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Bidding farewell to a precious piece of Singapore's history is always difficult. Dakota Crescent, one of Singapore's oldest public housing estates, was vacated by the end of 2016 to make way for new developments under Mountbatten's estate renewal plans.
The cosy block of flats just off Old Airport Road has been a sleepy refuge for the Singaporeans who call it home.
We look back at some of the features of Dakota Crescent.
1. Back in the days of the SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust)
The 17 low-rise brick-clad flats were built by the Singapore Improvement Trust in the British colonial days of 1958 and handed over to its successor, the Housing Development Board (HDB), in 1960.
There are 648 2- and 3-room flats, of which only 60 per cent were occupied (as of year of closure in 2016). The flats were mostly occupied by elderly residents and low-income families under HDB's public rental scheme.
2. Origins of its name
The name ‘Dakota’ was taken from the American transport aircraft Dakota DC-3, which commonly landed at Kallang Airport before it was closed.
It could also have served the purpose of commemorating the aviation disaster of June 29, 1946, when one of the Royal Air Force's Dakota aircraft crashed at Kallang Airport in a thunderstorm, killing all passengers on board.
3. ‘Mama shops’ of the heartlands
Dakota Crescent housed some of the oldest shops in Singapore, including a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shop. Its sole provision shop, Tian Kee & Co, has closed by 2016 and the space was occupied by a retro-inspired cafe. The outlet now sells western and old-school pastries.
In the 2010s, old-fashioned businesses have had to struggle against newer convenience stores and malls springing up around the area. There was also once a market set up in the 1960s opposite the estate.
4. Dakota Crescent Dove Playground
Tucked snugly amid Dakota Crescent's HDB blocks, the Old Dove playground is one of the few nostalgic playgrounds left in Singapore. Though it has aged with time, it is still well-preserved with rubber tyre swings and a slide sitting on a sand pit.
The Old Dove playground was designed by HDB's Mr Khor Ean Ghee in 1979. A few other well-loved iconic playgrounds designed by Mr Khor still stand, such as the Dragon playground in Toa Payoh Lorong 6.
5. Won the ‘Cleanest Block’ Competition
The community spirit of the Dakota Crescent residents was displayed in 1995 when many pitched in to clean their HDB blocks by scrubbing the corridors and cleaning out the trash.
Dakota Crescent, along with two other blocks, beat 16 others to bag the gold award for the island-wide Cleanest Block Competition, organised by the People's Action Party Town Councils.
Block 62 also clinched the Cleanest Block Competition in Marine Parade Town for two years consecutively in 1994 and 1995.
First published in The Straits Times in 2016.