A family feud surrounding the house erupted in June 2017 over an apparent disagreement between Lee Kuan Yew’s children over whether the house should be demolished
THE fate of the former home of Singapore’s late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew continues to be a talking point, even though it’s been more than a decade since his passing.
He had reiterated his preference for his residence at 38 Oxley Road to be torn down after his death, and if not, to never be opened to people outside his family.
In June 2017, two years after he died, a private feud between his children was extraordinarily thrust into the public eye.
His daughter Lee Wei Ling and younger son Lee Hsien Yang accused their brother, then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, of wanting to go against their father’s wish to demolish the house. Lee Hsien Loong refuted their allegations and said he had recused himself from all government decisions related to the property.
After Lee Wei Ling died in October 2024, Lee Hsien Yang, as owner of the property, made an application to the authorities for the house to be demolished.
The National Heritage Board said then that it would study the site to assess if it is “worthy of preservation”.
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BT takes a look at the timeline of events.
Circa 1898: The property at 38 Oxley Road was commissioned by Dutch merchant Hermann Cornelius Verloop.
Late 1945 to early 1946: Lee Kuan Yew and his family started renting the property at 38 Oxley Road.
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1965: Lee Kuan Yew and his wife Kwa Geok Choo purchased the house as security had become a key concern. They fortified the compound with steel gates, additional brick walls and bullet-proof windows.
Oct 2, 2010: Kwa died aged 89.
Oct 27, 2010: In a note to Cabinet, Lee Kuan Yew said he wanted 38 Oxley Road demolished after he was gone, and that his family agreed with him that the house should not be kept as a relic “for people to tramp through”.
January 2011: He reiterated this desire in his book Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going.
Jan 2, 2012: Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest son Lee Hsien Loong’s wife Ho Ching emailed Lee Kuan Yew and the rest of the family, setting out renovation and redevelopment plans in detail, which Lee Kuan Yew approved. He affirmed the plans in April and May the same year after the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA) approval was obtained.
Dec 17, 2013: A demolition clause was re-inserted in Lee Kuan Yew’s final will dated Dec 17, 2013.
In it, he declared his and Kwa’s wish that the house be demolished immediately after his death or if his daughter would prefer to continue living there, immediately after she moves out.
“If our children are unable to demolish the House as a result of any changes in the laws, rules or regulations binding them, it is my wish that the House never be opened to others except my children, their families and descendants.”
This clause was in the first four of his seven wills made from Aug 20, 2011 but was removed in the fifth and sixth.
Mar 23, 2015: Lee Kuan Yew died aged 91. Upon his death, his estate was divided equally among his three children. The property at 38 Oxley Road was left to his eldest son and then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Jun 14, 2017: On June 14, Lee Wei Ling and younger brother Lee Hsien Yang posted a statement on Facebook saying they have lost confidence in Lee Hsien Loong and “fear the use of the organs of state” against them and Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Lee Suet Fern.
They said Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching had opposed Lee Kuan Yew’s wish to demolish his house even when he was alive, accusing them of wanting to “milk Lee Kuan Yew’s legacy for their own political purposes”.
They also revealed that they were told in July 2016 that a ministerial committee had been set up to consider options with respect to 38 Oxley Road. This, they added, “directly contradicted” Lee Hsien Loong’s statement in Parliament in April 2015.
Jun 17, 2017: Then-deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean issued a statement saying he set up the ministerial committee, of which there is “nothing ‘secret’ about”. He said the committee included ministers responsible for heritage, land issues and urban planning.
Jun 19, 2017: Lee Hsien Loong apologised to Singaporeans and said he deeply regretted that the dispute had affected Singapore’s reputation and Singaporeans’ confidence in the government.
Jun 27, 2017: Teo said in a response that Lee Hsien Yang may have a misconception that the committee is “bent on preventing the demolition of the house”, which is not true. “There should be no need to disagree on studying the options for the time when a decision needs to be made.”
Jul 3, 2017: Lee Hsien Loong delivered a ministerial statement on alleged abuse of power on 38 Oxley Road. He explained that he had recused himself from all government decisions relating to the property and had placed Teo in charge of the matter.
He said he also divested himself of the house as he learnt that his siblings were unhappy that he was getting the house in 2015. While an offer to transfer the house to Lee Wei Ling for a nominal sum of S$1 fell through, he reached an agreement with Lee Hsien Yang to sell the house at fair market value with a further donation to charity.
Apr 2, 2018: The ministerial committee laid out a range of options for 38 Oxley Road, including preservation, demolition and redevelopment.
The committee noted that Lee Kuan Yew’s preference was for the property to be demolished. It added: “However, he was also prepared to accept options other than demolition, provided that suitable arrangements were made to ensure that: (i) the Property was refurbished, and kept in a habitable state; and (ii) the family’s privacy was protected.”
Teo said the committee did not make any recommendation as no decision was required then, leaving it to a future government to make the decision.
Oct 9, 2024: Lee Wei Ling died aged 69.
Oct 21, 2024: Lee Hsien Yang made an application to URA to demolish the house.
Oct 24, 2024: The National Heritage Board said it would study the site to assess if it has “national historical, heritage and architectural significance as to be worthy of preservation”.
It noted Lee Hsien Yang’s application, but added that “making such a move now will rule out a proper and full consideration” of options other than demolition.
Nov 3, 2025: NHB said the government intends to gazette the site at 38 Oxley Road as a national monument, “for possible use as a heritage park” following the conclusion of an assessment of the site.
The site is deemed to be of “historic significance and national importance, and worthy of preservation as a national monument”, it said.
It added that it had sent the owner and occupier of Oxley Road a written notice of Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo’s intention to make a Preservation Order.
Lee Hsien Yang, who owns the property through a company called 38 Oxley Road Pte Ltd, has 14 days to submit any objections.
If acquired, the government will convert it into a public space, possibly a heritage park.
NHB added that the government will consider all options, including those proposed by the ministerial committee in 2018.
“Regardless of the option taken, the government will respect Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s wishes and will remove all traces of Mr Lee’s and his family’s private living spaces from the buildings,” it said.
