The Cathay to close in August for redevelopment until late 2024
The Cathay at Handy Road. (PHOTO: Source: National Archives of Singapore)
The Cathay, one of Singapore's most iconic buildings, will be closed for redevelopment works in August for about one and a half years. The building, located at one end of the Orchard Road shopping district, targets to reopen in late 2024, ahead of the Christmas period. All tenants of the Cathay mall have been informed of the temporary closure, and will be moving out by 18 August. Residents of The Cathay will be unaffected and the residences remain accessible via the private main entrance on Mount Sophia.
For this current revamp, The Cathay's management has commissioned DP Architects, one of the largest architecture firms in the world, to reimagine the building. “The revamp is aligned to the planned facelift of Dhoby Ghaut and the vicinity, as The Cathay continues to create long term value and be at the forefront of Singapore’s changing landscape," a spokesperson for The Cathay said in a media release on Friday (17 February). "The Cathay will also remain a convenient link for residents living in Mount Sophia.”
The latest redevelopment is The Cathay’s first major revamp since 2003. The building, which housed Singapore's first air-conditioned cinema when it first opened in 1939, was demolished for that revamp, save for the front facade of the theatre - which was gazetted as a national monument for conservation. The current version of The Cathay was opened in 2006, and housed a shopping mall as well as an eight-screen cineplex. While the mall and cineplex enjoyed large crowds during its heyday in the 2000s, they have been hit hard by COVID-19, as the cinemas were closed for months in the early days of the pandemic. With many of The Cathay's retail units closing their shutters in the recent years, the Cathay Cineplex also ceased operations on 26 June last year, and was taken over by independent film operator The Projector as a pop-up outlet.
The Cathay to close in August for about 1½ years for major revamp
The Cathay will be the national monument’s first major revamp since 2003. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
National monument The Cathay will be closed for about 1½ years in August for revitalisation works, the building’s owner, Cathay Organisation, said on Friday.
It will be the iconic building’s first major revamp since 2003, when most of the structure was redeveloped, save for its 1930s art deco facade. DP Architects, known for designing local landmarks such as the Golden Mile Complex and People’s Park Complex, has been commissioned to reimagine The Cathay.
Noting that the revamp supports the planned facelift of Dhoby Ghaut and its surrounding area, a spokesman for The Cathay said the building will continue to be at the forefront of Singapore’s changing landscape.
Singaporeans reminisce their good times at The Cathay shortly before it closes for 1.5 years renovation
The building seems deeply steeped in so many people’s youthful memories
It was announced at the beginning of the year that The Cathay, one of the country’s iconic buildings, would be closed for a year and a half for a major revamp, its first in 20 years.
Its cinema closed after 83 years on June 27, 2022, and The Cathay’s tenants were told they needed to close their doors by Aug 18. But the building seems deeply steeped in so many people’s youthful memories.
DJ Joakim Gomez posted a video on TikTok of the things he’ll miss about The Cathay last week, writing that the building had been the site of some of his best memories, but it’s now “Its now a completely ghost (t)own, everything’s shut and torn down.” He thanked The Cathay for his fond memories.
Milestones of The Cathay building in Handy Road
The Cathay Cineplex in Handy Road is closing after June 26 after entertaining moviegoers for more than 80 years. Here are the milestones in the history of the iconic building and cinema:
- 1935 - Associated Theatres, founded by Dato Loke Wan Tho is incorporated. It later becomes Cathay Organisation.
- 1939 - In October, the Cathay Building opened at Dhoby Ghaut with a 1,300-seat cinema and a hotel in a 16-storey tower block.
- 1942 - At the beginning of World War II, the final show was screened and Cathay Cinema was turned into a Red Cross casualty station.
- 1945 - Cathay Cinema reopens with screening of first post-WW2 movie The Tunisian Victory.
- 2000 - Cathay Building at Dhoby Ghaut has its final curtain call in September.
- 2003 - The building is torn down, with its front facade gazetted and preserved to its 1930s state to serve as a remnant of the past.
- 2006 - The Cathay reopens and buzzes again with activity as a cineplex, private residence and mall.
- 2015 - Cathay celebrates its 80th anniversary, with films such as Our Sister Mambo - a tribute to the Cathay classic Our Sister Hedy (1957) - and The Greatest Civil War On Earth (1961).
- 2017 - Cathay Cineplexes comes under entertainment company mm2 Asia as part of a $230-million deal. mm2 Asia buys eight cinemas across Singapore, comprising 64 screens.
8 Facts About The Cathay Building Spanning Decades Of History
During WWII, the Japanese displayed decapitated heads of looters in front of the building as a warning
Many Singaporeans reacted with sadness to the news that The Cathay Cinema would be shutting down after Sunday (26 Jun 2022). But the closure is just the latest event to happen over the many decades in the life of the iconic Cathay Building that houses the cinema. As we say farewell to its cinematic operations, at least for a while, Singaporeans may want to get to know what other experiences it’s had.
Here are eight facts about the old building that we can add to our memory banks for old times’ sake:
- The Cathay Building is 83 years old
- The cinema was the first air-con public space
- It used to be Singapore’s tallest building
- It broadcast military info during WWII
- The Japanese military displayed severed heads there
- Its founder was a businessman & film lover
- There used to be a hotel there
- It’s a national monument, so its facade can’t be touched
Cathay Building (国泰大厦) Singapore Revisited
While the main structure of the Cathay Building has been demolished to make way for the development of The Cathay, the front façade has been preserved and gazetted as a national monument.
It was opened on 3 October 1939 by Dato Loke Wan as Cathay Building, with a 1,300-seat Cathay Cinema, and the tower block as Cathay Hotel. It was the island's first air-conditioned cinema and public building, and where one could sit in an arm chair to watch a film, which was rare in those days. It was then a technological marvel and the first to be built in Singapore. Cathay Building is also the first and tallest skyscraper not only in Singapore but also in South-East Asia. Height of 79.5 metres.
The Cathay Building was temporarily suspended, not demolished after the Japanese surrender in 1945. It was almost a ghost-town during that sad period of doom in Singapore. With the confidence, "never say die" spirit of the peoples in a rugged society to persevere and strive to work together for stability, peace, harmony and prosperous as a vibrant nation for everyone. Cathay Cinema back in business and normal life of daily routine returned to Singapore after the Japanese Occupation.
The Cathay Building
Located at the convergence of Kirk Terrace, Handy Road and Sophia Road, the sixteen-storey Cathay Building (now known as The Cathay) was Singapore’s first skyscraper. It was owned by the Loke family and opened on 3 October 1939. It housed an air-conditioned 1,300-seat cinema, apartments, restaurant and hotel.
The Cathay was Singapore’s first air-conditioned cinema which opened in 1939. Behind the cinema stood the 16-storey Cathay Building, which opened in 1941 as Singapore's first skyscraper and was gazetted a National Monument in 2000.
The Cathay Building was where the Japanese flag was first flown as one of the conditions of the British surrender during World War II. Subsequently, this building housed the Japanese Broadcasting Department, the Japanese Military Propaganda Department and the Japanese Military Information Bureau. The cinema inside was renamed Dai Toa Gekijo (“Greater East Asian Theatre” in Japanese) and used to screen Japanese propaganda films.
An Interesting Past of Cathay Building
Cathay building stood on the site of an old bakery and Victorian building managed by Teo Ho Lye and Louis Moulteni from Poland. Moulteni came to Singapore in the 1880s and started his confectionery.
The Victoria building was demolished in 1934 and the land sold to the Loke family. Cathay building designed by Frank Brewer was completed in 1939. It became Singapore's first skyscraper and second multi-storey building; the first was the High Street Police Station. The building housed the Cathay Cinema which exists today but the hotel was converted into an office complex.
Opposite Cathay building is Dhoby Ghaut (Ghaut is of Indian origin; one meaning is a stair-case) referring to the terraced rocks upon which the Indian dhobies in the early years washed the clothes for their customers. They used water from a stream Sungai Bras Basah which flowed along Bras Basah Road.
The Cathay building
An iconic building synonymous with classic entertainment, Cathay Organisation has been entertaining generations for more than 80 years. The Cathay was established by Cathay Organisation and founder Dato Loke Wan Tho in 1939. Since opening, it has been a distinct landmark attaining many firsts – including the first skyscraper, the first air-conditioned cinema and the first cinema to screen American and British films in Singapore.
Situated in Singapore’s arts and heritage district of Bras Basah Bugis, The Cathay, formerly the Cathay Building, has seen many changes. It reopened in 2006 in its current form. To mark its opening, The Cathay hosted an Oscar-style private party that included the screening of a re-mastered digital version of the timeless classic, ‘Gone with the Wind’, which was released in the same year the building opened on Handy Road.
Today, The Cathay is a protected national monument that embraces both linear Art-Deco design and modernism with a rich history. The youth-oriented shopping mall boasts a myriad of retail, dining, leisure and entertainment options. A long-time fixture in Singapore’s urban entertainment landscape, Cathay Cineplexes’ nine cinema halls, including The Grand Cathay and Platinum Movie Suites, make it the definitive entertainment hub for young adults. The Cathay Gallery located on level 2 is a space that celebrates the history behind Cathay’s movie empire and the Loke family’s business ventures in Singapore and Malaysia, as well as their contribution to Cathay Organisation, their properties, film production studios, film distribution, hotels and cinemas. Opening Hours: Monday to Saturdays, 11am – 7pm. The Cathay Residences is situated on the 6th to the 17th floors of The Cathay.
Cathay Building
The Building, located at the foot of Mount Sophia in the Dhoby Ghaut area, was once the tallest building in Singapore. It used to house the Cathay cinema, Cathay Hotel and Cathay Restaurant. The cinema was opened in 1939 in the front building, while the main tower behind was completed in 1941. In the early years of World War II, Cathay Building housed the offices of the Malayan Broadcasting Corporation. After Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942, the building became home to the Japanese Propaganda Department. On 10 February 2003, Cathay Building was gazetted as a national monument. Following a major redevelopment, the building was reopened in 2006 as The Cathay.
At the foot of Mount Sophia (originally known as Bukit Selegie), where the Cathay Building now stands, there once stood a Victorian-style building. It housed the family of prominent businessman Teo Hoo Lye as well as a confectionery and cake shop run by a European, Louis Molteni. The property was later purchased by the family of the late Loke Yew, and in 1937 the land was cleared for the construction of Cathay Building.
The 16-storey Cathay Building was designed by architect Frank Brewer and cost $1 million to build. Sitting on the slope of Mount Sophia, Cathay Building was 87 m high from the street level to the top. However, minus the height of the slope at the rear of the building, the actual height of the building was 70 m. It stood as the tallest building in Singapore at the time when its main tower was completed in 1941. This status was overtaken by the Asia Insurance Building in 1954.
Cathay Building
The Cathay Building in 1945
The Cathay Building (simplified Chinese: 国泰大厦; traditional Chinese: 國泰大廈; Malay: Bangunan Cathay) was opened in 1939 by Dato Loke Wan Tho as the headquarters for the British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation. Located at 2 Handy Road in the Museum Planning Area of Singapore, the building was most known for its air-conditioned theatre known as the Cathay Cinema, then a technological marvel and the first to be built in Singapore. Cathay Building was the first skyscraper in Singapore and tallest building in Southeast Asia at that time.
The supposed 16 storey (11 storey upon completion) Cathay Building was designed by British architect Frank W Brewer. The Cathay Building consisted of the Cathay Cinema, a restaurant and the dance hall on the ground floor, as well as a roof garden above the cinema and a residential storey block with a penthouse.
The first part of the Cathay Building was opened on 3 October 1939 with the 1,300-seat Cathay Cinema, the dance hall and the Cathay Restaurant. On 1 July 1940, the 11 storey residential block was opened for occupancy, with the owners Mrs Loke Wan and Loke Wan Tho occupied the eleventh floor. The building was the first and tallest skyscraper in Singapore and in Southeast Asia, at a height of 83.5 metres from the Dhoby Ghaut entrance to the top of the building's water tower. Its theatre was the island's first air-conditioned cinema and public building, and where one could sit in an arm chair to watch a film; a rare amenity during that time. The building was also used as a landmark for final landing approach at Singapore's first purpose-built civilian airport, Kallang Airport.
Iconic Cathay Cineplex to close after Jun 26 2022 after 83 Years
S’poreans Visit Iconic Cinema On Last Day & Share Their Memories
Operating since before the Second World War, The Cathay is one building in Singapore that is close to our hearts.
Be it sneaking out to catch one of the Avengers movies or booking tickets with the family, we all have our unique memories of the iconic cinema. Unfortunately, The Cathay closed down on Sunday (26 Jun). Many were here to witness its last day, either to watch a screening or simply immortalise the classic signage at the front in photographs.
Here are some Singaporeans’ fondest memories of the cinema — and their opinions on the closure. The wistfulness of seeing one of Singapore’s few cinema halls go was certainly tangible that night. Moviegoers started thronging the area in front of The Cathay, taking one last shot of the striking vertical neon sign.
Remembering the good old days
Cathay Building circa 1955-1956 Photo: Cathay Organisation
Three months ago, behind closed doors, participants at an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) event had a discussion with members of the Government’s much-vaunted machinery to anticipate wild cards and black swans — the latter a buzz phrase among civil servants these days, referring to unpredictable and rare occurrences that nevertheless have great impact.
On the agenda were sousveillance — or the watching of the Government by the general population — and the impact of automation on jobs. But the group was also trying to dissect and make sense of another trend: A longing for the good old days.
“The sense of nostalgia among Singaporeans seems to have become more pervasive ... Singaporeans are finding new ways to build the community ties that characterised kampung life and mobilising to preserve green spaces and heritage buildings that provide a link to the past,” read the synopsis for the IPS session, organised for its corporate associates and featuring some members of the Government’s Strategic Futures Network.
Cathay Cineplexes @ mm2 Asia
Cathay Cineplexes 2 d
We wish to inform you that Cathay Cineplex Parkway Parade will be closing its doors this August.
All other Cathay Cineplexes remain open as usual.
Thank you for choosing Cathay Cineplexes as your go-to venue for movie magic! We look forward to continuing to serve you at our other locations across Singapore. See you soon!
