195 PEARL’S HILL TERRACE: A THRIVING ARTS ENCLAVE
This tranquil hilltop building is more than just a hidden gem – it houses a vibrant and eclectic community. However, plans to redevelop this enclave into a housing estate mean it could all disappear by 2026. Here, we spotlight the unique businesses and people that make Pearl’s Hill Terrace special.
An eccentric array of statues and sculptures are placed randomly at various corners and in the courtyard of a conservation building (which used to house the Sikh Contingent of the Straits Settlement Police). Posters and cheery graffiti art cover its walls, and a DIY zen garden sits in front of a cosy Japanese-inspired cafe.
Welcome to 195 Pearl’s Hill Terrace (195 PHT), a ground-up arts enclave situated at the foot of the former Pearl Bank Apartments in Chinatown.
Visitors wander its quaint halls: on the first floor are creative, retail, and lifestyle spaces, such as art, music and dance studios, boutiques selling jewellery and ceramics, and even a table-tennis gym. Offices, tattoo studios and a hair salon occupy its second and third floors. On Wednesday evenings, musicians come together for live jamming session Akoustikult at Kult Yard, an outdoor watering hole on the ground floor.
“We support local and international artistes here,” says Zac Mirza, co-owner of Kult Yard. “We have beat poetry coming in every Wednesday as well. We want to merge rap artistes with beat poetry, and free jamming... It might be wishful thinking, but I hope to keep that ‘void deck’ spirit alive.”
Perhaps what makes 195 PHT a rarity in fast-paced Singapore is this “void deck spirit”. Ask its tenants what they love about the independent arts cluster, and the close knit, open-door culture comes up.
This story is from the August 2024 edition of Her World Singapore.
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This story is from the August 2024 edition of Her World Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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