RIGHT in the heart of Kuala Lumpur stands one of the city’s pioneering malls, Ampang Park. For many KL-ites, Ampang Park was the place to be before it was overshadowed by its swanky and posh neighbours, Avenue K and Suria KLCC.
Ampang Park holds special childhood memories for me, as my father, a KL-ite, used to take us for treats there whenever we came down from Perak to visit my grandparents in Keramat.
For my cousins and I, the mall was our escape from Hari Raya food whenever we overdosed on rendang and lemang.
We would beg any older cousin who could drive or willing uncle and aunt to get our fix of McDonald’s at the mall bought with duit Raya.
Many birthday parties were held there, too. When I was a little older, we sometimes did our Raya shopping there because there were many shops and tailors offering traditional outfits.
Author Tunku Halim remembers that, as teenagers, he and his brothers frequented the record shop at Ampang Park where they would record songs from LPs (long playing records where a 90 minute cassette would record two albums, one on each 45 minute side) on cassettes for a fee.
“We lived not more than 2km away. At that time, Ampang Park consisted of rows and rows of shops, mostly small businesses, a supermarket, many boutiques and a beer garden on the rooftop.”
Tunku Halim, who is in his 50s, said his most treasured memory of Ampang Park was scurrying there one afternoon with his brothers without his mother’s knowledge.
“As soon as she left home, we hurried to the mall’s toy shop, pooled our money and bought an Airfix World War 2 gun emplacement with plastic German and American soldiers,” he said.
“Our excursion to the shopping mall was scary and I didn’t even dare to think what punishment awaited us if we were caught. We weren’t. And we had hours of fun with our new toy.”
For 64-year-old Muriel B.K., Ampang Park was her usual lunch spot when she started working in the mid-’70s at a project office in Ampang.
“I used to shop there regularly, too. There were a few shops that sold nice handmade bead chains, some of which I still have today.
“And even when I left the Ampang office, I would make the trip to Ampang to shop. I’m really sad and upset that such an iconic building is set to be demolished.”
Yuhaini Yusoff’s first memory of Ampang Park was when she was a schoolgirl in Ipoh.
“I saw a movie called Permintaan Terakhir, which starred Uji Rashid, Nonie Nani and Ogy Ahmad Daud. There was a scene that was shot at Ampang Park, as in those days the mall was the ‘in’ place, much like KLCC today.
“Later, when I moved to Shah Alam to attend university, I looked for the location featured in the movie. When I started work, my friends and I used to frequent the mall on pay day to treat ourselves to lunch at a restaurant called Cosy Corner.”
She said she would miss Ampang Park if it were to be demolished as she used to do everything there.
“I used to shop for shoes and clothes, and frequented a salon called Razif Salon. Even my regular tailor is there.”
Hanif Hadis, 60, also used to frequent the Cozy Corner restaurant, which served Western-style dishes and was a dating spot.
“I sometimes crave for the chicken chop that was the restaurant’s signature dish when it first opened. It was patronised mostly by couples who were celebrating anniversaries and such. These days, it is popular for family outings.”
The shopping centre was the brainchild of Tan Sri Low Keng Huat and his brothers following their development of People’s Park, the first shopping centre in Singapore.
It was built by Low Keng Huat Brothers Realty Sdn Bhd in 1973. It paved the way for shopping centres to sprout throughout the country and changed the shopping habits of Malaysians.
Located on a 1.8ha site at the junction of Jalan Ampang and Jalan Pekeliling, in the then fashionable Ampang residential district, its features included a carpark for 450 vehicles, children’s playground and theatrette.
In October, news broke that Ampang Park was to be demolished to make way for an underground walkway connecting the new MRT station and Ampang Park LRT station, as part of the Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya MRT line construction.
There were objections from the tenants, who were given notices to vacate their premises by next month.
However, following a meeting with the tenants, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd announced a new design option that will allow the mall to be preserved with modifications to its foundation.