The Chinese-style mansion at the corner of present-day Penang Road and Clemenceau Avenue was built in 1885 as a residence for the wealthy Teochew businessman Tan Yeok Nee. When the Tank Road railway station was opened nearby in 1902, the Tan family moved out and sold the property to the Malayan Railway, which converted it into the Station Master’s residence. Following the closure of the station in 1912, the house was given over to an Anglican Trust for the establishment of the St. Mary's Home and School for Eurasian Girls. The property was subsequently acquired from the Trust by the Salvation Army to house its Central Command Headquarters in 1938. During the Japanese Occupation, the house suffered considerable damage and a substantial amount was spent to restore it after the war. It was officially reopened in 1951 by Governor Sir Franklin Gimson and was used by the Salvation Army as its headquarters until 1991.
