This building standing on the prominent corner of Neil Road and Craig Road was built by Aw Boon Haw in 1926. This was the factory of the famous Tiger Balm. In the 1950s, when I was still a kid, I would be sitting on the watchmen's "charpoy" (punjabi word for the rope-bed) watching the ladies dressed in light blue samfoo leaving work at 4pm.
It was said that the top of the building was to resemble the cap of the Tiger Balm bottle, but the architect persuaded otherwise. The top of the building has since been renovated a few times.
Once it was occupied by the French Business Centre. And now, EBay stands out prominently with its logo although I heard that it does not occupy the whole building. To the residents around this building, this was part of their economic activities. Since then, many of the residents, if not all, had moved out from Craig Road, Duxton Road and even Tanjong Pagar Road.
Ack: SingaporeHeritage List
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/singaporeheritage
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