About 40 Carpenter Street
40 Carpenter Street is an intermediate shophouse building at Singapore 059919, in postal District 1. It sits in the Upper Circular Road Conservation Area, between New Bridge Road and South Bridge Road and a short walk from the Singapore River. The building is strata-titled and is used for shops, food and beverage outlets and offices.
The property was recently overhauled. Singapore practice OWAA Architects lists it as an office shophouse project in which the existing structure was kept and refurbished rather than torn down. The plain old frontage was replaced with an Art Deco inspired facade with full-height glazing, and the stairs and services were rearranged to give more efficient floors. The architects gave an expected completion of late 2023.
Interesting facts
OWAA named the project Modern Deco. Its interiors are described as using linear tiles, marble floors, gold inlays and fluted panels to echo the Art Deco theme.
In mid-2026 EdgeProp reported that 40 Carpenter Street was on the market with a guide price of $22.4 million, as part of a wave of sales that followed a URA policy change for the area.
That change, announced in June 2026, relaxed restrictions on new hotels, backpackers' hostels and serviced apartments in the Upper Circular Road Conservation Area.
About the street: an 1891 list of local street names records that Hokkien speakers called Carpenter Street by a name meaning wayang-house street, a reference to a Chinese theatre.
Nearby
Clarke Quay MRT (North East Line) is about 3 to 5 minutes' walk. Chinatown MRT (North East and Downtown Lines) and Raffles Place MRT (East West and North South Lines) are around 8 to 10 minutes away. Hong Lim Market and Food Centre and Hong Lim Park are close, as are Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and the riverside promenade.
Key facts
Address: 40 Carpenter Street, Singapore 059919
District: 1
Property type: Shophouse (shops and offices)
Architect: OWAA Architects (refurbishment, around 2023)
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NEL)
MCST: 1683