Originally the site of Fort Fullerton, Fullerton Square was redeveloped into a civic and commercial area after the fort was demolished in 1873. Prominent landmarks located there at the end of the 19th century included the Government Offices (later renamed Empress Place), Exchange Building and Tan Kim Seng Fountain. By the late 1920s, these structures either underwent renovation, demolition or relocation as the surrounding areas entered another redevelopment phase that saw the building of new landmarks such as the Fullerton Building.
