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Eng Aun Tong Building

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The building in 2006

Eng Aun Tong Building, also known as Tiger Balm Medical Hall, is a historic building at the corner of Neil Road and Craig Road in Tanjong Pagar, Singapore. Completed in the 1920s, it served as the Tiger Balm factory for several decades.

Description

The building was designed in the Neoclassical style, featuring cornices, arches, columns and a hexagonal pavilion on the roof, which may be a reference to the Tiger Balm bottle. It previously featured a model of a tiger on its front. The building is among the few pre-World War II structures in Singapore to feature a flat roof.

History

The building was opened as the Tiger Balm factory in 1926 by brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par. Aw Boon Haw soon filed a lawsuit against a medical hall of the same name which had been established earlier at nearby 132-134 Tanjong Pagar Road, demanding that the older business change its name. He lost the charge, and both businesses "went on to co-exist peacefully for years". The building continued to serve as the Tiger Balm factory for around 50 years. On 10 August 1961, a fire resulted in the building resilted in the destruction of $3,000 worth of Chinese medicinal products.

The building was purchased by garment maker Singapore Crocodile in 1973. In 1995, the company leased it to the newly-established French Business Centre, which aimed to support French Small and medium-sized enterprises who were looking to set up in Singapore, until 2000. In July 1997, Singapore Crocodile put the property up for sale with an asking price of $22 million. However, the company withdrew the sale as a result of the "depressed property market". In 2007, PayPal moved into the building. In this period, the building also housed eBay and Skype. On 4 December 2019, American fast casual chain Shake Shack announced that it would be opening its second Singaporean outlet in the building. The outlet opened on 7 February 2020, occupying the building's ground floor.

References

  1. ^ "#Heritage Eng Aun Tong building". SG101. Nexus. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. "89 NEIL ROAD". ura.gov.sg. Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. "Advertisement poster of Eng Aun Tong, The Tiger Medical Hall". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Buildings had same name". The Straits Times. Singapore. 12 January 1996. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  5. "Fire at Tiger Balm works". The Straits Times. Singapore. 10 August 1961. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  6. ^ "S'pore Crocodile selling shophouse". The Straits Times. Singapore. 22 July 1997. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. "Guidance for SMEs". The Business Times. Singapore. 24 May 1999. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. Tan, Elaine (12 February 1998). "Crocodile poised for bigger bite of Chinese market". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  9. Yadao, Joseph (7 November 2007). "PayPal sets up HQ and development centre here". today. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  10. "Neil Road". nlb.gov.sg. National Library Board. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  11. Quek, Eunice (11 December 2019). "Shake Shack opening second outlet in Neil Road in 2020". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  12. Jip, Jieying (5 February 2020). "First Look: Shake Shack's Second S'pore Outlet At Neil Road". today. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.

1°16′43″N 103°50′30″E / 1.27856°N 103.84168°E / 1.27856; 103.84168

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