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2 Kampong Kapor Road

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2 Kampong Kapor Road, formerly the Kampong Kapor Community Centre, is a building on Kampong Kapor Road in Rochor, Singapore. It formerly served as a community centre for the Kampong Kapor neighbourhood.

History[edit]

The two-storey building was completed for $110,000 in 1971 to replace an older community centre which burned down in a fire caused by arson in the previous year. It featured a roof garden, a library, a television room and space for court games such as basketball. It was the first community centre to feature a roof garden, which was to make way for a third floor if the centre needed an expansion. The funds for its construction were raised by the Kampong Kapor's Citizen Consultative.[1] The centre was officially opened by then-President of Singapore Benjamin Sheares on 21 October 1971. At the opening ceremony, he was received by then-Member of Parliament for the Kampong Kapor Constituency Yeo Toon Chia.[2] This made the centre the first to have been opened by a president.[3]

By 1985, The Straits Times reported that the free television offered at the centre was still popular amongst elderly Indian men and construction workers, even though most households in Singapore had a television set by then. The newspaper noted that the number of people watching the television set at the centre increased on Thursdays and Fridays, which is when Tamil-language films were played. An official from the People's Action Party claimed that this was due to the centre's location, which was within Little India.[4]

The building eventually ceased to function as a community centre. In September 2013, the Maya Dance Theatre held several performances at the building.[5] It has also housed Singai Tamil Singam and arts organisation Apsar Asia. From 2014 to 2016, the building was occupied by the Boxfit Gym. By November 2020, the NATC Institute, a private education institute, had occupied the building.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Kg Kapor to have a modern community centre soon". New Nation. Singapore. 10 September 1971. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Sheares to open Kg. Kapor centre". New Nation. Singapore. 21 October 1971. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b "2 Kampong Kapor Road (Former Kampong Kapor Community Centre)". Roots. National Heritage Board. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  4. ^ "The goggle box is CC's crowd-puller". The Straits Times. Singapore. 13 September 1985. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  5. ^ Ting, Lisabel (3 September 2013). "Take a fantasy journey". The Straits Times. Singapore.