Ngee Ann City

Ngee Ann City

Exterior view of Ngee Ann City
Location	Singapore
Coordinates	1°18′10″N 103°50′4″E / 1.30278°N 103.83444°E / 1.30278; 103.83444Coordinates: 1°18′10″N 103°50′4″E / 1.30278°N 103.83444°E / 1.30278; 103.83444
Address	391 Orchard Road, Singapore 238872
Opening date	21 September 1993; 28 years ago (1993-09-21)
Developer	Ngee Ann Development Orchard Square Development
Management	Ngee Ann Property Management
Owner	Ngee Ann Development Pte Ltd & YTL Starhill Global Property Management
Architect	Raymond Woo and Associates
No. of stores and services	130
No. of anchor tenants	3 (Takashimaya, Kinokuniya & Best Denki)
Total retail floor area	1,188,900 square feet (110,450 m2)
No. of floors	29 (7 retail floors (B2 to L5), 3 parking floors (B3, L6 and L7), 19 office floors (L8 to L26))
Public transit access	NS23  Somerset  NS22  TE14  Orchard
Website	ngeeanncity.com.sg

Ngee Ann City is a shopping and commercial centre located on Orchard Road, Singapore. The S$520 million building was officially opened on 21 September 1993 by then Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong.

Ngee Ann City currently houses the High Commission of New Zealand, which is situated on the 15th floor of Tower A.

History[]

In the 1950s, the land that Ngee Ann City sits on was a burial ground, owned and managed by Ngee Ann Kongsi. It was part of a parcel of land known as Tai Shan Ting, which was bounded by Orchard Road, Paterson Road, and Grange Road. A ten-storey Ngee Ann Building was then built on the site, and was demolished to make way for Ngee Ann City.^[1]

Redevelopment of the site was first considered as early as 1967. Ngee Ann City was planned by Ngee Ann Development and the Orchard Square Development Corporation in the late 1980s. Raymond Woo, the architect who designed the complex, drew inspiration from the Great Wall of China. The intent was to reflect the dignity, solidity and strength of the Ngee Ann Kongsi. Wong spent five years designing and overseeing the project.

The land belonging to Ngee Ann Kongsi was a much sought-after piece of real estate in Singapore. Ng Teng Fong of Far East Organisation was unsuccessful in his bid to buy the land, even after upping his offer to S$175 million from S$140 million. The land was also sought by the owners of Hilton International Hotel.

There were also a series of disputes between Ngee Ann Kongsi and the Metro Group which had subsequently acquired the redevelopment rights. These were only resolved in 1981, resulting in the setting up of a joint venture in which Ngee Ann had a 73% stake, and Metro the balance 27%. The partners paid heavily for the dispute, as the Singapore Government acquired half the site in 1983. This left them only 28,322 square metres for development.

Work on Ngee Ann City began 22 years after the project was first proposed. The construction of the S$520 million complex took four years. Ngee Ann City was officially opened by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 21 September 1993.

Facilities[]

Atrium of Ngee Ann City in 2010

Fountain at Ngee Ann City

Takashimaya Square at Basement 2 of Ngee Ann City

Food Village at Basement

Ngee Ann City shops

Ngee Ann City has two office towers, Tower A and B which are both 26 storeys high. Among its many shops are the Takashimaya department store and Kinokuniya, the second-largest bookstore in Southeast Asia. Until 2007, it housed the library@orchard, part of the National Library Board on the 5th floor. Ngee Ann City is also home to the largest Best Denki in Singapore, known as Big Best. In 2005, the shopping mall opened an art and creativity section on the 4th floor called iFORUM, the first of its kind in Singapore.

When Ngee Ann City opened in 1993, Tangs Studio (a division of Tangs) occupied three floors of the building at the Tower B section of the building. A few years later, Level 2 of the department store was closed in 1999 due to poor business. This part of the mall became part of the speciality shop section (mainly branded boutiques) on the mall on Level 2, Books Kinokuniya on Level 3, and a shop section mainly children's boutiques and shops on Level 4 that was converted to iForum in 2005. The top floor of the mall, Level 5, was part of the upper level carpark. In 1997, the 5th floor was converted to retail space.

The Civic Plaza is where roadshows, concerts, functions, performances and activities are held. There is a fountain at the front of the Civic Plaza facing Orchard Road. The building is connected by underpasses to Wisma Atria, ION Orchard, Wheelock Place, Isetan and Lucky Plaza.

The two towers of Ngee Ann City were intended by the designer to symbolise Chinese door gods, representing strength, generosity, and unity. Tenants in the office tower include Takashimaya Singapore, Books Kinokuniya, Metro department store, Ngee Ann Development, some private office tenants and a medical floor on Level 8 of Tower B.

Toshin Development Singapore Pte. Ltd. manages the speciality stores area of Takashimaya Shopping Centre located from basement 2 to level 4 of Ngee Ann City, covering over 370,000 square feet.

References[]

• "Ngee Ann City comes alive", The Straits Times, 7 August 1993
• Tan Sung, "Takashimaya ready to face sluggish sector", The Straits Times, 6 August 1993

External links[]

• Takashimaya Department Store
• Takashimaya Shopping Centre
• Ngee Ann City

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