Is our celebration of old buildings, or even old-school businesses, a little too late?

Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives.

In the last few months before Peace Centre closed in 2024, people flocked to the Sophia Road mall to soak up the vibes. Golden Mile Complex in Beach Road, an architectural icon that is conserved, also came alive with new explorers along its corridors in the lead-up to its closure in 2023.

I wanted to find out if these last hurrahs could have come earlier.

In this episode, I had history buff Dhevarajan Devadas (@historyogisg), who produces content about Singapore’s history and heritage through a newsletter, podcast and on social media. The 33-year-old is also a public policy analyst.

Meanwhile, Khair Mas’od, 26, who runs video production company Subset, did his final-year university project on Golden Mile Complex (@thiswasgmc) in 2023. 

Also joining us was John Siow, 38, who previously worked at the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) conservation department, managing outreach and education efforts. He and an ex-colleague teamed up to snap photos for @pintupagar.sg, an Instagram account featuring shots of buildings and various architectural forms around Singapore.

We discussed why people are drawn to these old buildings in their last days and how to keep young people interested in the spaces that came before.

Highlights (click/tap above)

1:40 Cool elements = a draw for young people?

3:25 When did Peace Centre and Golden Mile Complex become fashionable?

6:00 Does gentrification erase historical significance?

17:40 Can nostalgia be manufactured?

31:00 Successful ‘reboots’

36:30 History and heritage not just a collection of places, names and dates

Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: https://str.sg/8Wav

Host: Natasha Zachariah (natashaz@sph.com.sg)

Read Natasha's articles: https://str.sg/iSXm

Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN

Edited by producers: Teo Tong Kai and Eden Soh

Executive producers: Ernest Luis and Lynda Hong

Filmed by: Joel Chng and Marc Justin De Souza, ST Video

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