January 29, 2026
SINGAPORE – The site of the former home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew at 38 Oxley Road was gazetted for acquisition on Jan 29.
The aim is to safeguard and preserve the site in keeping with its historic significance and national importance, said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and National Heritage Board (NHB) in a joint statement.
The statement said: “Preserving and acquiring the site means that it cannot be redeveloped for residential, commercial or other private uses.
“After acquisition, the relevant authorities will assess the condition of the buildings and structures within the Site, and undertake a detailed study to consider the next steps.”
No decision on its future will be made until all options, including those outlined by the 2018 Ministerial Committee, have been considered, it added.
An eight-bedroom pre-war bungalow that was home to Mr Lee Kuan Yew from the 1940s until his death in 2015 sits on the site.
The preservation order for the site came into effect on Dec 13, and the site was gazetted as a national monument.
The bungalow’s basement dining room is widely regarded as the most historically significant part of the house. That was where Singapore’s first-generation of leaders – including the late Mr Lee – discussed their ideas for Singapore’s future in the 1950s.
The Government has committed to respecting Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes to protect his family’s privacy, by removing all traces of their private living spaces from the interior of the house, it said.
“Under no circumstances will the interior of the house as Mr Lee knew, be displayed, recorded, remodelled or duplicated elsewhere,” it added.
SLA and NHB will work with the owner through the acquisition process.
Compensation for the site will be determined in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1966. It will take into account market value of the acquired site as at the date of the gazette of the acquisition, and claims submitted by interested persons.