"[3] The foundation stone was laid by then-Indonesian Consul-General Sugih Arto [id] on 17 August 1962, on the anniversary of Indonesia's independence.
[1] The building was scheduled to be completed in November 1963, with it containing a 500-seat exhibition hall, a mosque, restaurants, office space, the hotel and a swimming pool, with the front being decorated with works by sculptors from Bali.
Plans were announced to open it as a shopping centre and a hotel with a 300-seat restaurant instead, with the units within the building being leased to local businesses.
The opening ceremony, during which Arto's wife cut the ribbon, was attended by around 100 people, including Woon Wah Siang, the permanent secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
[10][11] After Arto returned to Indonesia, chairmanship of the building was transferred to an Indonesian liaison officer stationed in Singapore.
[16] In March 1981, the Indonesian embassy announced that it would sell the building as its location at Orchard Road was "too noisy".
It was announced in April that the there were plans to redevelop Wisma Indonesia while the embassy was looking to move to a newer building located in the area around Nassim Road and Rochalie Drive.
[20] Despite criticism against plans to demolish the building, which were made due to its "important historical significance", it was announced that the building would be torn down to make way for a "towering shopping-cum-office complex while the embassy moved to the area around Napier Road and Nassim Road, where the Singaporean embassies of several other nations were located.