Straits Times: Cashin Mansion in our Urban Village

This letter was published in the Straits Times Forum today:

“I REFER to the impending demolition of Cashin Mansion at 23 Amber Road and request a moratorium on its demolition so the Urban Redevelopment Authority may reconsider conserving it. We ask this because the building means something to us; it is part of what makes Singapore our home.

My parents and I moved to Jalan Batu a few years ago and have never felt more at ease. We love it not only for its proximity to town but also its unique mix of old and new. Within a 1 km radius of our flat, there are skyscraper condominiums, mid-rise HDB flats like the one we live in, four-storey HDB flats like the one I grew up in, private bungalows and historic private residences like Cashin Mansion. Each housing type represents an era in Singapore's progress and development, as well the number of generations our family has called Singapore home.

More important, we love how the physical diversity of the neighbourhood promotes interaction between Singaporeans across all ages, and ethnic and socio-economic groups - something we could not experience in our previous neighbourhood where such physical diversity is lacking. To us, Jalan Batu is our urban village.

We know our neighbours and we converse with the shop and foodstall owners. Even a simple daily routine such as having lunch at the hawker centre at Block 4 is a visual, cultural and gastronomic treat. There are hip LaSalle students with their trendy outfits and outlook on life; working professionals in office attire who, despite the heat and humidity, carpool from the city to patronise stalls that were there even before the hawker centre underwent renovation; retirees who always congregate at the same tables to get their caffeine fix; and everyone else in between.

Cashin Mansion is not just another building worth conserving for its historic and architectural importance. It is an integral part of what keeps our neighbourhood socially alive and vibrant.

We believe that, to keep up with the times, society should not risk becoming overly modernised and culturally sterile. After all, even the newest buildings we build today will some day become old, but the oldest buildings we preserve today will always remain fondly in style. Some day, when I walk along the streets of Mountbatten with my children, I will tell them stories of my childhood and that of my parents, grandparents and great grandparents. I pray we will be able to stop by Cashin Mansion to gaze in awe at how far Singapore has come to be the great nation it is today and the place we affectionately call 'home'.”

Serene Laudene Lee (Ms)"