan Jin Luan (Tan Ban Joo Co) second from
Right
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Caption: We matched the photo of Jin Luan to
the family photo taken around 1925
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Caption: Towkay Tan Jin Luan, miner, planter and merchant of KL
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Caption: Malayan Tribune Nov 18, 1938
Death of a patriarch on Nov 13, 1938 at 45 Emerald Hill Road
4 months later, Tan Ban Joo Ltd, and Sin Teck Hong Oil Mills was closed on Mar 24, 1939 as a mark of respect
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Caption: Tan Ban Joo Co Ltd wound up notice
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Caption: We have no doubt that this photo taken around 1925 was the family of Tan Hong and his sons
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Caption: Researched by the Goh Brothers - Charles Goh and Raymond Goh