Known as Commercial Square prior to its renaming in 1858, Raffles Place was and continues to be at the heart of the thriving commercial district in downtown Singapore. The centre of this bustling area was commonly referred to as Raffles Square, which served as an open-air carpark from the 1920s until 1965 when an underground facility was built on the site by the Public Works Department. This freed up the surface to be converted into a lush landscaped park with trees, shrubs, flowers and two ornamental fountains located on opposite ends of the grounds. At night, the park was lit by lamps and the lights of the surrounding buildings. Between 1972 and 1973, further improvement works were carried out to beautify the area, which had now become an oasis for pedestrians after the government banned vehicular traffic from Raffles Place during the day. The main entrances to the Raffles Place Mass Rapid Transit train station stand at the site today.
