Channel News Asia recently shared how the efforts of three elevator enthusiasts led to an old lift being preserved. Wilson Tan, Essek Chua and an individual not named in the article contacted the National Heritage Board (NHB) in a bid to save a 1970s Housing Board lift in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. The authorities listened and agreed to preserve the elevator, believed to be the last of its kind in the country.
The NHB invited the media to see parts of the lift as they were being moved for storage at the National Museum of Singapore in April. Senior curator Priscilla Chua noted that the preservation of the lift is an example of the museum’s “rapid response” collection process. The elevator fits into the museum’s Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative, which seeks to document and acquire stories, images and objects of historical significance.
The decision on where or how the Ang Mo Kio lift will be displayed has not been made, but Tan hopes it can be utilized in an interactive display. Chua said, “Being interested in lifts is a rather niche hobby, [but] it really is a meaningful way of occupying my time and helping me understand the past.”
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