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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Everchanging Landscape 3 Margaret Drive Singapore 2 (Revisited)

Margaret Drive in 2004

 The thriving provision shop at corner of Blk 39A

 Abandoned 38 Commonwealth Ave wet market
 Entrance of the 38 Commonwealth Ave wet market

 Refuse dump area of wet market

 38 Commonwealth Ave wet market from Blk 39A

 Refuse dump area of wet market. Pictures below showed me and my brother at that area in 1961...the familiar bricked wall



 The other entrance of 38 Commonwealth Ave wet market



38 Commonwealth Ave wet market - used to have a very good Bak Kut Teh stall 

NTUC Fairprice Supermarket Margaret Drive circa 2004

I visited Margaret Drive again in the 2011 when it was on the verge of being demolished for future development into a new town. 

The cinema cum bowling building - ticket payment booth

Queenstown Cinema and Bowl exterior : right side is the heritage 38 Wet market

Side view of the Queenstown Cinema and Bowl building

The other side view of the Queenstown Cinema and Bowl building

Ticketing booth with the signboards

Second level of the Commonwealth Ave Cooked Food Centre where the famous steam chicken rice stall was located
Ground level of Commonwealth Ave Cooked Food centre as viewed from the former Polyclinic



Side staircase of the cooked food centre

Car park directly opposite Queenstown Public Library

Ground level as viewed from staircase

Commonwealth Ave Cooked Food Centre as viewed from open field opposite Quuenstown Public Library

Another view from the open field










Another view of  
Commonwealth Ave Cooked Food Centre
This well-known Poh Piah Skin stall on the second level is now located at Commonwealth Crescent Market

View of the Poh Piah Skin stall on the second level

 
Last desolate look at the second level of Commonwealth Ave Cooked food Centre 

Path leading from Blk 39A to Food Centre

The former Queenstown Polyclinic

Block 39A , one of the last Margaret Drive housing blocks to be demolished

View of the former Queenstown Polyclinic taken from top floor of Blk 39A

East-West MRT Line from Blk 39A

View of Commonwealth Cooked Food Centre 

View of Margaret Drive running between the Food Centre and Polyclinic

View of Queenstown Primary School from Blk 39A

View of Tanglin Halt Estate from Blk 39A

View of Mei Ling Estate in the far right

View of Commonwealth Ave Cooked Food Centre from Blk 39A

View of NTUC Fairprice Supermarket from Blk 39A

Desolate view of corridors of abandoned Blk 39A

Corridors of Blk 39A

Airy view from corridor of Blk 39A

Blk 39A Margaret Drive circa 2011

View of the land where the Commonwealth Ave Cooked Food Centre used to stand as taken from Queenstown Public Library circa 2013

View of land where NTUC Supermarket used to stand as taken from Queenstown Cinema before it was demolished circa 2013

Rebuilding Margaret Drive 2016

The vacant site now 2016. It used to be Blk 6C (below),  beside Queensway Secondary School



Entrance of Blk 6C



Piling works began for the new HDB apartments in the area where the Cooked Food Centre used to be.

 The drain at the edge of Margaret Drive



September 2016 : The construction of a new HDB precinct is in full swing at this moment. 
Only the Church of Our Saviour, The Fisherman of Christ Fellowship building, Blk 38 Market, Queensawy Secondary School, the former Queenstown Polyclinic Building and Queenstown Library are left after the development.

The Future Margaret Drive/Dawson Estate


5 comments:

Tan Tien Seng said...

Thanks for the photos,I studied New Town Secondary School in early 1990s. Margaret Drive area used to be a frequent place to hang around. Still remenber the Big Bookshop above NUTC....

Greg Tan said...

Lovely nostalgic photos. I lived in Block 11 ( behind Queenstown Br. Library ) from birth ( 1960 ) to 1975 when our family relocated to Ghim Moh. My entire childhood was spent playing and growing up in this lovely neighborhood which reflected all aspects of Singaporean HDB or was it SIT ? working class life of the 1960s and early 70s. The many primary and secondary schools where we studied, the Library, the Polyclinic, Tah Chung emporium, Mont D'or cake shop, the Food center, wet market ( preserved to date ), 2 story shophouses around the market / block 39, Venus and Golden City cinemas, the Pasar Malam every Fri evening, Queensway Japanese Garden etc. all memories come flooding back of the lovely years growing up in Margaret Drive & Queenstown

henryloh8 said...

I went to the above places and Strathmore/Dawson (14 storey) yesterday (5 Nov 22)with my dad age 87 .I moved out Mei Ling Street Blk 149 and Blk 156 in 1986 to Yishun.The entire area has transformed ,my dad and myself disbelief after 37 years we left Queenstown.My primary school Margaret Drive School has gone(1974-80).That era has totally gone!I miss my childhood time growing up those era.

Earthtone said...

@henryloh8, I stayed in Blk 149 as well! 1980-1984. 7th floor. I hope you see my message. which floor were you at?

henryloh8 said...

Blk 149 1 room flat .6th floor unit 113E from 1968-1980.Which unit were you??