The Cathay to close in August for redevelopment until late 2024
Iconic building to undergo first revamp since 2003, in line with the planned facelift of Dhoby Ghaut precinct
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.”
First revamp since 2003
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.
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