[1] However, as it was located near the hub of colonial activities (the church, cricket ground, courthouses and government offices), the area soon developed into the favoured location for siting many well-known stores of the time, such as Robinson's (opened in 1928), John Little (1914, along New Embankment Road and Ampang Street), and Whiteaway Laidlaw.

[1][3] By the 1970s, the street had declined in popularity as a shopping area; many stores closed and were replaced by financial institutions.

The tower was built in 1987 on the location of the colonial-era Subordinate Courts building at Bukit Mahkamah which was demolished in 1982.

B. Hubback (who also designed the Jamek Mosque next to it) constructed in 1910 and once housed the Federated Malay States Survey Office.

[8] In 1996, the elevated track of the Ampang line of the light rapid transit (LRT) system was constructed along the entire stretch of Jalan Tun Perak.