Spring Grove: Where Ambassadors lived!

E and I arrived in Singapore in early June 2010. Eric had been here already for a month working at his new job and settling in. He found an apartment for us close to Orchard Road, the retail and entertainment hub of Singapore. He did a great job too!

The condominium, Spring Grove, is an older (for Singaporean standards) apartment complex. This translates into more spacious apartments and facilities. I still cannot believe we managed to fit all our belongings from the 2200-sqare-feet house in New Zealand into a 1400-squate-feet “box”!







E loves the pool and the playground and I appreciate the green space outdoors, the gym, the mini-mart and the Clubhouse that allows the younger residents to blow off steam during rainy days (actually, when E comes home from school, he asks for a snack and then depending on the weather either goes out to play outside or in the Clubhouse).






Our Clubhouse is a heritage black and white bungalow and there is an interesting piece of history related to it: American Ambassador lived in it as recently as late 1980s. At that time, this classic Victorian colonial bungalow was surrounded by nearly six acres of lawns and gardens. Reportedly, the bungalow was built in the late 1800’s. It was originally the home of the managing director of German corporation Benh Meyer and Company. It was sold to The Straits Trading Company in 1919, and in 1936 they leased the house to the American Consul General. Consul Generals resided at Spring Gove until the closure of the American outpost in 1941. An American Consul General moved back into the house in 1946, and in 1950 the American government finally purchased the property for US$83,438. Consul Generals continued to reside in the increasingly rundown residence until the mid-1960’s. After Singapore became independent in 1965 and Frances J. Galbraith came to Singapore as the first ambassador in 1966, he and his wife commissioned an architect and interior designer from the U.S., and the American government spent approximately US$60,000 returning the bungalow to its former elegance. In the late 1980’s the U.S. government started on a binge of disposing of U.S. properties overseas, and Singapore wasn’t spared. In January 1991, Spring Grove was turned into a 99-year leasehold property, and the condominium on the property was completed in 1996 (it comprises 325 units). The residence was saved, though, and given conservation area status in 1991. As part of the 99-year leasehold from the U.S. government, the former ambassador's residence must remain where it is. Once home to U.S. ambassadors, it is now our Clubhouse!



I gathered this information from the article by Richard Hartung “Spring Grove - The American Ambassador’s Residence in Singapore Until 1991.”