Tan Swee Hoe house in Singapore

Tan Swee Hoe was one of the founders of the Ho Hong Bank before merging to Overseas Chinese Bank  and later a Director of the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation, Ltd. Singapore, a merchant and property owner of Singapore and Batu Pahat. Mr. Tan Swee was for the 2 terms a President of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Batu Pahat. He was on the State Council, Johore for some time and in recognition of his public services was awarded the S.M.J (Setia Mahkota Johor). I am fully aware of his mansion in Batu Pahat at 160 Jalan Kluang (and its current sad condition), but surprisingly for the longest time, i didn't think to find out about his house in Singapore. 

750 Grove Road / 759 Mountbatten Road

759 Grove Road

Tan Swee Hoe passed away at the age of 67 year old at 11:00 am on  29 July 29, 1939 at No 759 Grove Road, Singapore and is buried on 6 August 1939 in Bukit Brown. Mrs. Tan Swee Hoe nee Madam Lim Lai Hua passed away at the age of 47 on 25 January 1941 and the cortege left from her residence at 759 Grove Road on 18 February 1941 for Bukit Brown.  In short, 759 Grove Road was the residence for Mr. and Mrs. Tan Swee Hoe when they were in Singapore.

There was an article of the auction of a freehold land and compound dwelling house known as No. 759, Grove Road, Singapore, area 20,667 sq ft (auction by Cheong Koon Seng & Co on 1 October 1929. It was possible it was acquired by Tan Swee Hoe post 1929. Who was the previous owner before that ? That require more in-depth search in the land deed probably. When Tan Swee Hoe passed away, the property was passed into the hands of his sons, Tan Suan Chuan and Tan Suan Kok, in 1949.

Does the house exist today ? I just got to found out recently that it does ! 

Location of 759 Grove Road (source: National Archives Singapore Online).

759 Grove Road renamed as 759 Mountbatten Road 

Mountbatten Road, which stretches from Geylang Road to Fort Road, was formerly called Grove Road. On 29 May 1946, then Governor F. C. Gimson announced the name change in honor of Lord Louis  Mountbatten, British Admiral who was then Supreme Allied Commander. So, in short, Grove Road was renamed Mountbatten Road in 1946.

Since the end of World War II, the bungalow at 759 Mountbatten Road has been run as a hotel, formerly Sin Hoe Hotel and now Sing Hoe Hotel. The 41-room hotel saw Ong Tiow Kian, a hotelkeeper, becoming an owner in the 1950s, together with the Tans. The 1960s saw the ownership expanding to include more shareholders, namely Wong Kim Geok, Ong Soon Kian, Ee Koon Chow and Ong Khim Mooi. Over the past 75 years, ownership of the hotel has been passed to the descendants of these shareholders. Today, the owners of the hotel comprises 17 individuals, representing the families of the shareholders, predominantly the Tans, Ongs and Wongs.

The 1920s colonial-style bungalow at 759 Mountbatten Road is part of a row of 15 bungalows along Mountbatten Road that was designated by URA for conservation in 1993. The bungalow at 759 Mountbatten Road (Lot 112-33 MK 25) sits on a freehold land area of 20,847.54 sq ft and was recently put on for sale in 2022 with a price tag of $27 million, or $1,295 psf based on the land area. In June 2022, it was eventually sold for $29 million to Crescendas Eco Pte Ltd. 

Sing Hoe Hotel 759 Mountbatten 
Lee Kip Lin Collection (source: PictureSG) 

References 

[Update] Conservation Bungalow at Mountbatten Road, now Sing Hoe Hotel, for sale at $27 million. 13 April 2022 (website). EdgeProp.  
Syonan Survey Map. 1943 (website). Archives Online. 

Survey Map. 1938 (website). Archives Online 

Sing Hoe Hotel. 1984: exterior (website). PictureSG - National Library, Singapore