The Kim Keat area off Balestier Road was named after Chua Kim Keat of the Straits Trading Company. He was of Peranakan descent and the only son of Chua Kai Hoon of Malacca. He came to Singapore in 1886 and started out as a tin salesman with the Straits Trading Co. Ltd. He worked in the company till 1907 when he died at the age of 48.
In 1895, Chua Kim Keat built a country house off Balestier Road and the site of his house is the current Kim Keat Road. He was an avid horticulturist and famous for holding garden parties at his house on Balestier Road which were well-attended by both the Chinese and European elites.
This Kim Keat Road off Balestier is often confused with Kim Keat Avenue at Toa Payoh where one can find the famous Siong Lim Temple. This is not surprising as it used to be possible to walk from Balestier to Toa Payoh. However, with the Pan Island Expressway (PIE), it is now more difficult to do so and many have since disassociated the two Kim Keat areas.