Katong
Shopping Centre
Level 2
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Level 1
Basement
MALL LAYOUT
EXTERNAL LAYOUT
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Located along Mountbatten road, Katong Shopping Centre is surrounded by a variety of housing estates and amenities.
The Joo Chiat area is also well known for its Peranakan eateries, not forgetting Katong Laksa.
Located within the Odeon Shopping Complex, the Cornerstone Community Church is a 2-minute walk away from the mall.
A little further down the road is St Hilda’s Church, is a 6-minute walk from Katong Shopping Centre.
Directly opposite the mall is The Shore Residences, a condominium that was completed in 2013. Within its vicinity are other condominiums such as The Esta, Amber Residences, The Seaview and many more.
Being within a one kilometre radius of condominiums and churches, Katong Shopping Centre has the potential to attract high human traffic.
However, there is stiff competition from nearby malls such as Parkway Parade and 112 Katong. Opened in 1983 and 2011 respectively, these malls are newer and more modern. As a result, big brands and chain retailers left Katong Shopping Centre for its competitors.
PAST: SURROUNDINGS
Some of the regular shoppers at Katong Shopping Centre recalled how the mall used to be the “Orchard Road of the East”, a hotspot for young couples and families.
According to our interviewee Mr Choo, the ocean used to come up right next to the mall - making the Katong area a great escape from the busy city.
Near Sea View Hotel, Katong (1969)
Source: National Archives of Singapore
However, the government began its land reclamation project in the 1960s, increasing the land area for housing estates - which caused Katong Shopping Centre to lose its unique ocean view. Mr Choo also mentioned how the Katong area used to be a treasure trove of authentic Peranakan food.
Notable attractions included the famous Katong Bakery & Confectionary (Red House Bakery) and Oriental Emporium department store, which have both ceased operations. Today, the shophouse where the bakery once stood and the adjacent shophouses along the stretch of East Coast Road are being restored as a residential-retail-lifestyle heritage development. As part of the Red House Project, the red building has been turned into a bakery (now operated by Heavenly Wangz) and heritage gallery, with artefacts from the old bakery.
Emporium Holdings 10-year anniversary newspaper advertisement (1977)
[1970 - 1986]
Source: National Library Singapore (NLB)
Katong Bakery & Confectionary (1990)
[1925 - 2003]
Source: National Archives of Singapore
PAST: CINEMAS
Within the vicinity of the mall, there used to be 3 cinemas:
Roxy Theatre (1931-1978)
Palace Cinema (1965-1992)
Odeon Theatre (1953-1984)
Roxy Theatre
The now demolished Roxy cinema, also known as Roxy theatre, used to be sited at the junction of East Coast Road and Brooke Road (where Roxy Square now stands) and once stood opposite the popular Red House Bakery. Initially owned by Mr Low Peng Soy, before being taken over by the legendary Shaw brothers in the 1970s, it was a landmark institution screening Chinese, English, Malay and Hindustani movies in the early and mid-20th century. The cinema ceased its operations on 1 August 1978.
The cinema was popular with Katong residents during weekends, the highlight being the Saturday night screenings. Some of the screenings were so popular that there was a black market for tickets once the screening was sold-out. The weekend morning shows were equally popular with people rushing to tie handkerchiefs on the wooden chairs’ armrests to reserve seats after paying 50 cents.
Their fervour was not dimmed by the fact that ventilation relied only on ceiling fans and that blackouts were common. Whenever there was a blackout, the doors of the theatre would be thrown open to let fresh air in. It was closed for renovations and reopened in 1957, complete with air-conditioning. Being the first cinema in Katong, it was a haunt for the youth.
Palace Theatre
In the 1960s, Palace Theatre was known for housing live performances. Palace Theatre changed its name to Paradise Theatre in 1994. The building was demolished in the late 2000s, when an Eastgate building took its place.
Roxy and Palace cinemas were separated by a road called Brooke Road. Some shoppers recalled how Katong was a dating hotspot and how couples used to visit Katong Shopping Centre, due to its close proximity to the cinema.
Odeon Cinema
Odeon-Katong Theatre was one of the cinemas in Singapore owned by Cathay Organisation, running both Chinese and English movies. Between the sixties and eighties, it was part of Katong’s famous three cinemas; the other two being Roxy and Paradise.
The building of Odeon-Katong Theatre was later used for worship services by Bethesda Cathedral and is now mainly occupied by Cornerstone Community Church.
Mr Foo (52 years old), misses the times when he frequented Odeon Cinema as a student. Back then, Katong was popular for being an entertainment district - as not many parts of Singapore had that many cinemas.