The ten-storey Shaw House building was officially opened by Singapore’s then Chief Minister Mr. Lim Yew Hock on 22 November 1958. Together with the Lido Theatre which was located next to it, they were owned and developed by the Shaw Brothers, Runme Shaw and Run Run Shaw. Their company, Shaw Brothers Pte Ltd, which was incorporated in 1938, was a major player in the film and entertainment industry in Singapore. Apart from running a chain of cinemas and the amusement parks, Great World and New World, Shaw Brothers also opened their own production studio at Jalan Ampas in 1947. The studio is credited with ushering in the golden age of film-making in Singapore during the 1940s and 1950s.
