In what could mark the end of an era in Dubai’s history, the authorities have decided to demolish the emirate’s well-known Toyota Building on Sheikh Zayed Road. The 15-storey Nasser Rashid Lootah Building got the title Toyota Building after a neon Toyota signboard was installed on the building’s roof, which has remained for over four decades.
The building will be demolished in 2027, and the process to evacuate the residents has entered its final stages. According to local media reports, few tenants remain there, and some were seen moving their furniture and belongings from the residential units amid power outages in large parts of the building.
The building management has confirmed to media that 95% of the tenants have been evacuated so far, and only four occupied apartments remain. The building will be completely evacuated within a month.
For more than five decades, the building has stood on Sheikh Zayed Road, witnessing the rapid transformations that reshaped Dubai’s skyline.
Maintenance refused
According to the building management, the demolition decision came after Dubai Municipality did not approve the building's maintenance work, given its current condition. This triggered an evacuation in preparation for demolition.
The administration explained that one of the reasons for the evacuation was the high population density in the building, which contributed to the measures related to its evacuation.
Many of the flats have been illegally partitioned, a representative of the building’s real estate department has told Khaleej Times, adding that some apartments had as many as 15 people living in partitioned rooms. "The authorities concerned asked the building management to evict these overcrowded apartments. Currently, 70 per cent of the building has been evicted," he added.
The Dubai government has been cracking down on the illegally partitioned rooms, saying the practice violates regulations and can pose a direct threat to residents’ safety. So, when the instruction came for those staying in partitioned rooms to leave, the resident believed the action would stop there.
“First the people who were staying in partitioned rooms were asked to move out,” he said. “So we first thought it was a crackdown on the partitioned rooms. But soon the company accommodation lodgers like us were also asked to shift,” grocery store employee Ahmed told Khaleej Times.
