Abandoned Art Deco Bungalow in Orchard is Estimated to be Worth S$500m; Has Been Caught in 40-Year Legal Battle

If you live in Singapore and fling a stone out of your window, it’s likely to land at a BTO construction site.

This has nothing to do with our amazing aim, of course; with so little space on this tiny island, the gahmen constantly has to build homes for residents hoping to finally walk around their own house naked.

So if I tell you there’s a massive bungalow in Orchard that has been abandoned for nearly 60 years, unbeknownst to most of us, you’d probably be shocked enough to drop your bubble tea.

Well, pick it up, take a sip, and read on.

Abandoned Art Deco Bungalow in Orchard is Estimated to be Worth S$500m

Located at 25 Grange Road, the bungalow sits on a huge plot of private land not too far from Ngee Ann City.

The area has been cordoned off from the public, with warnings that trespassers will be prosecuted.

Because most of us aren’t criminals, the bungalow’s existence wasn’t known to the public until aerial images of the huge house made their way to the internet.

According to The Smart Local, the house was commissioned by Chee Guan Chiang, the eldest son of Chee Swee Cheng – the first chairman of the OCBC Group.

While the bungalow is commonly referred to as Chee Guan Chiang House, it was initially named Wellington House.

Miss Yvonne Lee-Khoo, the great-granddaughter of Chee Swee Cheng, revealed in an interview that this was because the name ‘Wellington’ “begins with ‘Well’ which meant ‘good’ and sounded like the word ‘wealth'”.

In fact, the monogram “WH” can be found along the balustrades on the veranda of the house, as well as on the grand staircase inside the house.

The house’s notable art deco design, which was fashionable at the time, can be attributed to architect Ho Kwong Yew.

The huge bungalow was fully constructed in 1938, but the Chee family left the country just three year later after the Japanese invaded Singapore.

It was then used as a guest house for travellers, and was renamed New Leonie Guest House in 1964.

It soon fell into disuse and neglect after that.

Still, it was estimated to be worth around S$425 million in 2007.

Now, it could be valued at more than half a billion dollars.

Has Been Caught in 40-Year Legal Battle

In 1919, the land on which this mammoth bungalow sits was subdivided into four houses and one road.

Then, in 1973, three of those houses were sold to Lee Tat Properties. The remaining house was sold to Grange Heights condominium.

Trouble began brewing when Grange Heights’ contractors began using the road for easy access.

The two parties took each other to court over the matter over the next 40 years.

Lee Tat even built an iron fence to block condo residents from using the road in 1989. Lee Tat finally won the messy legal battle in 2008, when a court ruled in their favour.

Featured Image: Google Maps