In Nairobi County, Adams Arcade is one of the most luxurious yet reasonably priced estates for middle-class residents.
Along with having reasonable rental costs, the bus to Adams Arcade costs between Ksh30 and Ksh50. It is reachable since matatus traveling Ngong Road and even a railway going through Kibera, which costs Ksh35, are connected to the middle-class estate.
Before 1968, when Adams Arcade was officially chosen as the name of the estate, it was referred to as “Koronia” by matatu drivers who had trouble pronouncing colonial.
It was given the Abdul Habib Adam name in honor of the prosperous Arab entrepreneur who founded Reliance Motor Transport.
White settlers and the British soldiers were both associated with the estate. However, over time, British soldiers established a logistical depot and acquired control of the sizable territory.
However, as global hostilities dwindled, the British Military relocated to the Eastleigh region.
However, despite their efforts, Adams Arcade continued to grow as European settlers welcomed the region as a result of favorable conditions and investments.
The number of European immigrants in the region led to an increase in demand in Nairobi for houses for middle-class families.
Municipal European Housing Scheme, founded in 1948 along Ngong Road, tightened its noose when housing demand rose to keep the influx from damaging Woodley Estate Scheme.
White settlers and the British soldiers were both associated with the estate. However, over time, British soldiers established a logistical depot and acquired control of the sizable territory.
However, as global hostilities dwindled, the British Military relocated to the Eastleigh region.
Named for Mayor Alderman F.G.R. Woodley, the protected Woodley Estate Scheme was made up of a variety of housing units that were exclusively available to a select group of aristocrats. Municipal officials, secretaries, and personal aides were among them.
The first inhabitants of the land were the military, with whom Habib Adam had a significant deal of business. They were heavily in debt prior to leaving.
The land was then given to Habib as payment for the debt by Mayor Woodley.
Habib transformed Adams Arcade into a one-stop shopping center with a definite expansion strategy in mind, making it the first of its kind in the entire East African region.
The building was conceived in South Africa. The Total gas station was the first building to be built there in 1954.
“In exchange for signing a contract, Habib persuaded the Total oil firm to develop a gas station on a piece of the land he had purchased. The shopping center’s initial phase was then funded by him and finished in 1959 “The website for Adams Arcade stated.
Nine stores and nine three-bedroom apartments with balconies made up the first phase. The early occupants included a butchery, a bakery, a post office, a Deacons store, a Bata store, a green market, a chemist, and a Standard Chartered bank.
“British Army servicemen and their wives were the initial occupants of the nine flats on the top floor. Adams Arcade was the name of the shopping center, the website added.
The neighborhood kept growing, drawing in real estate investors who surrounded it with Jamhuri Estate and Woodley Housing Scheme.
