What does it feel like stepping back into a childhood home?
Sisters of Singapore’s late former president Ong Teng Cheong, Ong Beng Hong and Ong Teow Choo, recently got the opportunity to find out when they revisited their former home along Hindoo Road.
In a video posted by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Aug 11, the pair visited 1925 Quarters — a co-living concept converted from heritage state property buildings at 79 to 95 Hindoo Road — where they spent nine years of their childhood alongside three other siblings, including the fifth president of Singapore.
The family came to live there in the 1940s after their father, who was a building surveyor in the municipal department, was offered a flat.
Reminiscing what it was like to live there, Beng Hong shared that the family of seven did not have much space to work with within the unit.
“We found that the flat had only one room, one living room, and the kitchen and the balcony, so it was quite cramped for us,” she said.
@singaporelandauthority One of Singapore’s Presidents grew up in this century-old State property. Guess who that might be? Watch the video for the reveal. 👀 At 79 to 95 Hindoo Road, two of his sisters return to the one-room flat they once called home, sharing childhood memories and what life was like growing up there with their siblings and neighbours. State properties are more than just buildings. They are woven into the lives of generations of Singaporeans, each with stories waiting to be told and reminisced. Have a story connected to a State property? Share it with us at go.gov.sg/ourspacesourstories and stand a chance to win a limited-edition SLA25 Commemorative Stamp Set. Winning entries will be featured on SLA social handles from August to December 2026.
♬ original sound – Singapore Land Authority (SLA) – Singapore Land Authority (SLA)
Teow Choo, meanwhile, recalled that there was a well in the bathroom that was filled with dripping tap water, where they would bathe with cold water after school.
“And we had some chickens in the kitchen,” she added.
The sisters’ memories at the Hindoo Road home also included war times.
“During the war, the bombs were coming down and frightened us,” said Beng Hong, sharing that they had to seek refuge in a makeshift air raid shelter built for the community under the staircase downstairs then.
Teow Choo added that as it was not safe for them to move around freely at the time, the sisters spent most of their time in the house.
Even so, they recalled finding ways to occupy themselves — with games such as hopscotch, five stones and “self-made toys”.
They also spent time with children from the neighbouring units, who would gather at the shared corridor space of the property.
“Malay, Chinese, Indian all play together,” Beng Hong said.
That mix of neighbours also included those from different backgrounds, including Indonesians, Hainanese, Hokkien and Cantonese families — which allowed the sisters to pick up various languages such as Cantonese, Teochew and Malay.
“We got along very well with our neighbours,” she said, adding that they would sometimes share food with one another.
“That was the beautiful relationship we had with neighbours, with other different races.”
The sisters also shared other memories from those years, including how Ong Teng Cheong improved his English by reading books their older sister brought home from school.
Teow Choo also spoke fondly of their father cycling her home from school, describing it as the “sweetest”.
Decades later, the home the sisters once knew has taken on a whole new look.
“We are going home!” Teow Choo chirped, as the sisters entered the premises.
“When we came to see the room, it was so big, we were excited. And I said wow, wow, wow, so beautiful, so nice,” the youngest in the family said, adding that it was “amazing” to see how the space has been renovated and how “it’s so different” from the time they had lived there.
“We lived here for nine years. It is part of our growing up in here,” she continued.
“We feel very satisfied and happy, and I think the tenants must be very happy to stay here.”
Operated by Westwood Hostel, 1925 Quarters is located in the Little India precinct has houses 54 studios converted from units that used to be occupied by municipal workers and their families — including Beng Hong and Teow Choo’s.
It first opened for bookings in July 2024 and is the first shophouse-type asset class under the State Property portfolio to be launched for co-living concepts.
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