Night-time view of the Central Business District waterfront

This postcard shows the Central Business District (CBD) skyline with its towering skyscrapers. The CBD area on the south bank of the Singapore River underwent major redevelopment in the late 1960s and 1970s as part of the government’s urban renewal scheme for the old city centre. The most prominent building erected as part of the renewal project was the 52-storey Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Centre (right centre), which easily eclipsed the 30-storey United Overseas Bank (UOB) Building as the tallest structure in the area when it was completed in 1976. More skyscrapers were added to the CBD skyline following another round of urban redevelopment in the 1980s. Notable buildings erected during the second round of redevelopment included the 47-storey Raffles Tower (left centre) owned by Singapore Land that was completed in 1982 and renamed Shell Tower after its main tenant, and the 44-storey Standard Chartered Bank Building (centre), which was officially opened in 1984 to house the bank’s headquarters.