Proximity to parks, playground
One need not be a hardcore fan of Elvis Presley or Bang & Olufsen (B&O) products to like this three-storey detached house located at Holland Green. The current owner, who only wants to be known by his first name, Johan, is a Swedish permanent resident and a fan of Elvis Presley for 32 years. At one point, the family lounge on the third level of the house had a tribute wall festooned with memorabilia of the “King of Rock”.
The whole house — the living, dining and outdoor patio, as well as rooms upstairs — has been custom-installed with B&O ceiling-mounted speakers, which are connected to the same sound system. “We have 12 B&O loudspeakers throughout the house and at one point, five TV sets around the house,” says Johan.
A private banker turned entrepreneur and co-founder of a deep tech company, Johan and his Singaporean wife, Rose, bought the house at Holland Green in April 2011 for $5.647 million. They took a train ride on the 79-year-old railway between Singapore and Malaysia before it was decommissioned in July that year, following the historic land swap deal between the two countries in 2010.
The train ride was significant for the couple for another reason: the former railway ran past the couple’s home at Holland Green. “We wanted to see the house from the train before they closed the railway,” says Johan.
The couple named their new home Casa White Haven for several reasons. The first is the fact that “Casa” is home in Italian. “I’m a big fan of Italy — the fashion, the food and the cars,” says Johan. “It’s our favourite travel destination and I have a relative who lives there.” The “White” reflects the exterior of the house, which has been painted white. “‘Haven’ is a place where you can feel safe,” he adds.
The second meaning of “White Haven” is less obvious, except to the most hardcore Elvis fan. Elvis’ mansion Graceland is located in the community of Whitehaven in Memphis, Tennessee. And the name “Whitehaven” originated from a Colonel Francis White, an early settler and major property owner in Tennessee. He was said to be influential in getting a rail line to run through what was first called White’s Station, and later, Whitehaven.
For Johan, the name “Whitehaven” is significant not only because it was Elvis’ home district, but the link to the old railway station. After all, their home at Holland Green overlooks the Rail Corridor.
The former 24km Rail Corridor has been turned into a green corridor. In addition, the 800m stretch of Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal separating their home at Holland Green from the Rail Corridor has been widened and upgraded by the PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, as part of the Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters project. The environment around it has also been enhanced, incorporating a waterfall and a new park, the Holland Green Linear Park fronting the canal.
“We saw the entire renovation programme,” says Johan. “It has now become a beautiful park, especially with the enhancement of the diversion canal. The Rail Corridor has become an amazing green corridor for walking, running and cycling.” There is also a bridge for people to cross the canal to the Holland Green Linear Park and Rail Corridor.
Every room on the second and third level of Casa White Haven has a view of the canal and the park. Adjacent to their home is the Holland Green Playground, a neighbourhood park that has also been upgraded by NParks. “They upgraded everything — from the benches to the exercise equipment, the playground for children and even the walking paths,” says Johan. “Living here is like having your own park, and you