On Wednesday (12 May), Maris Stella High School shared on social media that its iconic gate needs to make way for housing development.
The gate’s demolition after 31 May comes as disheartening news for many, considering its invaluable cultural and sentimental significance.
An online petition against the move has been started on Thursday (13 May) and is quickly gaining traction. At the time of writing, over 4,000 have joined the cause.
However, if the demolition is inevitable, the petition asks for a replica gate at the school’s new entrance at Bartley Walk.
Alumni of Maris Stella and the public alike empathise with sentiments to keep the 24-year-old iconic architecture.
Having welcomed students since 1997, the blue-roofed gate with traditional Chinese stylistics and a Catholic overtone has witnessed countless memories.
It’s also a rare and emblematic cultural landmark that many believe is worth preserving.
But apparently, it now stands in the way of an upcoming HDB housing estate.
According to the school, the Maris Stella gate has to go for the construction of the Bididari estate to proceed. As a result, it’ll be torn down after the end of this month on 31 May.
Penning down their reasons for signing the petition, many have suggested alternatives to the proposed demolition.
A proposal echoed by many is relocation. Instead of tearing it down, authorities can move it as a whole to the new entrance at Barley Walk.
They cite our relocation of the Merlion back in 2002 to its current location at the Merlion Park.
Purportedly having taken part in designing the arch, another petitioner highlights its sentimental value that took years to nourish into being.
“To obliterate this gateway and all its significance is easy, […] but to build, nourish and cherish [such a] cultural ethos is hard work,” he says.
Alumni of the school have penned emotional pleas to keep the iconic archway, as it reminds them of the place they call home, where they know they belong.
Granted, a piece of architecture beaming with generations of memories and unique aesthetic value is irreplicable.
We hope that careful evaluation of alternatives had taken place before authorities decided on the demolition.
If not, this petition may give them much to consider before proceeding with demolishing Maris Stella’s iconic gate.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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