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Ngee Ann City () is a shopping and commercial centre located on Orchard Road, Singapore. The S$520 million building was officially opened on 21 September 1993 by then Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong. Many Singaporeans refer to Ngee Ann City as "Taka", a slang-abbreviation of the anchor tenant's name, Takashimaya. Ngee Ann City currently houses the High Commission of New Zealand, which is situated on the 15th floor of Tower A. ==History== In the 1950s, the land that Ngee Ann City sits on was a burial ground, owned and managed by Ngee Ann Kongsi. It was part of a parcel of land known as ''Tai Shan Ting'', which was bounded by Orchard Road, Paterson Road and Grange Road. A ten-storey Ngee Ann Building was then built on the site, and was demolished to make way for Ngee Ann City. Redevelopment of the site was first considered as early as 1967. Ngee Ann City was planned by Ngee Ann Development and the Orchard Square Development Corporation in the late 1980s. Raymond Woo, the architect who designed the complex, drew inspiration from the Great Wall of China. The intent was to reflect the dignity, solidity and strength of the Ngee Ann Kongsi. Wong spent five years designing and overseeing the project. The land belonging to Ngee Ann Kongsi was a much sought-after piece of real estate in Singapore. Ng Teng Fong of Far East Organisation was unsuccessful in his bid to buy the land, even after upping his offer to S$175 million from S$140 million. The land was also sought by the owners of Hilton International Hotel. There were also a series of disputes between Ngee Ann Kongsi and the Metro Group which had subsequently acquired the redevelopment rights. These were only resolved in 1981, resulting in the setting up of a joint venture in which Ngee Ann had a 73% stake, and Metro the balance 27%. The partners paid heavily for the dispute, as the Singapore Government acquired half the site in 1983. This left them only 28,322 square metres for development. Work on Ngee Ann City began 22 years after the project was first proposed. The construction of the S$520 million complex took four years. Ngee Ann City was officially opened by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong on 31 August 1993. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ngee Ann City」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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