From the Toyota building to Dubai Zoo: Remembering Dubai’s iconic landmarks

Dubai: The planned demolition of Dubai’s iconic Toyota Building in 2027 has sparked a wave of nostalgia, as long-time residents look back at the landmarks that once formed an important part of the city’s story.

Officially known as the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building, the more than 50-year-old structure has stood through decades of Dubai’s transformation. Surrounded today by gleaming skyscrapers, its distinctive Toyota sign made it a familiar part of Sheikh Zayed Road.

As Dubai has grown at a remarkable pace, older buildings and landmarks have made way for new developments, communities and residential areas. Yet for many residents and citizens, these places remain part of the city’s collective memory, not simply as buildings but as settings for some of their earliest memories of Dubai.

The Toyota Building is the latest reminder of how quickly the city’s landscape can change. Here is a look back at some of Dubai’s much-loved landmarks that are no longer part of the city but remain fondly remembered.

1. Toyota building 

The Toyota Building remains a familiar sight on Sheikh Zayed Road but it is set for demolition in 2027.

The landmark has been part of Dubai’s landscape for more than five decades, witnessing the city’s transformation around it. Officially known as the Nasser Rashid Lootah Building, the 15-storey residential complex was completed in 1974, when Sheikh Zayed Road was far less developed.

It became known as the Toyota Building after a bright red neon Toyota sign was installed on its roof in 1981. The sign remained a familiar feature of Dubai’s skyline for around four decades before being removed in 2018 and restored in 2022.

2. Chicago Beach Hotel

Before the arrival of luxury resorts on Dubai’s beaches, there was the Chicago Beach Hotel.

Opened in 1977, the seven-storey hotel was one of Dubai’s earliest major beachfront resorts. Set along a relatively quiet stretch of Jumeirah Beach, it became a popular social and weekend destination during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, when the area looked very different from today.

The hotel took its name from the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, which had previously built large floating oil-storage tanks along the local coastline.  

The Chicago Beach Hotel was demolished in a controlled blast on June 27, 1997, after 20 years of operation. Its former site was transformed into one of Dubai’s most recognisable stretches of coastline, eventually becoming home to the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab and Wild Wadi Waterpark.

3. Hard Rock Cafe, Sheikh Zayed Road

For motorists travelling from Dubai towards Abu Dhabi in the late 1990s and 2000s, the giant crossed guitars of the original Hard Rock Cafe were hard to miss.

Opened in December 1997, with an opening performance by rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry, the restaurant stood on Sheikh Zayed Road near what was then the outskirts of Dubai. At the time, the surrounding area was far less developed, making the enormous guitar structure an unmistakable landmark.

That landscape changed rapidly with the development of Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Beach Residence and surrounding commercial and residential districts.

The original Hard Rock Cafe closed in March 2009 and was demolished in 2013. The brand later relocated to Dubai Festival City Mall, where it reopened in 2011 with another large signature guitar on its exterior.

4. Golden Cinema

Long before multiplexes became a standard feature of Dubai’s shopping malls, standalone cinemas were important community gathering places.

Plaza Cinema, also known as Golden Cinema, opened in Bur Dubai in 1972, near Al Ghubaiba Bus Station and Dubai Creek. With more than 1,500 seats, it was among the city’s early modern standalone theatres and became particularly popular for Hindi, Malayalam and Tamil films.

The cinema permanently closed on May 2, 2015, and was later demolished as the area underwent further urban development.

5. Al Nasr Cinema

Another familiar name for generations of Dubai moviegoers was Al Nasr Cinema on Oud Metha Road, near Al Nasr Leisureland.

Opened in the early 1980s, the single-screen cinema became a popular destination at a time when standalone theatres were a major part of the city’s entertainment scene.

Al Nasr Cinema closed in March 2006 and was later heavily damaged by an interior fire in December 2008. Like many older cinemas, it had faced increasing competition from the modern multiplexes that began appearing in Dubai’s shopping malls during the late 1990s and 2000s.

6. Strand Cinema

In Bur Dubai, Strand Cinema was another familiar name from the era of single-screen theatres.

Opened in the 1970s near the Bur Dubai-Karama junction, the cinema was known for screening Bollywood and Western films and became a popular entertainment spot for local residents.

Strand Cinema eventually closed around 2004 and was later demolished, disappearing along with many of the city’s older standalone cinemas as the multiplex era took hold.

7. Dubai Zoo

For many people who grew up in Dubai, a school year was not complete without a visit to Dubai Zoo. The original zoo in Jumeirah opened in 1967 and operated for 50 years before permanently closing on November 5, 2017. Its animals were relocated to the then-new Dubai Safari Park in Al Warqa.

The historic five-acre Jumeirah site has since been cleared. Shamal Holding awarded construction contracts to transform the former zoo land into a low-rise residential community with 90 premium rental homes set around green spaces and courtyards. In 2026, Shamal Holding revealed that it had selected Dutco Construction as the primary contractor for its latest residential development.

For generations of Dubai residents, however, the site remains closely associated with childhood memories of family and school trips.

8. Ramada Hotel, Bur Dubai

For more than three decades, the Ramada Hotel in Al Mankhool was a familiar part of Bur Dubai’s landscape.

Opened in 1983, when the area was still developing, the 14-storey, four-star hotel became a well-known community fixture. It remained in operation for 33 years before permanently closing on August 31, 2016.

The building was subsequently demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development, marking the end of another long-standing landmark in the city’s older neighbourhoods.

9. Lamcy Plaza

Not every familiar landmark has disappeared, some simply sit quietly in the cityscape, waiting for their next chapter.

Lamcy Plaza in Oud Metha opened in 1997 and quickly became a popular community mall, with more than 150 shops, a cinema and a hypermarket. Its five-storey building was a familiar destination for residents for years.

A major fire in March 2017 brought the mall’s operations to an abrupt end. Plans for a quick reopening did not materialise, and the building has remained largely unused for years.

After several unsuccessful attempts to sell or redevelop the property, Lamcy Plaza was sold at an online auction for Dh188.7 million in September 2025. The buyer’s identity has not been disclosed, and its eventual future, whether it will be renovated, demolished or redeveloped remains unclear.