Contradictions and Compromises in Preserving Values at Lee Kuan Yew’S Oxley Road Home, Singapore
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
“WHEN I’M DEAD, DEMOLISH IT”: CONTRADICTIONS AND COMPROMISES IN PRESERVING VALUES AT LEE KUAN YEW’S OXLEY ROAD HOME, SINGAPORE Cherie-Nicole Leo Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Historic Preservation Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Columbia University (May, 2016) L e o | i Abstract Since the death of Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, on March 23, 2015, the fate of his house at 38 Oxley Road remains in question. In spite of its association to this seminal political leader and the fact that historic meetings that led to Singapore’s independence from British rule in 1959 were held in its basement dining room, heritage authorities and the Singaporean public are faced with a dilemma because Lee Kuan Yew had, on multiple occasions, expressed his wish to have the more-than-a- century-old colonial bungalow demolished after his passing—and he had included this wish in his last will and testament. This thesis uses the ongoing debate surrounding 38 Oxley Road as a case study. It aims to address how decision-makers in the heritage conservation field might more effectively negotiate the multiplicity of competing values ascribed to heritage sites in working toward a future common good. Through a discourse analysis, the thesis examines how a values-based approach to heritage conservation can serve as a basis for exploring more robust tools for decision-making through the adoption of a more future-looking, scenario-focused framework. In this way, heritage decision-makers are challenged to look beyond some of the field’s traditional paradigms, as reflective of the broad shift from more expert-driven materials-based approaches to more participatory and contextually aware values-based approaches. In line with a values-based approach that posits that the goal of heritage conservation is to preserve significance and not material for its own sake, this thesis shows how an assessment and prioritization of the broad range of values ascribed to a heritage site can expand the range of potential outcomes that may effectively transfer those values to future generations. Acknowledging and understanding this spectrum of possible outcomes and evaluating their trade-offs can help to enhance the field’s capacity to creatively work out contradictions and reach compromises in its decisions. In doing so, heritage decision-makers can more effectively engage in dialogue with related planning and policy fields as they work toward shaping the collective future. L e o | ii Acknowledgements Deepest gratitude to my advisor, Erica Avrami (James Marston Fitch Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation, Columbia University)— Thank you for inspiring me, challenging me, and never giving up on me. Heartfelt appreciation to my readers for their invaluable insights in shaping this thesis: Carolina Castellanos (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Historic Preservation, Columbia University) Chris Neville (Adjunct Associate Professor of Historic Preservation, Columbia University) Many thanks to the following for their input throughout the thesis process: Andrew Dolkart (Director of the Historic Preservation Program, Columbia University) Paul Bentel (Adjunct Professor of Historic Preservation, Columbia University) Kelvin Ang (Director of Conservation Management, URA, Singapore) And a special thank you to Richard Pieper (Adjunct Associate Professor, Columbia University) for all the encouragement…and the rugelach. L e o | iii Table of Contents 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 2 Research Aims and Scope ................................................................................................................4 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Assumptions and Limitations .................................................................................................................... 6 3 Values in Heritage Conservation and the Emergence of a Values-Based Approach .............................8 4 Case History and Stakeholder Analysis ........................................................................................... 12 Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo ......................................................................................................... 15 Lee Hsien Loong, Lee Wei Ling, Lee Hsien Yang ...................................................................................... 22 National Heritage Board (NHB), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) .............................................. 30 Singapore Tourism Board (STB) .............................................................................................................. 33 People’s Action Party (PAP), Government Officials ................................................................................ 34 Heritage Expert Community, Singapore Heritage Society (SHS) ............................................................. 37 Non-Expert Singaporean Public .............................................................................................................. 39 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................... 41 5 Cultural Significance Assessment ................................................................................................... 44 Values in the Singapore Heritage Context and Their Applicability to the 38 Oxley Road Case .............. 45 Historic Significance ............................................................................................................................ 48 Architectural/Aesthetic Significance ................................................................................................... 51 Economic Significance ......................................................................................................................... 52 Social Significance ............................................................................................................................... 55 Political Significance ............................................................................................................................ 60 Symbolic Significance .......................................................................................................................... 62 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................... 66 6 Scenario Analysis .......................................................................................................................... 67 Physical Scenarios ................................................................................................................................... 69 Interpretive Scenarios ............................................................................................................................. 70 Value Narrative A: Lee Kuan Yew slept here....................................................................................... 71 Value Narrative B: This is where history was made, where the nation was born .............................. 84 Value Narrative C: Pragmatism and “progress over sentiment” ........................................................ 89 Evaluating Potential Outcomes: Compromises and Trade-Offs ............................................................. 97 Scenario 1: House remains in situ and is interpreted in situ .............................................................. 97 L e o | iv Scenario 2. Redevelopment of the site with some form of interpretation in situ.............................. 98 Scenario 3. Redevelopment of the site with some form of interpretation ex situ ........................... 100 Scenario 4. Redevelopment of the site with no interpretation in situ or ex situ ............................. 103 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................................................. 105 7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 107 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 111 Image Credits ........................................................................................................................................ 121 Appendix: Images .......................................................................................................................... 123 L e o | 1 1 Introduction I further declare that it is my wish, and the wish of my late wife, KWA GEOK CHOO, that our house at 38 Oxley Road, Singapore 238629 (“the House”) be demolished immediately after my death or, if my daughter, Wei Ling, would prefer to continue living in the original house, immediately after she moves out of the House. I would ask each of my children to ensure our wishes with respect to the demolition of the House be carried out. If our children are unable to demolish the House as a result of any changes in the law, rules or regulations binding them, it is my wish that the House never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants.