War and Occupied Singapore

The Second World War impacted Emerald Hill just like other places in Singapore. During the occupation from 1942 to 1945 some of the commercial buildings were repurposed for use by the Japanese military (Singapore Chinese Girl’s School). Residences which had been holiday homes became full time residences. Shortages of food and other necessities were common.

Post War and Independence

After the war, the wealthy Straits Chinese’s exclusive residential enclave had lost its upper class shine. The Peranakan families started moving out in the 1950s, in part because the head of the family, at that time, had already passed. The terrace houses and shophouses often became dilapidated and some were left vacant, while other plots of land were further developed as blocks of flats. Robberies and house break-ins were rampant at Emerald Hill in the 1950s.

For the next nearly 30 years, while Singapore traversed from being a British colony to full independence, the Emerald Hill Estate went through a period of somewhat benign neglect. There was construction of 17 modern style residential terrace houses in 1953 and several small apartment buildings in the late 1950s through to the 1960s. Emerald Hill over all though remained a hidden secret for those that lived there, as well as those attending the Singapore Chinese Girl’s School, which remained a prominent landmark in the Estate.