Remembering Dakota

About a month or so ago, I went to Dakota Crescent with Desmond and Fish (Till date, I still don't know his real name).

Located off Old Airport Road, Dakota Crescent is a peaceful neighborhood consisting of 17 blocks of low-rise flats. They were built by the Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the predecessor of Housing Development Board (HDB) in 1958 to deal with the burgeoning population at the Kallang Airport vicinity. 

When these blocks of flats were completed, the estate featured modern facilities such as piped water, electricity and sewage systems. Dakota Crescent was also the first housing estate to feature one-room units.

Dakota Crescent was named after American transport aircraft Dakota DC-3, which was a common sight at the Old Kallang Airport with Old Airport Road being the airport's runway. Another saying was that it is to commemorate the air disaster on 29 Jun 1946, when one of the Royal Air Force’s Dakota aircraft crashed at the Kallang Airport in a thunderstorm. 

In 2014, HDB announced that all residents will have to vacate the premises by 31st December 2016, when asked if the estate will be marked for conservation, the HDB said it will “work with the relevant authorities to take cognizance of the social memories of the area when redevelopment takes place in the future”.

Click here to read more about why we should keep Dakota Crescent alive

Photos Credit: Desmond

I love the simple architecture of this estate!

Photos Credit: Desmond

Old neighbors talking to each other.

Meow! 

OOTD!

Retro Top (400 Baht) from Union Mall, Bangkok, Thailand

Shorts (300 Baht) from Chatuchak Market, Bangkok, Thailand

Shoes (S$9.90) from Topman, Singapore

Photo Credit: Fish

Tucked snugly amid Dakota Crescent's HDB blocks, the Old Dove playground is one of the few nostalgic playgrounds remaining in Singapore. Signs of aging are visible but it is still well preserved and the playground with its rubber tyre swings and a slide on a sand pit deserves a second look. The Old Dove playground was designed by HDB's Mr Khor Ean Ghee in 1979 and his other iconic design includes the Dragon playground at Toa Payoh Lorong 6.

Photos Credit: Desmond

Photo Credit: Fish

Tian Kee & Co is a cafe in the Dakota Crescent estate that attracts many cafe hoppers but many people may not know that it was previously a provision shop.

Dakota Crescent Provision Shop

Tucked under block 12, the provision shop at Dakota Crescent, manned by an old couple had served the estate for more than 50 years. With its antique signboard and rusty spring-loaded metal gates being very prominent and eye catching.

Like the mama shops, old traditional provision shops face the challenge from minimarts and convenience stores. The number has dropped from 1,200 in the seventies to less than 200 islandwide now. Many younger generations have little desire to continue this struggling business which their forefathers had guarded religiously in the past decades.

The picture above shows a typical provision shop in the eighties, displaying a large variety of dried food at the front of its shop. The shopowner would use a large milo can attached to the ceiling to deposit his daily income.

Photos and information credits: Remember Singapore

Pretty looking rainbow cheesecake in the most pastel-like colors ever. For S$7.50, this cheesecake is moist and easy on the taste buds, this is definitely one of the recommended items that you should order.

Full Breakfast Set at S$14.90, comprising of salad, scrambled eggs with truffle oil, bacon, 2 chicken chipotlata sausages and 2 pieces of toasted bread. Portion is great and just right for one. 

Do visit this area before it is demolished!