Baba House

Baba House is a house, located at 157 Neil Road, in Singapore, showcasing Peranakan history, architecture and heritage. It is a traditional Peranakan pre-war terrace-house which formerly owned by 19th-century shipping tycoon Wee Bin who settled in Singapore, after arriving from the southern Chinese province of Fujian. The House is also an outpost of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Museum and co-managed by the NUS Centre for the Arts.

History

Built possibly in the 1860s, 157 Neil Road is a residential terrace house located in the Residential Historic District of Blair Plain. The house and the surrounding area was gazetted for conservation by the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore, in 1991.

In April 2005, a S$4 million donation was made to the National University of Singapore (NUS) by Ms Agnes Tan, the last surviving daughter of the founder of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock. This donation was given to the University to acquire Wee's traditional Peranakan house along Neil Road, built circa 1860 on the land plot bought by Wee Bin in 1860. The house is currently owned and managed by Mr Wee Lin, the sixth-generation descendant of Wee Bin.
Another donation of S$1.5 million was made to the University, for acquisition of two other shophouses along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in Malacca. These acquired houses will be restored and used for educating younger generations about Peranakan history, culture and architecture, while the two houses in Malacca to be used for study on conservation techniques of historical buildings. In gesture of appreciation for the donation, the University named the Singapore house as the Tan Cheng Lock Baba House.