1963, around the same time as similar developments in nearby Ratchaprasong, where the air-conditioned Thai Daimaru department store famously opened in 1964. On the opposite side of Rama I Road, the Siam Inter-Continental Hotel was built on land leased from Sa Pathum Palace as part of the American airline Pan Am's international luxury hotel chain, and opened in 1966. It was operated by the Bangkok Intercontinental Hotels Company (BIHC), who would also build the Siam Center shopping centre, which opened in 1973. Mahboonkrong (later to become known as MBK Center) opened on a nearby plot of university land in 1985, the same year as World Trade Center (now Centralworld) in Ratchaprasong, and the two brought formidable competition to the scene. BIHC opened its second mall, Siam Discovery, in 1997 amidst that year's financial crisis and construction of the BTS Skytrain. By the 1990s, the neighbourhood, and Siam Square in particular, had become known as the city's main lifestyle destination for urban youth, taking over the role previously held by the Wang Burapha area in the 1950s–1960s. The opening of the BTS in 1999, with its central interchange at Siam Station, further cemented the area's prominence, and together with Ratchaprasong, it has been observed to function as a central shopping district, marking the modern-day city centre. The Siam Inter-Continental closed down in 2002, and was replaced by Siam Paragon, the neighbourhood's largest mall, which opened in 2005. The Bangkok Art & Culture Centre opened in 2008. The area's central location led it to be occupied by Red-Shirt protesters in 2010, which ended in a violent military crackdown. Subsequent protest groups have also rallied in the area. Description The Siam area lies along Rama I Road, from the corners surrounding Pathum Wan Intersection, where Rama I crosses Phaya Thai Road, to Chaloem Phao Junction, where it meets Henri Dunant Road. Siam Square occupies the entire block between the junctions on the road's south side, while Siam Discovery, Siam Center and Siam Paragon occupy the north side from west to east. The Bangkok Art & Culture Centre sits on the northwest corner of Pathum Wan Intersection, while MBK Center occupies the southwest corner, on Chulalongkorn University land. Beyond MBK to the west is the National Stadium complex, while east of Chaloem Phao, Wat Pathum Wanaram (on the road's north side) separates the string of malls from those of Ratchaprasong; the head quarters of