Bukit Brown was named after its owner, George Henry Brown, a ship-owner who arrived in Singapore in the 1840s. The area was later bought over by Ong Kew Ho (d.1889), Ong Ewe Hai (1830-1889) and Ong Chong Chew, and turned into a cemetery around the 1870s for Chinese of the Ong clan surname. In 1918-1919, a large portion of the Ong burial site was purchased by compulsory acquisition by the Municipality for the purpose of establishing a municipal cemetery for the Chinese community as a result of active lobbying by Municipal Commissioner, Tan Kheam Hock (1862-1922). As such, when the Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery opened in 1922, the new road leading to the cemetery was named in honour of him. The cemetery closed in 1973 but has so far avoided redevelopment. It is also a popular site for nature lovers who enjoy bird watching and other wildlife.