Baba House
Encyclopedia
Baba House is a house, located at 157 Neil Road, in Singapore, showcasing Peranakan
history, architecture and heritage. It is a traditional Peranakan
pre-war terrace-house which formerly owned by 19th-century shipping tycoon Wee Bin
who settled in Singapore, after arriving from the southern Chinese province of Fujian. The House is also an outpost of the National University of Singapore
(NUS) Museum and co-managed by the NUS Centre for the Arts.
of Singapore, in 1991.
In April 2005, a S$4 million donation was made to the National University of Singapore
(NUS) by Ms Agnes Tan, the last surviving daughter of the founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association
(MCA), the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock
. This donation was given to the University to acquire Wee's traditional Peranakan house along Neil Road, built circa 1860 on the land plot bought by Wee Bin in 1860. The house is currently owned and managed by Mr Wee Lin, the sixth-generation descendant of Wee Bin
.
Another donation of S$1.5 million was made to the University, for acquisition of two other shophouses along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Malacca
. These acquired houses will be restored and used for educating younger generations about Peranakan history, culture and architecture, while the two houses in Malacca to be used for study on conservation techniques of historical buildings. In gesture of appreciation for the donation, the University named the Singapore house as the Tan Cheng Lock Baba House.
The House was officially opened by President of Singapore Mr S R Nathan on September 4, 2008 as the Baba House, and opened to the public on September 15, 2008. Staff and students from NUS' School of Design and Architecture and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' South-east Asia Studies Programme were involved in the restoration, which has elaborate and intricately carved wooden windows, doors and partition screens. About 70 per cent of the furniture in the House belonged to the Wee estate, while the rest of the items were acquired from Peranakan families in Singapore and Malacca. The first two storeys of the House showcase the Peranakan domestic interior, while artists showcase modern interpretations of Peranakan culture through the exhibition gallery on the third storey. At the same time, the House will also be a venue for Peranakan culinary and craft workshops to be organized by the NUS Museum.
wing of Asian Civilizations Museum, as the House enable visitors to experience more intimately how typical Peranakan homes looked and functioned in the 1920s, a time when there were big shifts in Peranakan family structures and their fortunes in Singapore. Its showcase of furniture and items encouraged visitors to interact and touch, and even book the venue to host events as part of the experience-making process.
Because of the limited space and the fragility of Peranakan wares, visits to the House are limited to small groups of 12 and by appointments only, so as to reduce impacts made in the House.
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
history, architecture and heritage. It is a traditional Peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
pre-war terrace-house which formerly owned by 19th-century shipping tycoon Wee Bin
Wee Bin
Wee Bin born in China in 1823, was a far-sighted and enterprising Chinese migrant of the mid nineteenth century who, in his time, founded, Singapore's largest Chinese shipping firm. In 1856 at the age of thirty-three, Wee Bin was founder of Wee Bin & Co...
who settled in Singapore, after arriving from the southern Chinese province of Fujian. The House is also an outpost of the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
(NUS) Museum and co-managed by the NUS Centre for the Arts.
History
Built possibly in the 1860s, 157 Neil Road is a residential terrace house located in the Residential Historic District of Blair Plain. The house and the surrounding area was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment AuthorityUrban Redevelopment Authority
The Urban Redevelopment Authority is the national urban planning authority of Singapore, and a statutory board under the Ministry of National Development of the Singapore Government.-Mission:The authority was established on 1 April 1974, and is of especially critical importance to the city-state,...
of Singapore, in 1991.
In April 2005, a S$4 million donation was made to the National University of Singapore
National University of Singapore
The National University of Singapore is Singapore's oldest university. It is the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered....
(NUS) by Ms Agnes Tan, the last surviving daughter of the founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association
Malaysian Chinese Association is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnicity; it is one of the three major component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan Nasional in Malay, or National Front in English.Along with the largest...
(MCA), the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock
Tan Cheng Lock
Tun Dato Sri Sir Cheng-lock Tan, DPMJ, KBE was a Malaysian Chinese businessman and a key public figure who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and the social welfare of the Chinese community in Malaya...
. This donation was given to the University to acquire Wee's traditional Peranakan house along Neil Road, built circa 1860 on the land plot bought by Wee Bin in 1860. The house is currently owned and managed by Mr Wee Lin, the sixth-generation descendant of Wee Bin
Wee Bin
Wee Bin born in China in 1823, was a far-sighted and enterprising Chinese migrant of the mid nineteenth century who, in his time, founded, Singapore's largest Chinese shipping firm. In 1856 at the age of thirty-three, Wee Bin was founder of Wee Bin & Co...
.
Another donation of S$1.5 million was made to the University, for acquisition of two other shophouses along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
. These acquired houses will be restored and used for educating younger generations about Peranakan history, culture and architecture, while the two houses in Malacca to be used for study on conservation techniques of historical buildings. In gesture of appreciation for the donation, the University named the Singapore house as the Tan Cheng Lock Baba House.
The House was officially opened by President of Singapore Mr S R Nathan on September 4, 2008 as the Baba House, and opened to the public on September 15, 2008. Staff and students from NUS' School of Design and Architecture and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences' South-east Asia Studies Programme were involved in the restoration, which has elaborate and intricately carved wooden windows, doors and partition screens. About 70 per cent of the furniture in the House belonged to the Wee estate, while the rest of the items were acquired from Peranakan families in Singapore and Malacca. The first two storeys of the House showcase the Peranakan domestic interior, while artists showcase modern interpretations of Peranakan culture through the exhibition gallery on the third storey. At the same time, the House will also be a venue for Peranakan culinary and craft workshops to be organized by the NUS Museum.
Display
The Baba House served as a contrast to the Peranakan MuseumPeranakan Museum
The Peranakan Museum is a museum in Singapore specialising in Peranakan culture. A sister museum to the Asian Civilizations Museum, it is the first of its kind in the world, that explore Peranakan cultures in Singapore and other former Straits Settlements in Malacca and Penang, and other Peranakan...
wing of Asian Civilizations Museum, as the House enable visitors to experience more intimately how typical Peranakan homes looked and functioned in the 1920s, a time when there were big shifts in Peranakan family structures and their fortunes in Singapore. Its showcase of furniture and items encouraged visitors to interact and touch, and even book the venue to host events as part of the experience-making process.
Because of the limited space and the fragility of Peranakan wares, visits to the House are limited to small groups of 12 and by appointments only, so as to reduce impacts made in the House.