When Kuwait’s first master plan was commissioned in 1950, the country was still a British protectorate. In Acquiring Modernity, Hassan Hayat writes, “after gaining independence, a plan was approved to develop Kuwait City as a Central Business District and it continued to decimate remaining elements of the old city. A Second Master Plan was commissioned in 1967 to continue growth beyond the First Master Plan. From all over the world, Kuwait commissioned great architects and engineers to brand its identity with monumental infrastructural and institutional works. The Kuwaiti people were reminded of their old city when they saw the markets and mosques which remained untouched by the rampant destruction.” The stock market crash of 1982 and subsequent recession slowed development down. Three buildings along Fahad Al-Salem Street built during the second master plan phase are Al-Muthanna, Salhiya, and the Marriott Hotel. According to Modern Architecture Kuwait, Al-Muthanna began construction in 1979. Le Méridien Hotel (now the JW Marriott) and the luxury shopping center Salhiya Complex were also built around this time.