National Heritage Board to study 38 Oxley Road preservation despite Lee Hsien Yang’s demolition request

The National Heritage Board (NHB) has announced it will conduct a study to determine whether the property at 38 Oxley Road, the home of Singapore’s late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, should be preserved as a national monument.

This follows an application by Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Kuan Yew’s youngest son, to demolish the property after the passing of his sister, Dr Lee Wei Ling, on 9 October 2024.

Lee Hsien Yang, in a statement on 15 October, reiterated his father’s long-standing wish that the house be demolished after Dr Lee Wei Ling vacated it.

“To honour my parents’ last wishes, I am applying to demolish the house at 38 Oxley Road and thereafter to build a small private dwelling, to be held within the family in perpetuity,” he said, stressing that it was his duty as the sole living executor of his father’s estate to carry out Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes “to the fullest extent of the law.”

Lee Hsien Yang, who has recently been granted asylum in the UK, also noted that in 2015, his elder brother, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, stated in Parliament that once Dr Lee Wei Ling no longer lived in the house, “it would be up to the government of the day” to decide whether to allow demolition.

“It has been nine years. That day is today,” said Lee Hsien Yang, making it clear that the time had come for the government to make a decision.

However, NHB's 24 October 2024 announcement indicates that more time is needed to assess the site’s heritage and architectural significance.

NHB pointed out that making a move to demolish the house immediately “will rule out a proper and full consideration of the options” identified in the 2018 ministerial committee report.

This study will be carried out by NHB’s Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board, which will then submit its recommendations to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth for a final decision.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, in a Facebook post on Thursday, stressed that no option should be ruled out at this stage.

"We do not think that any option should be precluded, or closed off, at this stage," he wrote. Tong underscored the importance of keeping an open mind, adding that the passage of time “will help us better appreciate the matter in its proper context, with the benefit of some hindsight."

The ministerial committee’s prior assessment

NHB’s request for more time has raised some questions, given that the 2018 ministerial committee tasked with evaluating the future of 38 Oxley Road had already considered various options.

That committee, which was convened following a highly public family dispute over the house, examined a range of possibilities. It did not, however, make a specific recommendation, as no immediate action was required at that time.

In its conclusion, the committee stated: “The Committee has considered a range of options for the Property as well as their implications. We did not make any recommendation because no decision is required at this point in time. Ultimately, in the fullness of time, a future Government will have the responsibility to consider the public interest aspects of the Property, taking into account Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes. They will have to decide what to do with the Property and be able to carry the decision.”

This raises the question of why NHB is requesting more time now, given that many of the options have already been discussed, and the government in 2018 is largely the same as today, with the notable exception of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who took over from Lee Hsien Loong in 2023.

The public may also wonder why NHB is revisiting issues previously considered by the ministerial committee, which had already reviewed Lee Kuan Yew’s evolving stance on the house and explored options such as full demolition, partial preservation, or designating the site for alternative uses, such as a heritage centre or park.

Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes and evolving stance on demolition

Lee Kuan Yew’s wish for the demolition of 38 Oxley Road has been well documented, both in private and public statements.

In his seventh and last will dated 17 December 2013, he stated unequivocally that it was his and his late wife Kwa Geok Choo’s “unwavering and deeply felt wish” that the house be immediately demolished after Dr Lee Wei Ling no longer lived there. He directed his children to ensure this wish was carried out, and if demolition were not possible due to legal or regulatory changes, he requested that the property be closed off to all except family members and their descendants.

Dr Lee Wei Ling echoed this desire in her final message to the public before her passing, emphasising: “My father’s, LEE KUAN YEW, and my mother’s, KWA GEOK CHOO, unwavering and deeply felt wish was for their house at 38 Oxley Road... to be demolished upon the last parent’s death... He had also appealed directly to the people of Singapore. Please honour my father by honouring his wish for his home to be demolished.”

Lee Kuan Yew’s public stance on the matter evolved over time. In 2011, he sent several letters to the Cabinet outlining his preference for demolition, but after reflecting on the Cabinet’s unanimous opposition, he accepted that if the property were to be preserved, it would need to be properly maintained and refurbished.

This shift was acknowledged in the 2018 ministerial committee report, which explored several preservation options, including retaining the historically significant basement dining room where key meetings were held in the 1950s, leading to the formation of the People’s Action Party (PAP).

One key factor influencing Lee Kuan Yew’s changing stance was the belief that the property might be gazetted or had already been gazetted as a national monument.

In 2011, he bequeathed the property to Lee Hsien Loong, a decision purportedly influenced by the belief that the house would eventually be gazetted, as indicated in emails exchanged between him and his family members. The demolition clause was removed from his will in both the 5th (4 October 2012) and 6th (2 November 2012) versions of the will.

According to notes by his lawyer, Kwa Kim Li, the removal of the demolition clause was intended to give Lee Hsien Loong—who was then prime minister—"free reign" to manage the property. However, in his final will in 2013, Lee Kuan Yew reinstated the demolition clause, reaffirming his wish that the house be torn down. It should be noted that probate of Lee Kuan Yew's last will was granted without contestation.

Future of the site and NHB’s next steps

As the sole legal owner of 38 Oxley Road, Lee Hsien Yang’s application to demolish the property comes after years of tension and public debate over its future, following the passing of his sister, who had been given a life interest to stay in the property.

He purchased the house from his brother, Lee Hsien Loong, in 2015 at market value, following their father’s passing and a dispute over the handling of the property.

In his 2024 statement, Lee Hsien Yang highlighted his duty to fulfil his parents’ wishes, noting: “I am the only living executor of my father Lee Kuan Yew’s estate... It is my duty to carry out his wishes to the fullest extent of the law.”

While NHB’s study progresses, the house remains a focal point for broader discussions on Singapore’s heritage and national identity. NHB has stated that if the site is designated a national monument, future governments will retain the flexibility to amend or revoke preservation orders, leaving room for further debate.

In the meantime, no rezoning or alternative use of the site will be allowed until a final decision is reached.