Church buys space formerly occupied by nightclub & bar in Orchard Towers, plans ‘brighter future’ for premises

Church spends S$54.5 million on two units in Orchard Towers

Orchard Towers, formerly known for its seedy reputation of vice and violence, will welcome a very different kind of visitor in the near future.

The mall is now set for a “brighter future” after a sprawling space on its fourth floor was bought by a church.

Source: Google Maps

Church was presented with Orchard Towers ‘opportunity’ in 2024

The acquisition was announced by Cornerstone Community Church on its website in a statement titled “Orchards & Vineyards”, a play on the location of its second home.

The church’s Senior Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong said in a video last November that the church had for several years been looking for “additional space” to accommodate the needs of its growing community.

Source: Cornerstone TV on Vimeo

The church currently holds services on the second floor of the Odeon Katong building along East Coast Road and Golden Village cinema in Bugis.

Source: Google Maps

Sometime in 2024, the church was presented with the “opportunity to explore this premise” in the heart of Orchard Road, he added.

The leadership then felt a “stirring” in their hearts over this property.

Orchard Towers has had an unsavoury reputation

Pastor Yang noted that Orchard Towers has had an unsavoury reputation for the past 40 years.

While it was initially intended to be an “integrated development of retail and residential properties” with an art house cinema that was converted into a theatre, the tide turned when a large nightclub named Top Ten moved in in the mid-1980s.

Source: Cornerstone TV on Vimeo

More bars, social escort agencies, sex shops and go-go bars moved in later, causing the mall to gain its “Four Floors of Whores” moniker.

Source: Cornerstone TV on Vimeo

Top Ten was subsequently renamed Top 5 and reopened in 2006.

Source: Google Maps

In a unit next to it, a bar called Crazy Horse operated for 20 years.

Source: Cornerstone TV on Vimeo

Both establishments operated till the middle of 2023 when the police decided not to renew the licences of 12 nightlife outlets in the mall.

Church buys 2 Orchard Towers units for S$54.5M

Cornerstone Community Church will be taking over the two units formerly occupied by Top 5 and Crazy Horse, Pastor Yang said.

The two properties combined have a floor space of more than 19,000 square feet (sq ft).

The Business Times reported that they were sold for S$54.5 million, or S$2,825 per square foot based on a total strata area of 19,289 sq ft.

The sale and purchase agreement for the property was signed about two weeks ago by Cornerstone Heritage, whose shareholders are Pastor Yang, his wife Daphne Yip, also a senior pastor at the church, and fellow pastor Timothy Chong.

Space will benefit Bugis congregation

Pastor Yang said the Orchard Towers space will benefit the congregation now worshipping at Bugis, which is growing.

Source: Google Maps

“Many attendees with children would benefit from a Cornerstone location closer to central Singapore,” he noted, adding:

A permanent home in Orchard with low en-bloc potential also means more sustainable operations for our ‘Bugis’ congregation and the possibility of opening more service slots for our numerous language congregations during the weekend as well. Furthermore, the retail units surrounding the auditorium offer space for potential future expansion should our footprint need to grow in the city.

He also stated that Orchard Towers “presents a rare freehold opportunity prime real estate” surrounded by amenities such as transport options, malls, food and shops. The building also has a carpark with ample space for the church’s large congregation.

Church has previous record of ‘redeeming dark places’

On the building’s “dark past”, Pastor Yang noted that this would not be the first time that Cornerstone Community Church is “redeeming” a place for a “brighter future”.

He pointed out that the church had previously taken over six other units elsewhere which were formerly KTVs, pubs and massage parlours.

Thus, redeeming dark places is a significant part of the church’s DNA, he said, adding:

These properties, once a stronghold of the enemy, is now being claimed by the people of God.

Also read: Over 20 People Involved In Huge Fight Outside Orchard Towers, 3 Men Arrested For Rioting

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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Google Maps.