How Singapore’s most notorious mall found God

Orchard Towers, a building in Singapore once notorious enough to earn the nickname “Four Floors of Whores”, has found an unlikely new tenant.

On weekends, the site of former nightclubs, illegal massage parlours and at least one murder is now flooded with church-goers.

Cornerstone Community Church officially opened weekly services at the Orchard Road landmark in January after buying six units on the fourth floor – formerly a nightclub – for S$54.5 million (US$42.3 million) in 2025.

Experts say the move reflects a growing trend across Southeast Asia of megachurches expanding into retail and commercial spaces.

Reverend Yang Tuck Yoong, Cornerstone’s senior pastor, told This Week in Asia that the church was no stranger to setting up in places with chequered histories.

Its first property, acquired in 1997, was the Music World Discotheque at Odeon Katong, now the site of its main services in the Katong neighbourhood. It has since taken over six additional units in the same building, all formerly KTVs, pubs or massage parlours.