Original name The mall opened in 1989 as the
World Trade Center.
Central Group acquired the property in 2002 from the
Wang Phetchabun group and changed the name to Central World Plaza. In 2007, it was renamed CentralWorld. It is on leased
Crown Property Bureau land. In its acquisition, the Central Group's property development arm,
Central Pattana (), secured a new 30-year lease on the site.
Renovations Anticipating the opening of the luxury
Siam Paragon, CPN started massive renovations and expansion on the site in 2002. The original mall structure was , and the expansion plans boosted that to . Though work was not yet complete, CPN held an official opening of the renovated complex on 21 July 2006; it was expected to be fully operational by October 2006. By May 2007, the mall was fully opened, but some parts of the upper floors remained vacant. Major exterior construction was ongoing on the hotel in the northwest corner of the mall and the extension floors to the
ZEN department store in the southeast corner. The renovated complex aimed to attract 150,000 customers per day, spending more than 7 billion
baht annually. It marketed itself as a middle-class shopping center, as opposed to the upper-class Siam Paragon.
Offices at CentralWorld Renovations included completing an unfinished office tower, work on which had been halted in 2003, with only 39 of the planned 63 floors completed. Construction resumed in 2003, expanding the tower to a 45-story, design, with the completed tower opening in December 2004.
2010 fire damage CentralWorld was temporarily closed on 19 May 2010 due to severe arson damage, which occurred as troops dislodged protesters from the area during the
2010 political protests. The adjoining Zen section suffered massive damage from rioters. The Isetan portion was reopened soon after. Following repairs, a large part of CentralWorld was reopened on 28 September that year, with the Zen section reopening on 6 January 2012.
Mall renovations 2016–2018 Renovations included enhanced circulation and simplified navigation, the addition of an escalator in zone A, enhanced linkage to the
BTS Skytrain, and opening of the second
Apple Store in Thailand.
2019 fire and ZEN renamed to Central During the evening rush hour on 10 April 2019, a fire that apparently started elsewhere spread to the eighth floor via air vent pipes, and the mall was ordered evacuated. At least two people, both employees, were reported to have died after jumping from the building. That December, after three decades, ZEN was renamed to Central after a major revamp costing 1 billion baht.
Isetan closure and subsequent renovation On 14 March 2020,
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings and CPN jointly announced the closure of
Isetan Bangkok at CentralWorld as of 31 August 2020, due to the contract expiration. CentralWorld Zone A New Atrium 201801.jpg|Zone A new atrium CentralWorld Atrium in Level 1-2 201801.jpg|The atrium was removed from levels 1–2 CentralWorld Level 2 new shops 201801.jpg|Open shop-front design on level 2 ==Location==