During World War II, General Douglas MacArthur used the building as the Allied forces' South West Pacific Area Headquarters from July 1942 to November 1944.

[5] By military order tenants from the second to ninth floors were compulsorily evacuated for the Hiring Department of the Defence Forces.

After the AMP Society vacated the building, which then became known as MacArthur Chambers, it continued to be leased for office accommodation, a boutique hotel, and small shops on the ground and basement floors.

In 2006, the MacArthur Central Shopping Centre was part of one of the largest property swap transactions in Australian history, valued at $186 million.

[6][7][8] During 2009-10 a $20 million upgrade to the MacArthur Central retail complex was planned and carried out, and the first full-line supermarket (Woolworths) in Brisbane’s CBD was opened in the centre.