'It's hard to find another place like this'

Throngs of people flock to 47-year-old Peace Centre before it closes after Jan 28

The muted brown walls of the 47-year-old Peace Centre mall were filled with a myriad of colours for its final weekend open to the public on Jan 27 and 28.

Throngs of people with cameras in hand flocked to the mall to catch a last glimpse of it, as most tenants held their final hurrahs on Jan 27 before handing the building back to its owners on Jan 29.

Social movement PlayPan took over the historic mall in October 2023 after its developers agreed to postpone till 2024 plans to demolish it in August 2023, so that the building can be used for community-building activities.

Founded by good friends Gary Hong, 51, and Yvonne Siow, 50, PlayPan guided Peace Centre in organically evolving into a vibrant creative hub filled with eclectic thrift stores, art galleries, a photography studio and even a bespoke barber shop.

All of Peace Centre's original tenants had moved out before the new ones moved in, except for two eateries.

Other than covering some utilities and the building's maintainence, PlayPan did not pay rent to Peace Centre's developers, allowing Mr Hong and Ms Siow to offer units to tenants for free or at heavily discounted rents.

Mr Hong, who founded carvending machine Ten Square, and Ms Siow, the head of OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, said they felt they succeeded in creating a positive impact on the local creative community, and that bidding farewell to Peace Centre will be bittersweet.

Associate Professor Ijlal Naqvi of Singapore Management University's (SMU) School of Social Sciences said the "exuberant, messy vitality of the community at Peace Centre convened by PlayPan... encouraged a spirit of play, a DIY attitude, and fostered an atmosphere of generosity and mutual support among everyone there".

The closing weekend's line-up includes a performance art piece on the theme of demolition, art exhibitions and a mall-wide music festival.