Katong & Joo Chiat has its beginnings in the early 19th Century where coconut plantations stretching from Geylang River to Siglap Road and humble attap-roofed kampung (villages) dotted the landscape. Up to the 1950s, the area was an idyllic seaside retreat for the wealthy.

Joo Chiat Road was a simple dirt track running through the plantations from Geylang Serai to the sea in the 1920s. It was named after Chew Joo Chiat, a wealthy land-owner and philanthropist, who bought over large plots of land in Katong and was known as the “King of Katong”.

In the 1920s and 1930s, many communities moved eastward out of the city centre to make Katong & Joo Chiat their home. This resulted in bungalows, shophouses and places of worship being built, a reflection of the multicultural and varied Katong & Joo Chiat community.

The rebuilding of the nation after World War II and the independence of Singapore, transformed the façade of Katong & Joo Chiat. To retain its rich architecture and heritage, over 800 buildings in the area have been conserved.

In February 2011, the National Heritage Board designated Joo Chiat as Singapore’s first Heritage Town in recognition of the community efforts in heritage conservation.