Do you know where Handy Road is? Have you heard of Mount Sophia?
How about Dhoby Ghaut MRT station and Plaza Singapura?
If you’re not familiar with the earlier two, at least the last two would have rung a bell, right?
Located in Singapore’s Museum Planning Area, the Handy Road-Mount Sophia precinct is less than 5 minutes’ walk from Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.
The Mount Sophia-Handy Road area
Originally known as Bukit Selegie, Mount Sophia sits adjacent to Mount Emily, which was formerly known as Bukit Rawa. In the early days, there were many educational and religious institutions in Mount Sophia, such as the Trinity Theological College, Nan Hwa Girls’ High School, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Nafa), and the Methodist Girls’ School.
The URA has since preserved eighty of such heritage buildings in the Mount Sophia area. Today, Mount Sophia is a residential precinct comprising low-rise apartments and condominiums.
The Mount Sophia-Handy Road precinct sits snugly between Orchard Road and the arts, heritage and civic district. To know where one ends and the other begin, simply look out for the 17-storey Cathay building.
The Cathay comprises a cinema, shopping mall and apartments
Located at the foot of Mount Sophia, the Cathay is the landmark that signifies the end of Orchard Road and the beginning of the arts, heritage and civic district where you would find these major landmarks:
- Singapore Art Museum (SAM)
- National Museum of Singapore
- Peranakan Museum
- National Library
- National Archives of Singapore
- Singapore Repertory Theatre
- Singapore Management University (SMU)
- School of the Arts (SOTA)
- Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)
- LaSalle College of Arts
- Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
- Armenian Church of St Gregory
There are also plentiful art galleries and art shops along Middle Road and Bencoolen Street.
The SMU administration building
The only city campus in Singapore and among a very few in the world, SMU’s campus extends from Bras Basah Road to Stamford Road, Victoria Street and Armenian Street.
SOTA is sited just next to The Cathay. In 2023, NAFA will merge with LaSalle to become the University of Arts.
A landscaped park, the Dhoby Ghaut Green, sits atop the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. To its southeast and northwest are the sprawling Fort Canning Park and Istana grounds respectively.
The 1.1144-hectare Dhoby Ghaut Green is a place for arts, cultural and community activities
Flanking Dhoby Ghaut Green on either side are the Istana Park and Cathay Green, which are more modest in size compared to Fort Canning Park and the Istana grounds.
Incidentally, the Haus on Handy show flat is opposite the Istana Park, close to the Amity Global Institute (House of Tan Yeok Nee) and Singapore Shopping Centre. The 188-unit Haus on Handy itself sits on Handy Road.
With its TOP expected to be in July 2023, Haus on Handy will be the last new residential project in the Handy Road-Mount Sophia precinct. There are no more available development plots there. So, if you want to be a part of this highly preferred District 9 area, give Haus on Handy some serious thoughts.
Read our in-depth review of Haus on Handy here. At the time of writing, there are only 66 units left unsold at Haus on Handy.
Compared to the rest of Orchard Road where shopping malls and hotels are packed side by side, this part of Orchard Road is more widely spaced out with parks interspersing buildings.
This is in keeping with the URA Master Plan 2019, which puts forth the idea of creating “a continuous green oasis” starting from the Istana Park to the Dhoby Ghaut Green. The master plan even entertains the possibility of pedestrianising this section of Orchard Road with more spaces for activities in the area, such as event spaces, play areas, and themed gardens. Turning this part of Orchard Road into a green corridor is reminiscent of the Orchard district’s beginnings as the grounds for fruit orchards, nutmeg plantations, and pepper farms.
In this article, we’ve given you a sneak peek into the Mount Sophia-Handy Road precinct and an up-and-coming condo development in the area called Haus on Handy. If you want to know more about Haus on Handy or other developments in the area, schedule a visit with us or book a free consultation with our trusted and renowned representatives. Lastly, don’t forget to like, subscribe and share our articles with your friends if you think our content is useful to you. And if you would like us to write a review for any property projects, have a blast in the comment section below.
