Chinook Centre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chinook Centre |
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 Chinook Centre's iconic main entry and office tower at dusk |
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| Mall facts and statistics | |
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| Location | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Opening date | 1960 (first phase) |
| Developer | Cadillac Fairview |
| Management | Cadillac Fairview |
| Owner | Cadillac Fairview |
| No. of stores and services | 200 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 12 |
| Total retail floor area | 1,175,000 ft / 109,161 m².² |
| Parking | 5,000+ |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | Chinook Centre.com |
Chinook Centre is the largest enclosed shopping mall (by area) in Calgary, Alberta (1,175,000 square feet / 109,161 m²). It is also the most visited. It is located near the geographic centre of the city on Macleod Trail SW, just north of Glenmore Trail about 5 km (3 miles) south of downtown, and three blocks west of the Chinook C-Train station.
The mall is owned by Cadillac Fairview, one of Canada's largest real estate property managers and developers.
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[edit] History
In 1960, with Calgary's population and city limits rapidly expanding, the original section of Chinook Centre was opened on the site of the Chinook Drive-In Theatre. Designed as an open-air complex, the mall was anchored by Woodward's, Holt Renfrew, a bowling alley, and a branch of the Calgary Public Library, in addition to a variety of other higher-end stores. The centre was enclosed a few years later, and quickly became a focal point of social life for affluent Calgarians.
In the mid 60's, a separate mall, Southridge, was opened across the street from Chinook. Built to be a competing centre with Sears and approximately 30 other stores, Southridge operated separately until 1974, when the malls came under common ownership and an expansion was built to bridge the centres together. The new, much larger mall was renamed Chinook Ridge Shopping Centre, and included a major enclosed parking structure, an office tower, and a food court.
A major expansion and renovation in the early 1980’s saw the addition of a new department store (fashion retailer Bretton's), a new 2-storey wing of specialty retailers, and a movie theatre (which closed down a few years later). The expansion also brought the mall's store count to approximately 300.
The piece-by-piece construction had resulted in a disjointed, ill-conceived layout which confused and frustrated shoppers. By the mid-1990’s, the centre had become extremely outdated. While it was still the largest mall in Calgary, other local malls were attracting more shoppers and new stores with expansions of their own.
Planning for a complete overhaul of Chinook Centre began in 1995. In 1998, after several setbacks caused by a change in mall ownership, the massive, $300 million renovation project was launched. The entire complex was stripped to its structure and completely rebuilt in 3 phases, while remaining open for business during the three-year construction period. Overall, the square footage of the centre was not significantly increased. However, the move to 'flagship' retailers requiring more space reduced the number of stores to approximately 200, down from 300 at its peak.
This re-merchandising program was unkind to smaller, locally owned and operated retailers, who were squeezed out by soaring rents and the 'upscaling' of the property. A coin collector shop, comic book store, British goods shop, and pet store were some of the casualties.
[edit] Chinook Centre today
Chinook Centre is home to three major department stores, 200+ stores, and several full service restaurants. It still contains its original bowling alley, as well as the city's largest movie theatre complex, the Famous Players Paramount Calgary, with 16 screens and an IMAX. The mall also provides opportunities for more prominent retailers to design their own exterior facades.
Today, Chinook has the 3rd highest sales per square foot of any mall in Canada, at approximately $805 (numbers from June 2006). Only Toronto Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto have higher sales. As such, it is home to many higher-end stores, many of which are not found anywhere else in Alberta.
The focal point of the new mall is a 4-storey high rotunda, with a fibre optic 'constellation' ceiling and a time capsule[1] at the centre's axis, set to be opened in the year 2999. Also at the centre of the mall is a vast food court which was the largest in Western Canada when completed. The title was lost in 2005 to Metrotown Mall’s new food court in Burnaby, British Columbia. Roughly the size of a football field, containing seating for 900, and offering 20-some food vendors, the food court overlooks 'Scraptor', a 20-foot tall dinosaur fashioned out of old farming equipment parts.
The mall contains three architecturally distinct ‘zones’, which also categorize store types to some extent. The north end contains mostly mid-priced ‘family’ oriented merchants, mid-to-upper-priced ‘young adult’ tenants occupy the south end, and higher-priced ‘lifestyle’ stores are clustered around the central rotunda.
Chinook Centre also hosts one of the world's largest free pancake breakfasts. This world-renowned event is traditionally held on the first Saturday of the Calgary Stampede.
[edit] Retailers
Chinook Centre is anchored by Sears, The Bay, and Zellers department stores. Junior anchors include Old Navy, Chapters, Sport Chek, and GAP.
In late 2005, the upscale US chain Williams-Sonoma opened a 4,500 square foot / 418 m² location, the fifth Canadian store in the chain, and the first store outside of the Toronto area. Its opening day sales were the second highest of any location in the company's history, second only to Manhattan's flagship store.
The store was followed shortly by a 15,500 square foot / 1,440 m² Chinook Centre Pottery Barn (a division of Williams-Sonoma), the first Alberta store.
Apple Store and Sephora Cosmetics have also selected the centre for their first Western Canadian stores, with both expected to open in 2007. Abercrombie and Fitch and Lacoste are also rumoured to be opening in Chinook Centre in Spring 2007.
[edit] Anchors
- The Bay (203,342 sq. ft. / 18,891.1 m²)
- Chapters (20,889 sq. ft. / 1,940.7 m²)
- Chinook Bowladrome (23,808 sq. ft. / 2,211.8 m²)
- Famous Players (90,000 sq. ft. / 8,361.3 m²)
- Gap (21,538 sq. ft. / 2,000.9 m²)
- Jacob (15,696 sq. ft. / 1,458.2 m²)
- Old Navy (19,223 sq. ft. / 1,785.9 m²)
- Sears (172,986 sq. ft. / 16,070.9 m²)
- Shoppers Drug Mart (15,059 sq. ft. / 1,399 m²)
- Sport Chek (19,980 sq. ft. / 1,856.2 m²)
- Zara (14,278 sq. ft. / 1,326.5 m²)
- Zellers (115,586 sq. ft. / 10,738.3 m²)
[edit] Specialty Retailers
Notable specialty retailers at the mall include:
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[edit] Expansion plans
Currently pending approval is a major 180,000 square foot expansion to the mall's northeast side. The plan includes two underground parking garages, two floors of retail space, and between 60 and 80 higher-end stores. A valet parking service is also planned. Work is expected to begin in January, 2008, for a summer 2010 completion. It is widely anticipated that Restoration Hardware, Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn Kids will anchor this new wing.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Chinook Centre - list of items in Chinook Centre's time Capsule
[edit] External link
| Attractions and landmarks in Calgary | |
|---|---|
| Landmarks | Calgary Tower · Fairmont Palliser · Mewata Armouries · Petro-Canada Centre · Stephen Avenue · +15 · Tallest buildings |
| Attractions | Calaway Park · Canada Olympic Park · Fort Calgary · Glenbow Museum · Heritage Park Historical Village · The Military Museums · Stampede Grounds · TELUS World of Science · Zoo · Festivals |
| Venues | EPCOR Centre · Foothills Stadium · McMahon Stadium · Olympic Oval · Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium · Spruce Meadows · Pengrowth Saddledome · Talisman Centre |
| Parks | Battalion Park · Devonian Gardens · Edworthy Park · Fish Creek Provincial Park · Millennium Park · Nose Hill Park |
| Malls | Eaton Centre · Chinook Centre · Dragon City Mall · Market Mall · Marlborough Mall · Southcentre Mall · Sunridge Mall · TD Square |
