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Heritage explainer

Sim Kwong Ho shophouses: Balestier's Chinese Baroque terrace

Facts as of · Independent explainer

Illustration of Chinese Baroque style corner shophouses with pediments, stucco circles and arched five-foot ways
Generic Chinese Baroque shophouse styling. Original illustration by Shophouses Singapore. Generic artwork, not a depiction of any specific building, brand or business.

Short answer

The Sim Kwong Ho shophouses are a row at 292-312 Balestier Road, Singapore, built in 1926 by Sim Cheng Neo and designed by the architectural firm Westerhout and Oman. Roots.gov.sg describes them as Chinese Baroque, or Singapore Eclectic, with stucco flowers and peacocks and glazed tiles on the columns. They feature on the Balestier Heritage Trail.

Shophouses Singapore is an independent property resource. This page summarises public heritage information from Roots.gov.sg (National Heritage Board) and is not affiliated with any owner or occupier.

Key facts

Address
292-312 Balestier Road
Built
1926
Builder
Sim Cheng Neo (Roots.gov.sg)
Architects
Westerhout and Oman
Style
Chinese Baroque / Singapore Eclectic
Name origin
Chinese characters on the corner facade (Roots.gov.sg)

History

  1. 1926

    Row at 292-312 Balestier Road built by Sim Cheng Neo, whose family home was at 503 Balestier Road.

  2. 1928

    Sim also developed shophouses at 412-418 Balestier Road, per Roots.gov.sg.

Roots.gov.sg says the group became known as the Sim Kwong Ho shophouses because of the Chinese characters on their corner facade.

Architecture to look for

Features described by Roots.gov.sg
FeatureDetail
StyleChinese Baroque, or Singapore Eclectic, blending Western and local motifs
Western elementsMoulded pilasters and pediments
Local motifsPlaster stucco flowers, peacocks and other creatures
ColumnsColourful glazed tiles with floral wreath capitals
Labelled diagram showing pediment, shutters, five-foot way, party walls and ground-floor shopfront of a Singapore shophouse
Parts of a typical shophouse. Original illustration by Shophouses Singapore. Generic artwork, not a depiction of any specific building, brand or business.

Balestier today

Balestier is one of the secondary settlements named in URA's conservation guidelines. Use URA's Conservation Portal to check any specific address. For the neighbourhood's property context see Petain Road and Balestier.

People also ask

Where are the Sim Kwong Ho shophouses?+

At 292-312 Balestier Road, Singapore, per Roots.gov.sg.

Who built them?+

Roots.gov.sg says they were built in 1926 by Sim Cheng Neo and designed by Westerhout and Oman.

Why are they called Sim Kwong Ho?+

The name comes from the Chinese characters on the row's corner facade, according to Roots.gov.sg.

What style are they?+

Chinese Baroque, also called Singapore Eclectic.

Are they for sale?+

We do not know. This is a heritage explainer, not a listing. Check URA's Conservation Portal for status and speak to us about conservation shophouse opportunities.

Sources

Facts as of 5 November 2026. Pages we link to may have changed since.

  1. Sim Kwong Ho Shophouses, Roots.gov.sg (National Heritage Board). Accessed 2026-11-05.
  2. Conservation Guidelines, Urban Redevelopment Authority. Accessed 2026-11-05.

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Last reviewed 5 November 2026. See all shophouse explainers.