Eng Aun Tong Building
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[edit]
The building was designed in the Neoclassical style, featuring cornices, arches, columns and a hexagonal pavilion on the roof, which may be a refernce to the Tiger Balm bottle. It previously featured a model of a tiger on its front.[1] The building is among the few pre-World War II structures in Singapore to feature a flat roof.[2]
History[edit]
The building was opened as the Tiger Balm factory in 1926 by brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par.[3] 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".[4] The building continued to serve as the Tiger Balm factory for around 50 years.[1] On 10 August 1961, a fire resulted in the building resilted in the destruction of $3,000 worth of Chinese medicinal products.[5]
The building was purchased by garment maker Singapore Crocodile in 1973.[6] 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.[4][7] In July 1997, Singapore Crocodile put the property up for sale with an asking price of $22 million.[6] However, the company withdrew the sale as a result of the "depressed property market".[8] In 2007, PayPal moved into the building.[9] In this period, the building also housed eBay and Skype.[10] On 4 December 2019, American fast casual chain Shake Shack announced that it would be opening its second Singaporean outlet in the building.[11] The outlet opened on 7 February 2020, occupying the building's ground floor.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "#Heritage Eng Aun Tong building". SG101. Nexus. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "89 NEIL ROAD". ura.gov.sg. Urban Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Advertisement poster of Eng Aun Tong, The Tiger Medical Hall". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ a b "Buildings had same name". The Straits Times. Singapore. 12 January 1996. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Fire at Tiger Balm works". The Straits Times. Singapore. 10 August 1961. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ a b "S'pore Crocodile selling shophouse". The Straits Times. Singapore. 22 July 1997. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Guidance for SMEs". The Business Times. Singapore. 24 May 1999. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Tan, Elaine (12 February 1998). "Crocodile poised for bigger bite of Chinese market". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Yadao, Joseph (7 November 2007). "PayPal sets up HQ and development centre here". today. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Neil Road". nlb.gov.sg. National Library Board. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Quek, Eunice (11 December 2019). "Shake Shack opening second outlet in Neil Road in 2020". The Straits Times. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ Jip, Jieying (5 February 2020). "First Look: Shake Shack's Second S'pore Outlet At Neil Road". today. Singapore. Retrieved 1 June 2024.