Yes, Kevin Kwan the author of Crazy Rich Asians was inspired by this palace for the creation of the Young family's ancestral home.
And guess what, it is located in Tyersall Park, which was the exact location where the Young family lives in the film and book.
But little do many know that a Malaysian royalty actually owns the palace. Specifically, the Crown Prince of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
In other words, a Malaysian owns a piece of Singapore's most expensive land.
The land which the palace sits on is worth a whopping US$3.5 billion! The Johor royalty is essentially sitting on a gold mine.
However, the palace which is set on the 210,875 square meter plot of land is unfortunately in a dire state.
Historically, the close to 200-year-old building was owned by Captain John Dill Ross and was then called Woodneuk House.
In 1860, the building was sold to Sultan Sir Abu Bakar Ibni Al-Marhum Tun Temenggung Raja Daing Ibrahim who was the first modern Sultan of Johor. He renamed the building to Istana Woodneuk.
However the palace then burnt down in 1925 and was rebuilt again in 1935. It was even renamed Istana Wood York but locals continued referring to the palace to its original name.
During World War II, the palace served as a military camp for the British. Three years after the war ended, it was returned to the then Sultan of Johor in 1948.
When the Singapore government acquired Tyersall Park in 1990, the palace which previously had a caretaker, was abandoned and became a den for drug addicts and thrill seekers.
In 2006, another fire believed to have been caused by drug addicts rendered the building structurally unsafe.
However, the portion of land where the palace now sits is worth US$3.5 billion. Why is it so expensive? Well, land is scarce in Singapore.
“Over the past five decades, land prices have appreciated significantly. This has fueled wealth creation for older generations. Many also aspire to own a landed property as it is a status symbol for the well-heeled," Singapore at Cushman & Wakefield Inc. senior director and head of research Christine Li says.
However the land cannot be sold even if the Crown Prince wishes to do so because it is reserved for “special use of green space". In other words, the land is not meant for residential or commercial use.
But something has to be done about this historical palace, don't you think?
Cover image sourced from Mina Oh.
