This was BB Plaza

I was staggered to see the old BB Plaza now in rubbles. No sign of any work on the new building yet but I was sure that would be coming. The last time I entered that mall was almost 3 years back.

During last Saturday's outing, I was led from Pavilion to Low Yat Plaza. On the way back I went towards Jalan Bukit Bintang instead of walking through Sungei Wang Plaza. I could see empty walls behind the zinc plates they used to block the construction area. It was surreal.

The zinc partition into the work areaI thought that the new building would be built at the same time as the MRT as to minimise disruption. But then again, this is Malaysia. I would expect more traffic jam in the near future while the new construction took shape. These things should have been planned properly, but no point having a headache about that.

So, no BB Plaza. No Ampang Park. Time to move forward.

Bye Bye BB Plaza

To be fair, the sign had been there for some time. Over the last couple of years, the place had gone quieter, not helped with the extensive MRT construction going on around the mall.

As early as 3 years ago, the tenants started moving out. It started with the MayBank branch right at the corner of the big crossroad between BB Plaza and Lot 10 by the Monorail station. They packed up almost overnight, and the the big Starbucks at the main entrance closed shop. It took longer than possible for the whole mall was closed actually. I was expecting the place to be gone last year.

A few shops left doing stock clearanceBut I wasn't sure about the plan. Was it a facelift? Was a big MRT station going to built there, which would be a boon since it would connect with the Monorail system and it would be a hub as there would be plenty of people using it, those going to Bukit Bintang, Berjaya Times Square, Low Yat, Lot 10 and Pavilion. It would've been strategic.

After all, the renovation at The Mall was still going on, almost 4 years since it started.

Then finally came the news that the plaza would be demolished. It would be replaced by a high-rise condominium project.

I was quite sad with the news. BB Plaza was one of the older mall in KL before it all went mega. It was basically a bazaar of small shops and it its heyday catered for almost everything new and trendy in town. From IT gadgets, counterfeit videos, clothes and hairstyle, a trip to BB Plaza would fix all that. It was the gadget hub before Imbi Plaza, and then Low Yat. Combined with Sungai Wang Plaza, the place was huge, with ample underground parking space in the old standard.

Metrojaya moved last weekI think this was a shoe storeThe panels being stripped bareThe top floors were already abandonedAnd then there was the iconic Metrojaya which was the main tenant there since I could remember. I almost worked there while waiting for my SPM result until my parents found out and put a stop to it.

I was sure quite a few of my friends felt the same. There was some kind of nostalgia, having got used to the place since the 80s. Time to move on I supposed.

I brought my camera along during one of the afternoons to have a look at what was going on. Most of the shops were already closed. Metrojaya was in the process of moving. The central foyer was left empty. The food court had been evacuated. The parking lot been cordoned off. The place was scheduled for demolition by March.

Bye bye Bukit Bintang Plaza. We had had a long relationship. And it's time to let go ... I'm getting sentimental in my old age!