Chinook Centre
| Location |
 Calgary |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°59′54″N 114°04′26″W / 50.99833°N 114.07389°WCoordinates: 50°59′54″N 114°04′26″W / 50.99833°N 114.07389°W |
| Address | 6455 Macleod Trail SW |
| Opening date | 1960 (first phase) |
| Management | Cadillac Fairview |
| Owner | Cadillac Fairview |
| No. of stores and services | 250 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 3 |
| Total retail floor area | 125,884 m2 (1,355,000 sq ft) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | Chinook Centre |
CF Chinook Centre is the largest enclosed shopping centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (1,355,000 square feet (125,900 m2)). It is located near the geographic centre of the city on Macleod Trail, just north of Glenmore Trail about 5 km (3.1 mi) south of downtown, and three blocks west of the Chinook C-Train station.
Chinook Centre is home to three major department stores (only two are in operation while the third is in the process of redevelopment), 250 stores,[1] and several full service restaurants. It also contains a 900 seat food court offering more than 36 food vendors, a bowling alley, professional tower, and the Scotiabank Theatre Chinook (formerly the Paramount), with 16 screens, an IMAX Theatre and two UltraAVX theatres.
The focal point of the mall is a four-storey-high rotunda, with a fibre optic 'constellation' ceiling and a time capsule[2] at the centre's axis, set to be opened in the year 2999.
The mall is owned and operated by Cadillac Fairview, one of Canada's largest real estate property managers and developers.
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 and the adjacent Skyline drive-in and driving range.[3] 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 the mid-1960s, 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, larger mall was renamed Chinook Ridge Shopping Centre, and included a major enclosed parking structure, a movie theatre, an office tower, and a food court.
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In the 1980s, a two-storey wing of specialty retailers was added leading to a new anchor store (fashion retailer Bretton's since closed) and a new food court. This expansion brought the mall's store count to approximately 300.
Overhaul
In the late 1990s, Chinook underwent a $300 million renovation. The complex was rebuilt in three phases, while remaining open for business during the three-year construction period. The move to larger format retailers reduced the number of stores to approximately 200, added brand new stores for Sears, the Bay and Zellers, and reinstated the mall's movie theatre, now a larger, Egyptian-themed structure anchoring the mall's south end, including an IMAX screen. The 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. An exception is the mall's bowling alley, which remains in its original basement location today. The longstanding Chinook public library branch closed; it had been located next to the bowling alley and the space is now used by the mall for employee training.
2010 Expansion
On September 29, 2010 a major expansion to the mall was opened, adding 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m2) of new retail space. The new two-level wing added approximately 60 new retailers to Chinook, many of which were new to the Calgary market or considered high-end luxury brand stores. New stores included Abercrombie & Fitch, Anthropologie, Apple Store, Armani Exchange, BCBG Max Azria, Coach, Geox, Guess, Harry Rosen, Hollister Co., Kiehls, Lacoste, Michael Kors, Oakley, Skechers, True Religion and Urban Outfitters.[4][5] A two-level underground parkade was also added as part of the expansion, augmenting the mall's existing above-ground and structured parking.
Future Expansion Plans
Chinook Centre is now looking to add another 2.3 million square feet for a total of approximately 3.65 million, making it the second biggest in North America.[6] Also, a pedestrian walkway leading from the Chinook LRT station to the mall is being designed.[7][8]
Anchor Store Closures
Chinook Centre lost two anchors in 2012, Sears and Zellers, The Zellers location was redeveloped as a Target that opened on May 6, 2013 and on September 19, 2014, Nordstrom moved into the space that was previously occupied by Sears. As of April 11, 2015, Target closed down permanently due to bankruptcy. At this point, it is unknown what company will take Target's place, but rumors have been passed that the new tenant may be a Loblaws Affiliate
Anchor stores
Scotiabank Theatre Chinook
Former Anchor Stores
Sears - closed in 2012, replaced by Nordstrom in 2014.
Zellers- closed in 2012, replaced by Target in 2013
Target (formerly Zellers) - closed April 11, 2015
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chinook Centre. |
References
- ↑ "Chinook Centre". Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Time Capsule Content". Chinook Centre. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- ↑ Foran, Max (1982). Calgary, Canada's frontier metropolis : an illustrated history. Windsor Publications. p. 306. ISBN 0-89781-055-4.
- ↑ "Chinook Centre expansion brings 'global brands'". CBC News. September 28, 2010. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/2010wintergames/Chinook+expansion+include+first+Abercrombie+Fitch+Calgary/2411911/story.html Archived January 21, 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Zickefoose, Sherri (July 27, 2013). "Chinook Centre expansion plan inches closer". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014.
- ↑ "Chinook Centre announces $275-million expansion". The Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada: Canwest Publishing Inc.). February 15, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
- ↑ Land Use Planning & Policy (June 2008). "Chinook Station Area Plan" (PDF). City of Calgary. p. 41. Retrieved September 26, 2009.
External links
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