Opened in: 1978

Then: One newspaper article described this $200-million project as a 'super shopping complex' built on 'Orchard Road's golden site'. Another called it the 'Ginza of Singapore'. It also had Singapore's first bubble lift.

Now: A Filipino shop assistant at Lucky Plaza told LifeStyle: 'Lucky Plaza is the most famous shopping centre in the Philippines. It is even on TV.'

But apart from becoming a bustling ethnic enclave, it is also a stop for cheap electronics and jewellery. The bubble lift still works. 

This article was first published in The Sunday Times.