Henry Park Apartments
Text by Eugene Tan
Once a popular haunt for both the students from nearby schools as well as Holland's many residents, Henry Park Apartments was a unique property that was built around a park.
Synonymous with Henry Park, a part of Henry Park, this U-shaped building circumscribed Henry Park, a verdant plot of green with a playground at its centre. A single-lane road led cars between the park and the Apartments while making a gradual descent, following the land’s topography. With the building stepped to follow the slope, the relaxed scale and sense of nature is ever-present, while lay-by parking added to the sense of informality.
Reaching four-storeys, the building contained 48 walk-up apartments and 16 shops, separated at its centre to allow physical connection to the adjacent Moonbeam Terrace. In December 2011, all owners came to an agreement for collective sale, bringing a cessation to many inveterate businesses which served the local community. New businesses which grew popular towards the end of the building’s lifetime include a bicycle shop, enrichment centres, and dessert cafes, all of which drew a wider audience to this humble development.
While a new building takes shape, an indelible image as one drives along Holland Grove Road fades away. With the building so silent, the architecture recedes, and one only notices the public park and its vast foliage.