[1] Its theatre was the island's first air-conditioned cinema and public building, and where one could sit in an arm chair to watch a film; a rare amenity during that time.

At the beginning of World War II in 1942, the building was rented out to the Straits Settlements government and the Malaya Broadcasting Corporation.

We call upon them to launch the final struggle against the British and their allies in India and to prosecute that struggle with valour and perseverance and full faith in final victory until the enemy is expelled from Indian soil and the Indian people are once again a Free Nation.When the war ended in 1945, it served as the headquarters for Admiral Lord Mountbatten while serving as the Supreme Allied Commander South East Asia Theatre of the South East Asia Command (SEAC).

The building was nearly completely demolished, with only a small portion of the main facade, which had been covered up for decades, was revealed and preserved.

This was the first demolished building to be gazetted as a national monument on 10 February 2003 while it retains a significant heritage value.

[7] The new Cathay is a generic glass-and-steel shopping centre with internal atrium, a common typology in Singapore.

While it boasts a greater floor area, the new development makes little to no reference to the landmark building that it replaced.

The floor levels of the new building completely ignore the retained Cathay Cinema facade, with windows at odd heights.

The Cathay Residences, a condominium development occupying the tower above the shopping mall, opened at the end of 2006.

In its short operating life, there were multiple minor alterations, such as the removal of the atrium water feature, and the reconfiguring of the shop layouts.