what was it like in the 50s?
Up to the 1950s, the area was an idyllic seaside retreat for the wealthy. There were coconut plantations stretching and humble attap-roofed kampung (villages)
Joo Chiat Road was a simple dirt track running through the plantations from Geylang Serai to the sea in the 1920s. Named after Chew Joo Chiat, a wealthy land-owner, known as the “King of Katong”.