Known as Commercial Square prior to its renaming in 1858, Raffles Place was and continues to be at the heart of the thriving commercial district in downtown Singapore. The centre of this bustling area is commonly referred to as Raffles Square, and in the 1950s it was a busy parking lot surrounded by various office buildings and banks. Popular department stores such as Robinsons, John Little, and a Chinese emporium were also located in the vicinity. The main entrances to the Raffles Place Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) train station stands at the site today. It is surrounded by various modern skyscrapers, notably the Overseas Union Bank (OUB) Centre that now occupies the site where the Robinsons Department Store once stood.
