Split House @ Still Road
URA Conservation Plan (source: URA)
I came across this house while scouting for a site for my thesis project. And interestingly, to me, this split house was a jarring evidence that showed the 'insensitive' imposition of infrastructural plans on existing urban fabric.
A lil background information on the house (the information I gathered is as of now, not substantiated):
The Grand Hotel, aptly named, was built in 1920 in Victorian and pseudo-high renaissance architectural styles. Before becoming a hotel, it was one of the grandest private houses on the road. Owned by an Indian cattle merchant Moona Kadir Sultan, it was also called Karikal Mahal after its owner's birth town. It was converted into a hotel in 1947 and still stands in its almost original form. When Still Road was constructed in 1973, the house was split into 2 portions. Somewhere in 2000, the Grand Hotel was closed down due to poor business and since then, it has been abandoned. In early 2009, half of the house was gazetted a conservation area.
The Grand Hotel, aptly named, was built in 1920 in Victorian and pseudo-high renaissance architectural styles. Before becoming a hotel, it was one of the grandest private houses on the road. Owned by an Indian cattle merchant Moona Kadir Sultan, it was also called Karikal Mahal after its owner's birth town. It was converted into a hotel in 1947 and still stands in its almost original form. When Still Road was constructed in 1973, the house was split into 2 portions. Somewhere in 2000, the Grand Hotel was closed down due to poor business and since then, it has been abandoned. In early 2009, half of the house was gazetted a conservation area.
