The freehold, two-storey conserved bungalow within Torieview Mansions will be put up for auction on April 20. (Picture: Samuel Isaac Chua/The Edge Singapore)
SINGAPORE (EDGEPROP) - A two-storey bungalow in Torieview Mansions, a freehold apartment complex on Lorong 29 Geylang, will be put up for sale by the auction team of Knight Frank Singapore on April 20. An estate sale, the vacant house has a total floor area of 2,271 sq ft and a guide price of $2.8 million, which translates to $1,233 psf on the floor area.
This three-bedroom, strata-landed house is one of two existing conserved bungalows on the freehold site before the apartment complex was developed. Torieview Mansions, which incorporated the two houses and an eight-storey apartment block, was completed in 1995.
Access to the two bungalows is through a double-volume opening and driveway through the apartment block.
The ground-floor foyer of the bungalow, with conserved geometric designed columns and grove lines. (Picture: Knight Frank)
Only a handful of redeveloped sites in Singapore share this melding of conservation buildings and new residential development, and most feature condo developments rather than apartments, says Knight Frank’s executive director of auction and sales Sharon Lee. Redevelopments incorporating conservation buildings include the luxury Grand Duchess at St Patrick’s on St Patrick’s Road, Mountbatten Lights on Mountbatten Road, The Sea View at Amber Road, Draycott Eight at Draycott Park and Klimt Cairnhill on Cairnhill Road. Many of the conserved bungalows were converted into the clubhouse in these projects.
The 28,353 sq ft site at Torieview Mansions is categorised as a “site with conserved buildings” within the Geylang Secondary Settlement by URA. It is also one of several conservation sites in the Geylang Road conservation area, bounded by Sims Way and Paya Lebar Road. A mix of low-rise bungalows and rows of shophouses characterises the architectural heritage of this conservation zone.
When Torieview Mansions was completed in 1995, the geometric design pilaster of the bungalows featured elegant groove lines, moulded capitals and a blend of new and old styles. This has been retained as part of the conservation requirement of the houses.
The original Art Deco windows of the second-floor master bedroom were retained and restored. (Picture: Knight Frank)
Knight Frank’s Lee says this unique property would appeal to owner-occupiers drawn to the lifestyle and glamour of living in a conservation property and investors who want to add a limited piece of Singapore’s architectural heritage to their portfolio.
In addition, the scarce supply of conservation properties presents an opportunity for buyers to capitalise on the potential capital appreciation such a property could generate in the long run, says Lee. She adds that the sale is also open to foreign buyers.
Based on URA caveats, neither of the bungalows has changed hands in more than 20 years. The bungalow in this estate sale was purchased before 1995, but sales data for purchases before that year are unavailable as they were not yet digitised. The neighbouring house was purchased for $718,000 ($319 psf) in 1999.
Torieview Mansions has recorded strong price growth over the past two decades. In March 2003, the average price at the development was $412 psf, increasing to $542 psf in March 2012 and climbing to reach $1,085 psf last month.
The conservation and restoration efforts at Torieview Mansions were recognised at the URA Architectural Heritage Awards in 1996.
A list of nearby transport, schools, F&B outlets, and amenities are compiled by EdgeProp on the project research page.
Check out the latest listings near Torieview Mansions, Grand Duchess at St Patrick’s, Mountbatten Lights, The Sea View, Draycott Eight, Klimt Cairnhill