The mall's location was once an open land owned by the SSS at Ortigas Central Business District. In February 1986, the portion of the land facing EDSA was where participants in the People Power Revolution also protested; tanks going north to Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame were stopped at this spot. In 1987, John Gokongwei bought the large portion of the land from the SSS, while the Archdiocese of Manila had partly purchased the portion of the land near the intersection. This plot today is the site of EDSA Shrine, which belongs to the Archdiocese. Construction began in mid-1988 and finished in late 1989. The mall opened in 1990, being the first mall of Robinsons Malls. Since its opening, several renovations had made within the mall, expanding its area to 216,000 square meters.
On March 29, 2012, one guard was killed and six others wounded after two armed robbers lobbed a couple of grenades while fleeing with their loot. The Philippine National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said that by 10:15 AM, two unidentified suspects in disguise as guards attacked two bank guards who were escorting bank tellers and were supposed to deliver an undetermined amount of money in a money changer shop at the mall's ground floor.
On October 29, 2013 a fire broke out inside the department store's toy section. The fire started at around 11:00 PM when the employees who were decorating Christmas lights inside the mall rushed out the mall to flee the premises. Guests from the Holiday Inn evacuated and moved to the adjacent Crowne Plaza Hotel. The fire raged for about six hours. The fire was under control the next morning, and the mall was closed for two days. The mall soon reopened by noon on November 1, 2013.
Redevelopment
The mall had gone for several renovations since it opened in 1990. In 2012, the mall took its major facelift with additional GLA of around 100,000 square meters that can cater at least 50 tenants. The said developments expanded the mall's GLA to what is now 216,000 square meters. The latest redevelopment had started in 2016. It will be done in 2 phases with its first phase of renovation from May to October 2016 while the second phase was to start in May 2017. Aside from the major renovations within the mall, the mall veranda will host more service stores related to health and beauty. There will be an upper veranda at the 3rd floor, formerly occupying the sports loop, which will accommodate more dining choices. The mall's renovation is almost complete. The mall's renovation will add wooden elements into the mall, a design similar to Robinsons Galleria Cebu.
Urban legend
There was an urban legend in the 1990s about a half-snake, half-human creature that resided in the basement of the mall. It was claimed as a lucky charm installed by the Gokongwei family. The story claimed that Filipino actresses Alice Dixson and Rita Avila were among the victims of the creature. Based on the story Dixson survived while Avila died and the one who appears today on television is purportedly a clone. Many female shoppers avoided its department store during that time. Although the rumor is now considered absurd and dead, it revived in 2010 after a supposed YouTube video depicting it.
