The Singapore Tourism Board has opened a tender to redevelop the century-old former Singapore Chinese Girls' School building at 37 Emerald Hill, preserving its heritage blocks inside a new mixed-use hotel and lifestyle precinct.
TL;DR
- STB has launched a Concept and Price Revenue tender for 37 Emerald Hill, a 1.04-hectare site at the corner of Somerset Road and the Emerald Hill Conservation Area, closing 16 March 2027.
- The site was built in 1925 for Singapore Chinese Girls' School and later housed Chatsworth International School until 2020; its three heritage blocks must be conserved under any redevelopment.
- STB wants a new-to-market hotel concept plus lifestyle, dining and retail space as part of the wider Orchard Road Rejuvenation Plan. Nothing changes on the ground yet: a developer still has to be chosen and the project designed, approved and built.
What is 37 Emerald Hill, and why does this site matter?
37 Emerald Hill sits at the junction of Somerset Road and the Emerald Hill Conservation Area, tucked just behind Orchard Road's main shopping belt and directly across from Somerset MRT station. According to the Singapore Tourism Board, the 1.04-hectare site was built in 1925 as the campus of Singapore Chinese Girls' School, one of Singapore's oldest schools for girls, and later became home to Chatsworth International School until 2020. Three heritage buildings on the site, the Main Block, the Principal's House and the Song Ong Siang Block, are protected and must be conserved in whatever comes next.
What is Singapore Tourism Board planning to build there?
STB has launched a Concept and Price Revenue tender, open to local and international bidders, for a mixed-use development combining what it calls a new-to-market hotel concept with lifestyle experiences, public spaces and year-round programming. Permitted uses named in the tender include restaurants, bars, shops, fitness studios and medical clinics. Residential units, offices, serviced apartments and schools are explicitly excluded. The successful bidder would take a 50-year lease with an option to extend by a further 20 years.
When will anything actually open?
Not for some time. The tender itself runs for six months and closes on 16 March 2027. After that, STB still needs to evaluate bids and award the site, and the winning developer then has to design the project, secure planning approval and build it, a process that typically takes several years for a conservation-linked hotel scheme. STB has not published a target opening date, and Hot in SG will update this story once one is confirmed.
How does this fit the Orchard Road Rejuvenation Plan?
STB describes 37 Emerald Hill as a cornerstone project within the Orchard Road Rejuvenation Plan, its broader push to keep the strip competitive as a lifestyle destination by mixing conserved heritage buildings with new attractions and public space. Ashlynn Loo, STB's Director of Land and Concept Development, said the agency envisions the site becoming "a distinctive landmark that strengthens Orchard Road's position as an iconic lifestyle destination." The tender follows recent Orchard-area moves such as Osteria Mozza's relocation to ION Orchard, part of a broader churn of dining and retail concepts along the strip.
Why it matters for visitors and Orchard regulars
For now, nothing about a visit to Emerald Hill or Orchard Road changes. But the tender is worth watching if you care about the area's mix of heritage shophouses, bars and new development: it signals that one of the largest remaining plots behind the main Orchard belt is heading toward a hotel-led lifestyle concept rather than housing, offices or another school. Anyone who values the Emerald Hill Conservation Area's low-rise, heritage character may want to track the eventual design closely, since STB's brief explicitly allows restaurants and bars, which could add a new cluster of dining and nightlife next to the existing shophouse strip. As with any tender, the eventual outcome depends on which bidder is chosen and what they propose, so treat renderings or concept talk before an award as illustrative rather than final.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the old Emerald Hill school building being torn down?
No. The tender requires the three heritage blocks, the Main Block, the Principal's House and the Song Ong Siang Block, to be conserved. Any new hotel or lifestyle concept has to be built around them, not in place of them.
When will a new hotel open at 37 Emerald Hill?
No date has been announced. The tender closes 16 March 2027, and STB still has to award the site and the developer still has to design, approve and build the project, so an opening is likely still years away.
Will the new development include restaurants and bars open to the public?
That is one of the permitted uses named in the tender, alongside shops, fitness studios and medical clinics, but the actual mix of tenants will depend on what the winning bidder proposes. Residential units, offices, serviced apartments and schools are excluded outright.
Sources and Method
This article is based on the Singapore Tourism Board's press release "Singapore Tourism Board launches Concept and Price Revenue tender for mixed-use development at historic 37 Emerald Hill" (17 September 2026, stb.gov.sg) and independent reporting by Yahoo News Singapore (18 September 2026, sg.news.yahoo.com). Site history and heritage details are drawn from both sources. STB has not published a shortlist, developer, design or opening date, and this article will be updated as those become available. Hsu's inbox had no Google Alert emails for Hot in SG topics at the time of writing.
