1919

Overview & Key Facts

1919 is a 75-unit, 99-year leasehold condominium at Sophia Road in District 9, completed in 2015 and developed by Aurum Land (Pte) Ltd. The name is a tribute to the heritage character of the precinct: Sophia Road and the surrounding Bras Basah.Bugis arts corridor carry deep colonial and post-war cultural significance, and the project draws on the texture of that history to anchor its identity. Aurum Land is a boutique Singapore developer with a philosophy centred on heritage-inspired urban design — their projects are characterised by small scale, careful material selection, and an attention to context that distinguishes them from the volume-driven output of larger developers.

Situated at the junction of Sophia Road and Prinsep Street, 1919 occupies one of the most walkable addresses in Singapore. The development is 470 metres from Dhoby Ghaut MRT — Singapore’s only triple-interchange station serving the North South, North East, and Circle Lines — and 500 metres from Little India MRT on the North East and Downtown Lines. A walkability score of 91 out of 100 reflects what residents and agents consistently confirm: this is one of the very few private residential addresses in the CCR where a car is genuinely optional on a day-to-day basis.

With 75 units across a boutique tower, 1919 sits at the smaller end of D9 completions. The development trades resort-scale facilities for intimacy, a refined architectural narrative, and a location that most larger CCR projects cannot replicate. At an average transacted PSF of $2,186 over the trailing 12 months and a median transacted price of $1,535,000, 1919 sits in a credible mid-tier CCR bracket — materially below the $3,000–$3,200 PSF of newer D9 launches such as River Green and River Modern, and offering a distinct value proposition for buyers who prioritise location and lifestyle over brand-new specifications.

The 99-year leasehold title, with approximately 88 years remaining as of 2026, is the central underwriting consideration for buyers. At this residual lease, the asset remains fully financeable and the lease decay is gradual; however, buyers with a 20–30 year investment horizon should model the tenure carefully against freehold alternatives. The gross yield of 2.89%, based on 193 rental transactions averaging $3,822 per month, is consistent with D9 CCR leasehold norms where capital appreciation has historically been the primary return driver.

Location & Connectivity

1919 sits on Sophia Road in the Museum–Bras Basah precinct of District 9 — a stretch of Singapore that functions simultaneously as an arts and culture district, an institutional education corridor, and one of the most transit-connected residential addresses in the CCR. The precinct is bounded by Orchard Road to the south-west, Rochor to the north-east, and the Civic District to the south, placing 1919 at the heart of a zone that has been under sustained URA-guided cultural activation since the Bras Basah.Bugis Integrated Arts and Cultural District was designated.

Dhoby Ghaut MRT (NS24/NE6/CC1) is 470 metres from the development — a 6–7 minute walk along Mount Sophia. This is Singapore’s only station serving three MRT lines simultaneously: the North South Line (direct to Orchard in one stop, City Hall in two, Bishan in four), the North East Line (direct to Little India, Farrer Park, Serangoon), and the Circle Line (direct to Esplanade, Marina Bay, one-circle access to Harbourfront, Jurong). For residents with cross-island commuting requirements, Dhoby Ghaut’s triple interchange compresses transfer time in a way that no other residential address in D9 can replicate.

Little India MRT (NE7/DT12) at 500 metres adds the Downtown Line as a third distinct trunk route, providing direct access to Bugis, Promenade, Bayfront, and the Jurong Lake District corridor without line changes. With Dhoby Ghaut and Little India both within a 7-minute walk, 1919 residents have access to four MRT lines from a single residential address — a connectivity advantage shared by fewer than a handful of private residential projects in Singapore.

ACS Junior (Anglo-Chinese School Junior) at 570 metres is the most proximate primary school and falls within the 1 km registration priority band, making 1919 a structurally relevant address for families with children targeting ACS (Junior). St Margaret’s Primary at 1.19 km provides an alternative within the 2 km Phase 2C priority distance. The combination of ACS proximity, arts institution density, and SMU campus adjacency creates a tenant and buyer profile that skews toward academics, arts professionals, and creative industry workers — a differentiated demand segment relative to the finance-and-banking tenant pool that defines River Valley and Shenton Way corridor CCR developments.

Lifestyle amenities are dense: Plaza Singapura (150m), Cathay Cineleisure (400m), the National Museum food and events precinct, and the Bencoolen Street hawker ecosystem are all within walking distance. The Sophia Road–Prinsep Street junction is a relatively quiet node despite the walkability score, as the surrounding streets are primarily one-way residential access roads rather than arterial throughfares.

Schools & Education

1 primary school within the 1 km Priority Phase balloting radius.

Facilities

As a 75-unit boutique development, 1919 offers a curated facilities package calibrated to the scale of its resident community rather than the resort-style amenity deck of a 300–500 unit CCR tower. The development includes a swimming pool and pool deck, a gymnasium, and landscaped common areas designed to reflect the heritage-modern architectural vocabulary that Aurum Land has brought to the Sophia Road site. The overall facilities philosophy prioritises quality and character over quantity — the result is a resident environment that feels considered rather than exhaustive.

For a boutique 75-unit development, the practical consequence of this scale is straightforward: the pool and gym are consistently uncrowded. Residents report near-exclusive access to the pool during weekday mornings and evenings — a meaningful quality-of-life advantage over larger D9 developments where shared facilities are under heavier daily demand. The MCST community is small and typically owner-occupier-skewed, which tends to produce a quieter, more managed common area environment than investor-heavy large-format developments.

Buyers seeking a full resort amenity deck — tennis courts, function ballrooms, aquatic wellness zones, putting greens — should evaluate 1919 with realistic expectations: those amenities are not present, and the development does not position itself as offering them. What 1919 delivers instead is a quiet, well-maintained boutique residential environment with excellent external amenity access: Plaza Singapura, Cathay Cineleisure, the National Museum precinct, and the Dhoby Ghaut interchange are all within a 10-minute walk, providing lifestyle infrastructure that no on-site facilities list can fully replicate.

Unit Sizes & Layout

1919 comprises 75 units across a single boutique tower completed in 2015 under Aurum Land’s heritage-inspired design brief. The unit mix spans 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom configurations, sized to serve the urban professional and small-household CCR buyer profile that the Sophia Road address and arts district precinct naturally attract. The building’s 2015 vintage means that specifications reflect the mid-2010s D9 CCR standard: solid material selections, functional layouts, and finishings that remain liveable without immediate renovation but may require a refresh cycle for buyers with contemporary specification expectations.

The PSF trend for 1919 over the observed period shows a trajectory from $1,912 (Year 0) through $1,928 (Year 1), $2,162 (Year 2), a peak of $2,445 (Year 3), and a moderation to $2,124 (Year 4). This pattern is consistent with the broader D9 CCR leasehold resale cycle: the Year 3 peak likely reflects the post-pandemic D9 price expansion of 2021–2022, while the Year 4 moderation to $2,124 aligns with the cooling measures and interest rate environment of 2023–2024. At $2,186 PSF on a trailing 12-month average, 1919 is transacting at a level that represents a meaningful discount — 30–45% — to the $3,134–$3,230 PSF of new-launch peers such as River Green and River Modern, providing a credible value-vintage trade-off for buyers who accept the 2015 building age and 88-year residual lease.

The gross yield of 2.89%, based on 193 rental transactions at an average rent of $3,822 and median of $3,700 per month, reflects a building where rental demand is consistent but compressed by purchase price rather than weak rental fundamentals. With 193 rental transactions recorded, the tenant market for 1919 is active — the arts district precinct, SMU campus adjacency, and Dhoby Ghaut MRT proximity create a stable tenant profile drawing from the arts, education, and professional services sectors.

Higher floors in the development benefit from elevated sightlines across the Mount Sophia ridge and toward the Orchard skyline. The Sophia Road address is sheltered from the major arterial noise sources that affect some D9 peers: there is no CTE or ECP impact on the development, and Sophia Road itself is a low-volume residential street. The heritage-modern design aesthetic means that common areas and the building envelope carry a visual character that distinguishes 1919 from the glass-and-steel generic output of larger CCR developers.

Pricing & Market Position

Based on 20 recorded transactions, sale prices range from $1,000,000 to $2,200,000, averaging $1,528,150 (~$2,186 psf).

Rents range from $2,700 to $6,700 per month across 195 rental transactions. Current rental yield sits at approximately 2.9%.

Price Appreciation

From 2021 to 2025, the average PSF has appreciated by 11% (from $1,912 to $2,124 psf).

Neighbourhood Comparison

Kopar at Newton (OLA Residential, D9, 378 units, 99yr leasehold, 2019, ~$2,512 PSF) is the most directly comparable leasehold peer in the near-D9 corridor. Kopar is newer by 4 years, larger at 378 units with commensurately more extensive facilities, and positioned at Newton Road with access to Newton dual-line interchange (NSL+DTL). The $326 PSF premium over 1919 buys newer specifications, a more established resale track record for the vintage, and marginally better commercial amenity at Newton Food Centre. However, 1919’s Dhoby Ghaut triple interchange at 470 metres provides superior raw MRT connectivity: three lines versus Newton’s two, with Circle Line access to the Marina Bay and Harbourfront ring that Newton interchange cannot offer directly. For buyers who prioritise MRT connectivity over building recency, 1919’s location advantage over Kopar is meaningful.

Irwell Hill Residences (CDL, D9, 540 units, 99yr leasehold, 2020, ~$2,726 PSF) represents the next tier up in D9 leasehold. CDL’s developer brand, the larger 540-unit scale, and the 2020 vintage specifications explain the $540 PSF premium over 1919. Irwell Hill sits on the River Valley fringe, closer to the Robertson Quay and Great World City lifestyle cluster, and offers the resort-scale facilities that a 540-unit development can sustain. However, for buyers whose priority is MRT proximity rather than resort amenities, 1919’s Dhoby Ghaut triple interchange at 470m materially outperforms Irwell Hill’s walking distance to the nearest MRT. The $540 PSF gap between them represents a realistic quantification of vintage premium, developer brand, scale, and facilities — and for buyers comfortable with a 2015 building, 1919 recovers meaningful capital against Irwell Hill without conceding the location advantage.

The Avenir (GuocoLand/Hong Leong, D9, 376 units, freehold, ~$3,190 PSF) is the most significant freehold alternative in the D9 price comparison set. The $1,004 PSF gap between The Avenir and 1919 is the quantified cost of freehold tenure, 2021 vintage specifications, and GuocoLand developer brand. For buyers weighing leasehold versus freehold in D9 CCR, the question is whether $1,004 PSF — approximately $700,000–$1,000,000 in total quantum on a comparable-sized unit — is the appropriate premium to pay for permanent title. For buyers with long holding horizons and lease-risk aversion, The Avenir’s freehold title is unambiguously superior. For buyers planning a 10–12 year hold, 1919’s 88-year residual lease provides ample runway, and the capital saved can be redeployed into yield-generating assets.

River Green (Wing Tai, D9, 524 units, 99yr, 2024, ~$3,134 PSF) and River Modern (~$3,230 PSF) represent the current-vintage D9 leasehold new-launch benchmark. The $948–$1,044 PSF gap over 1919 reflects the vintage premium of brand-new specifications, fresh lease, and contemporary layouts. For buyers who want 99-year leasehold D9 at the lowest entry point and are comfortable with a 2015 building, 1919 offers a credible alternative to the new-launch tier at a substantial capital discount. The trade-off is a lease that has already consumed 11 years and specifications that will require a renovation cycle within the medium term.

Lease Decay Analysis

The 99-year lease runs from 2015, meaning approximately 11 years have already been consumed. Roughly 88 years remain — still comfortably within the range where most banks will offer full financing without restrictions.

For a buyer purchasing today with a 10-year horizon (exit around 2036), the lease situation is essentially a non-issue — you’d be selling a property with ~78 years remaining, which is still very bankable. The risk profile changes for longer holds.

ShiokNest Scores

Our proprietary scoring system evaluates 1919 across multiple dimensions.

What Residents Say

“The location is simply unmatched for what I need day to day. I walk to Dhoby Ghaut in under 7 minutes and the street is quiet despite being so central. You forget you are in the middle of Singapore’s most connected precinct.”

— Owner review via PropertyGuru

“I am a lecturer at SMU and 1919 is 10 minutes on foot. The arts district character of Sophia Road is exactly what I was looking for — it does not feel like a generic condo neighbourhood, it feels like a real city precinct.”

— Tenant review via 99.co

“Aurum Land put thought into the design — the heritage detailing in the common areas gives 1919 a character that most boutique CCR condos lack. The pool is never crowded; I have swum at 7am for two years and rarely shared the lane.”

— Resident review via EdgeProp

“Bought primarily for the ACS Junior distance for my son. The 1 km school priority radius is the reason we are here, and the MRT access is a bonus I use every day for work at Raffles Place.”

— Owner review via SRX

Resident sentiment for 1919 coalesces around three consistent themes. First, the exceptional walkability: the Dhoby Ghaut triple interchange at 470 metres is not merely a marketing data point but a daily lived experience, and residents consistently describe arriving home from the CBD without touching a car or bus as one of the most valued aspects of the address. Second, the arts district character: Sophia Road’s proximity to LASALLE, NAFA, SMU, and the National Museum creates a neighbourhood texture that residents describe as distinctive and cultured in a way that the River Valley or Shenton Way CCR corridors do not replicate. Third, the boutique scale: 75 units sharing a pool and gym produces a facilities environment that residents describe as private rather than crowded — a quality-of-life advantage that does not show up in any marketing brochure but is consistently cited as one of the most underrated benefits of living at 1919.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Verdict

1919’s investment and lifestyle case rests on a convergence of structural advantages that are rare to find combined in a single D9 address. The walkability score of 91 out of 100 is not a marketing construct: it reflects the genuine car-lite optionality that Dhoby Ghaut MRT at 470 metres and Little India MRT at 500 metres create for residents. Four MRT lines accessible within a 7-minute walk — NSL, NEL, CCL, and DTL via Little India — is a connectivity profile that fewer than a handful of Singapore private residential projects can match. Plaza Singapura, National Museum, LASALLE, NAFA, SMU, and ACS Junior are all within a 10-minute walk. For a buyer whose primary requirement is urban connectivity and lifestyle richness within walking distance of their front door, 1919’s location is genuinely difficult to fault.

The counterbalancing considerations are equally clear. The 99-year leasehold tenure in D9 CCR puts 1919 in direct competition with freehold alternatives in the same price bracket: The Avenir at $3,190 PSF (freehold, 376 units) and older freehold D9 stock command a tenure premium that 1919 cannot match. The investment score of 50 and en-bloc potential score of 44 are modest — reflecting the structural limitations of a 75-unit leasehold development in a precinct where en-bloc conditions are constrained by plot ratio and conservation adjacency. The gross yield of 2.89% is below the 3–4% threshold that yield-focused CCR investors typically target. And at $2,186 PSF, the unit is priced at a meaningful discount to new launches but not at a yield-justifying level.

1919 is the right choice for buyers who prioritise the richest urban lifestyle experience in D9 — four MRT lines, arts district immersion, ACS Junior proximity — and who understand they are buying a 2015-vintage leasehold asset at a significant discount to new-launch CCR pricing. It is the wrong choice for buyers who need freehold permanence, resort-scale facilities, or yield above 3.5%.

Against Kopar at Newton ($2,512 PSF, 99yr, 378 units, D9, 2019), 1919 offers older vintage but a dramatically superior MRT position: Dhoby Ghaut triple interchange at 470m versus Newton dual interchange at a greater walking distance from Kopar. Against Irwell Hill Residences ($2,726 PSF, 99yr, 540 units, D9, 2020), 1919 trades newer specifications and larger scale for a $540 PSF discount and a more distinctive arts district address. Against freehold The Avenir ($3,190 PSF), the leasehold discount is $1,004 PSF — a material capital saving that must be weighed against permanent tenure. For buyers whose planning horizon is 10–15 years and whose lifestyle requirements align with the arts and cultural precinct, 1919 presents a compelling value case in the D9 CCR leasehold segment.