5 most eerie shopping centres in S’pore with lesser known pasts & ghostly sightings

The histories of some ‘haunted’ shopping malls in Singapore

As the Seventh Month season begins, Singaporeans might find themselves looking over their shoulders in fear of uninvited guests.

While ghostly sightings are often reported in schools, homes, or even along quiet roads, some have also claimed that they encountered the paranormal in Singapore’s busiest malls.

We look into the histories of these popular shopping centres to uncover why such stories might exist.

1. Ngee Ann City

While Singaporeans know Ngee Ann City as one of Singapore’s most luxurious malls, it actually holds a history that most people — especially younger Singaporeans — are unaware of.

In 1854, the charitable foundation Ngee Ann Kongsi purchased a 29-ha plot of land along Orchard Road to be used as burial grounds, later known as Tai Shan Ting.

Later, the sprawling Teochew cemetery was exhumed in 1950s for new buildings and shops.

Meanwhile, the remains were interred at the Teochew Memorial Park at Yishun.

Ngee Ann City officially opened its doors to the public on 21 Sept 1993.

However, rumours began to float around the design of Ngee Ann City. People started to notice that Ngee Ann City’s architectural design resembles a Chinese tombstone.

The building’s curved structure is similar to traditional Teochew headstones, coupled with the five flagpoles that look like joss sticks.

Some speculate that the design was intended to appease the spirits who used to rest at Tai Shan Ting.

However, Raymond Woo, the architect behind the design of the complex, claims that he drew inspiration from the Great Wall of China.

While Ngee Ann City has seen a string of commercial success, especially with the establishment of Takashimaya in 1993, the mall has faced some notable misfortunes over the decades.

Two deaths have occurred as a result of falling. On 20 June 1994, an 11 year-old boy fell three floors from an escalator, dying 30 minutes after he arrived at the Singapore General Hospital.

Similarly, on 14 July 2019, a 35-year-old American man died after falling multiple storeys from the third floor to the B2 level of Ngee Ann City.

2. Plaza Singapura

While it is not constructed directly on the site, Plaza Singapura is built near the old site of the Orchard Road Jewish Cemetery.

Established in 1841, the cemetery closed in 1903 and remains were exhumed in the 1980s.

The government repossessed the burial grounds in 1983 to develop the now-bustling and lively Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.

Singaporeans may be familiar with the bustling business thriving at Plaza Singapura, but some shoppers claim to have caught sight of ghosts.

According to urban legends, the top floor of Plaza Singapura is haunted by the ghosts of children due to an abortion clinic in the old mall. 

The urban legend has since been debunked, but some netizens claim to have felt otherworldly presence when watching movies at the Golden Village cinemas.

3. The Cathay Building

Opened in 1939 by Dato Loke Wan Tho, the Cathay Building was the headquarters for the British Malaya Broadcasting Corporation.

Famous for its air-conditioned theatre, The Cathay Cinema, the building was the first skyscraper in Singapore.

It was also the tallest building in Southeast Asia at that time.

Later in the early years of World War II, the Straits Settlements government used the building as offices for military broadcasts and administration.

After Singapore fell to the Japanese in 1942, the Japanese utilised the building to broadcast propaganda, even housing film director Yasujiro Ozu from 1944 until the end of the war.

Apart from propaganda, the building was the site of even darker acts of violence during wartime Singapore.

Records suggest that the Japanese military stuck the heads of people on poles outside the building. These heads belonged to looters and other victims of the Japanese military.

Decades after the war, the Cathay Building continued to house a cinema for Singaporeans until showing its last movie in 2000 before closing for development and reopening in 2006 as a shopping mall.

4. West Coast Plaza (formerly known as Ginza Plaza)

Named after Tokyo’s top shopping district, Ginza Plaza opened in 1992 as the first of a group of heartland malls in the 1990s.

The three-storey shopping block was a mixed retail and residential development in West Coast, Singapore.

While many looked forward to its launch, the development of the mall was marred by a severe gas explosion.

On 7 Aug 992, a gas pipe exploded — causing a fire to spread across the ceiling of the basement quickly.

After extinguishing the fire, Singapore Civil Defence Force rescuers found three dead bodies pinned under several concrete slabs.

In total, there were 61 casualties and three people dead as a result of the explosion.

The complex later underwent a S$26 million overhaul and reopened in Nov 2008 as West Coast Plaza, shifting towards a modern feel.

Despite the revamp many years later, the Ginza explosion remains as one of the most unforgettable accidents haunting the corridors of Ginza Plaza.

5. Peace Centre (closed in 2024)

Before its closure in 2024, Peace Centre was a symbol of post-colonial prosperity.

Built in 1977, the 10-storey podium block was the go-to place for anyone looking to print textbooks and materials, or to attend private schools.

The computer boom in the 1980s resulted in a proliferation of computer schools. Well-known computer and management schools, such as Informatics and BMC, set up their first branches in Peace Centre.

Soon, the mall lost its popularity when newer malls such as Raffles City and Marina Square were established.

In the mid-2000s, KTV lounges took over the halls of Peace Centre.

Over the years, the mall garnered the reputation of a nightlife and entertainment pocket, before strict police enforcement quieted the area.

Although slated for demolition in Aug 2023, the demolition was postponed to 2024 for PlayPan, a social movement to transform the retail space into a vibrant playground.

For Halloween in 2023, the organisation transformed the eerie old corridors of Peace Centre into the haunted house experience Rest.In.Peace Centre Horror Experience.

While the experience was supposed to haunt the guests, the organisers and artists behind the project reportedly encountered supernatural beings at the decrepit complex.

Symbols of Singapore’s rich history

Although some of the malls listed have closed, they still remain as a central piece of Singapore’s retail history.

Even as the landscape in Singapore changes, locals looking for a slice of nostalgia will look back at these shopping centres for a taste of simpler days gone by.

Also Read: Everything to know about Maju Forest before HDB development begins, including its rare wildlife inhabitants

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Featured image adapted from Facebook, Wikipedia, and Google Maps.