- Change Alley
Change Alley (Chinese: 真者里) is a cluster of shops in the
financial district ofRaffles Place inDowntown Core planning area inSingapore . It linksRaffles Place toCollyer Quay . The place is named after the Change Alley of London, wherestockbroker s congregated.The alley has a tenant mix of
fashion ,food ,jewellery and services. The shopping arcade is divided into two zones, the Change Alley Aerial Plaza (真者里大厦) which is anoverhead bridge crossing Collyer Quay (Clifford Pier toHitachi Tower ) and the Change Alley which is located insideHitachi Tower andChevron House . The place was a major shopping mall in the city for decades, used to sell a wide range of goods. Before getting its present name in the late 19th century, it was known as Spottiswoode Lane.The shopkeepers belong to an association called the Change Alley Merchants Association. The members conduct
business in various languages, using broken French, English, Italian and Russian, derived from years of dealing withseamen andtourist s. The street's name is also thought to derive from themoney changer s who frequented this area in the days when visitors and seafarers arrived at the waterfront and made their way to Raffles Place through the alley.The Change Alley Aerial Plaza was built of
prefabricated rolledsteel section frames, the material is not very visually evident. The architect,K.K. Tan & Associates , planned to keep a low profile within the environment ofskyscraper s and exploit both the view of Marina Bay, and the pedestrian traffic in the area, hence therevolving tower and glass bridge. The second layer of multi-facetedglass used on the tower. The aerial plaza is a result of the third sale of sites of Sites of theUrban Redevelopment Authority in 1970.Currently, the aerial plaza has a low occupancy and has a slow shopper traffic due to the tenant mix. The main area of the shopping mall is at the Hitachi Tower/ Chevron House area, where there is a mix of restaurants and retail shops, with services stores. On the sixth and seventh floors houses a
Planet Fitness gym .References
*Victor R Savage, Brenda S A Yeoh (2004), "Toponymics - A Study of Singapore Street Names", Eastern University Press, ISBN 981-210-364-3
*Norman Edwards and Peter Keys, Times Books International (1996), "Singapore: A Guide to Buildings, Streets and Places", ISBN 981-204-781-6External links
* [http://www.changealleypromotions.com/ Change Alley Merchants Association]
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