The National Heritage Board (NHB) announced on 3 Nov 2025 that it intends to gazette the site at 38 Oxley Road as a national monument.
The property served as the family home of founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew from the mid-1940s until his death in 2015.​
Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo accepted the National Heritage Board’s (NHB) recommendation to preserve the site after its Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board assessed the location as having historic significance and national importance.​
Historic Significance
The site bore witness to discussions and pivotal decisions that shaped Singapore’s path to independence. The basement dining room hosted meetings that led to the formation of the People’s Action Party, the ruling party since 1959.​
Built in the late 19th century, the property is closely associated with key events in Singapore’s history.​
Conversion to Public Heritage Park
If a preservation order is made, the government plans to acquire the site and convert it into a public space. One possible outcome is a heritage park, meaning the site cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses.​
The government stated it will respect Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes and remove all traces of his family’s private living spaces from the buildings. Preserving the site does not obligate authorities to maintain all existing buildings and structures in their current state.​
Assessment Timeline
NHB announced that it would assess whether the site merited preservation as a national monument.
This came after Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son, applied to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on 21 Oct 2024 to demolish the property following the death of his sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling.​
The formal assessment was conducted by the Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, comprising experts from various sectors. To avoid conflicts of interest, public servants on the board recused themselves from the assessment.​
Objection Period
NHB has given 38 Oxley Road Pte Ltd written notice of the intention to make a preservation order. The company is owned by Lee Hsien Yang as the sole shareholder, with his son Li Huanwu registered as director.​
The owner has until 17 Nov 2025 to submit any objections under the Preservation of Monuments Act 2009. Neo will consider every objection before making a final decision on the preservation order.​
With the issuance of the notice, 38 Oxley Road is now legally recognised as a proposed national monument. Proposed monuments receive similar protections to gazetted monuments, and those who alter monuments in ways affecting their character face punishment.​
Family Dispute Background
The issue resurfaced in October 2024 after Dr Lee Wei Ling died. She had been living in the house after Lee Kuan Yew’s death in 2015.​
In 2017, the family feud over the house became public when Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee alleged that Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong wanted the bungalow preserved for political gain, against their father’s wishes.
SM Lee refuted their accusations in a ministerial statement in Parliament after raising concerns over the circumstances surrounding their late father’s final will.​
The house now belongs solely to Lee Hsien Yang after SM Lee sold it to him in 2015 at market value. SM Lee recused himself from all government decisions on the property, informing the Cabinet of his decision on 15 Apr 2015.​
Ministerial Committee Options
A ministerial committee was tasked in June 2016 to prepare plans of various options for the property. The committee’s April 2018 report outlined a range of options, including retaining the property, retaining the dining room and tearing down the rest of the property, and full demolition.​
The government said it will consider all options proposed by the 2018 ministerial committee and intends to make a decision well within this term of government. The current government was sworn in on 23 May 2025, with a term of up to five years.
Here’s the REAL reason why everyone is hanging plushies on their bags, simplified for you:
