45, 48 and 49 Stirling Road

They were the first three blocks completed by the Housing and Development Board (HDB), having been previously left unfinished by its predecessor, the Singapore Improvement Trust.

However, while construction on the flats was ongoing, the trust was dissolved and replaced with the Housing and Development Board (HDB).

As such, residents began calling the flats qik lao, which is Hokkien for "seven storeys".

In 1965, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, visited a local family living in the flats while being accompanied by then-President Yusof Ishak.

[2] The blocks, which were previously orange in colour, were painted grey and beige in June 2016.