Amid the 38 Oxley Road debate, we take a look at how Asia has preserved the homes of some of its leaders

Located in the heart of Singapore’s bustling shopping district, the late Lee Kuan Yew’s home at 38 Oxley Road is at the center of a resurgent public feud between his sons over demolition or preservation.

The Lee children have been estranged over the property since 2017, with Lee Hsien Yang, 67, and his late sister Lee Wei Ling accusing eldest brother and former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, 72, of abusing his power to plot against the house who wants to preserve her father’s political capital.

In the basement dining room at 38 Oxley Road, the founding members of the ruling People’s Action Party held secret meetings in the early 1950s and discussed the formation of the party before it was officially founded in 1954.

The Heritage Authority of Singapore has said it will conduct a study of 38 Oxley Road to assess whether the site has “national historical, cultural and architectural significance and is therefore worthy of preservation”.

Lee Kuan Yew, who died in 2015 and is credited with transforming Singapore from a struggling port to a global center, had concerns about turning his home into a historic site.

He publicly called his visit to the late Jawaharlal Nehru’s house in India, which was in a dilapidated state, a cautionary tale. Nehru was the first prime minister of independent India and died in 1964.