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 was commonly referred to as Raffles Square, and in the early 1950s it was a busy parking lot surrounded by various office buildings, banks and stores. Prominent buildings surrounding the area included the John Little & Co. department store (left) and the towering Bank of China Building (background). The main entrances to the Raffles Place Mass Rapid Transit train station stand at the site today.
