Here's What These 7 Shopping Malls & Popular Spots In KL Used To Be

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Long before the iconic skyscrapers graced the skyline, the area was once home to the Selangor Turf Club, a sprawling 100-acre horse racing track.

Today, the Selangor Turf Club has moved to Seri Kembangan, but the legacy of its original location lives on. The former racecourse has been transformed into the vibrant KLCC Park, a popular destination for recreation and leisure. Visitors can enjoy a playground, a wading pool, a jogging path, and of course, the majestic PETRONAS Twin Towers.

Known for being one of Japan's largest retail outlets, LaLaport Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC) is the first LaLaport mall in Southeast Asia. It offers a diverse range of shopping, dining, and entertainment options. However, before the mall came into the picture, the site used to be Pudu Prison, a notorious, century-old correctional facility that closed its doors in 1996.

Though most of the Pudu Prison complex was demolished in 2012, the main gate and a portion of the outer wall remain at the request of heritage conservationists and the public. The prison gate now stands at the edge of a fountain park.

Before the glitzy malls and bustling crowds, Bukit Bintang was once home to the oldest, prestigious school in KL, Bukit Bintang Girls' School (BBGS). Founded in 1893 by European missionaries, BBGS predates other iconic KL institutions like Victoria Institution and Convent Bukit Nanas.

In 2000, the school's original building was demolished to make way for the modern Pavilion KL shopping mall. The school, renamed SMK Seri Bintang Utara (SBU), was relocated to Taman Shamelin Perkasa in Cheras. While the physical landmark is gone, BBGS continues to be a fond memory for its alumni.

Remember the iconic Rex Theatre in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown? Decades ago, it was a widely frequented cinema, drawing crowds with hand-painted posters and affordable tickets. The original Rex building burned down in the 1970s, but was reborn as a state-of-the-art single-screen theatre in 1976. After 25 years of movie magic, Rex closed its doors in 2002, later becoming a backpackers' hostel.

Then in 2019, REXKL was revived and reopened as a creative hub for local entrepreneurs and artists, featuring pop-up stores, food stalls, bars, a farmer's market, live performances, and workshops across three floors.

Before it was a bustling shopping district, Bukit Bintang was home to a beloved amusement park called Bukit Bintang (BB) Park.

For just 25 sen, visitors could enjoy carousels, boxing rings, and other exciting attractions. The park also housed two cinemas, Chong Shan and Geng Dou, which became popular spots to catch films no longer showing elsewhere. BB Park thrived as an entertainment hub from the 1930s to the 1970s, offering a vibrant space for leisure and amusement in the heart of KL.

In 1977, BB Park was demolished to make way for the city's second shopping mall, Sungei Wang Plaza.

Before it was a vibrant skate park at MRT Ampang Park Station, did you know that there was shopping mall in its place? Ampang Park, Malaysia's first shopping centre, first opened in 1973. It was the place to be — for shopping, as a community hub, and for lepak sessions and family outings.

But the mall began to lose its lustre as newer malls popped up, and by December 2017, the 44-year-old landmark was demolished to make way for the Ampang MRT station.

The gleaming towers of Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) in Jalan Imbi represents KL's rapid development. But did you know this bustling financial district was once a quiet residential area known as "Pak Luk Kan" or "Land of the 106 Bungalows"?

From the 1920s to the 1990s, these colonial bungalows housed public service employees. As the city grew, the bungalows were replaced by Pasar Baru Bukit Bintang (Imbi Market) and the Pasarakyat development.

Finally, from 2013 to 2016, these structures were demolished to make way for the modern TRX development, including The Exchange 106 skyscraper. While the landscape has transformed drastically, the name "Land of the 106 Bungalows" still lives on. The Exchange 106, with its 106 floors, is an homage to the 106 bungalows that once stood on the site.