KUALA LUMPUR will bid goodbye to its very first shopping centre when Ampang Park brings its shutters down for the final time on December 31, 2017.

After 44 years of business on the corner of the Jalan Ampang-Jalan Tun Razak intersection, the iconic landmark is slated for destruction to make way for the Ampang Park station on the MRT2 line.

Owners and tenants of Ampang Park didn’t go down without a fight when 39 of them mounted a legal challenge to the acquisition of the land by the government and MRT Corp on January 8, 2016. Their application was dismissed by the courts.

Opened in 1973, Ampang Park heralded the opening of other shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur. Home to restaurants, tailors, computer shops and beauty salons, it has now been overshadowed by KLCC and Avenue K nearby.

On a recent visit to the mall, The Malaysian Insight found it bustling with activity. Many visitors were strolling around, taking in the sights and sounds for the last time, as well as taking advantage of closing down sales.

Many shops were already closed and those that weren’t were either crowded with customers or packing up and moving out.

A nostalgic mood hung in the air – the mall’s unique split-level architecture, 1970s design and retro signage is a time warp back to the heydays of bell-bottoms and discos.

Business owners and visitors met by The Malaysian Insight shared their fondest memories and future plans. - December 29, 2017.