The stretch of seafront known as Collyer Quay resulted from land reclamation works carried out in the 1860s to allow for the erection of office buildings and godowns along the quayside. Prominent buildings lining the busy waterfront in the 1960s and early 1970s included the Asia Insurance Building (far left), officially opened in 1955 to house the offices of the Asia Insurance Company; the second Ocean Building (centre), constructed in 1923 and noted for its spiralling tower; and the Moorish-inspired Alkaff Arcade (second from right), the first indoor shopping centre in Singapore when it opened in 1909. Of these three landmarks, only the Asia Insurance Building remains intact after it was bought over by the Ascott Group in 2006 and converted into a block of luxury serviced apartments.
