[3] In 1875, the then Governor, Sir William Gregory,[4] based on the recommendations of the Principal Civil Medical Officer, Dr. W R Kynsey, decided to build a new asylum to replace the existing facility at Borella.

[2] Issues over the location and design meant that construction did not commence until 1879, following the intervention of the new Governor, Sir James Longdon.

Longdon defended the cost of the facility stating at the time, "The asylum is a series of one-storey buildings of the plainest type.

[1] The construction of the mall took approximately 200 soldiers and six months of work to clear the spaces and fully reveal the original structures.

[7] The arcade also houses Sri Lanka's first ever boutique cinema, 'The Empire Cineplex', run by Ceylon Theatres.