Marker Text:
Built in the 1880s by Chinese businessman, Tan Yeok Nee (1827-1902), as his private residence, the River House later served as the premises of a clan association and also a warehouse.
Tan came from China at an early age and later made his mark in the lucrative gambier and pepper trade. He also ventured into the alcohol and opium businesses in Johore, aided by the special commercial rights granted by Sultan Abu Bakar of Johore.
The River House is one of the few remaining houses in Singapore built according to traditional Southern Chinese architectural style which has symbolic ornamentation such as ‘dragon-fish’, cranes and a mythical creature called Qi Lin (unicorn). Another one of Tan’s houses in the same traditional architectural style, still stands today at the junction of Penang Road and Clemenceau Avenue.