Marlborough Mall
 A Marlborough Mall entrance | |
 | |
| Location |  Calgary Alberta Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°03′17″N 113°58′42″W / 51.05472°N 113.97833°W |
| Address | 515 Marlborough Way NE |
| Opening date | 1972 |
| Management | 20 VIC Management Inc. |
| No. of stores and services | 107 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 2 (major) |
| Total retail floor area | 52,191.9 m2 (561,789 sq ft) |
| No. of floors | 1 |
| Website | Marlborough Mall |
Marlborough Mall is a shopping mall located in Calgary, Alberta. Opened in 1972, the mall has expanded several times and today includes approximately 100 stores and services, and encompasses over 584,000 square feet.[1]
The current anchor stores are Sears and Wal-Mart.
Location
The mall is located in the north-east quadrant of the city, in the community of Marlborough next to the Marlborough C-Train Station. It is located at the corner of Memorial Drive and 36th Street.
Physically it shares the same block as the Applewood Village condominiums. The south and west ends of the mall are bound by 4-lane divided roads. The mall itself is located in a residential zone on the edges of the Franklin commercial area and is nearly surrounded by other commercial ventures. To the west lies a commercial park with a car dealership and several mini-malls and standalone retailers. One block to the northwest lies Pacific Place (formerly Franklin Mall) and directly north is a strip mall. The larger, 2 level Sunridge Mall as well as a Real Canadian Superstore outlet is one C-Train stop to the north, about 2000 metres away, itself in a very large commercial setting with several blocks of stores concentrated together.
History
The mall was originally built in the early 1970s, with Woolco as the flagship store. Renovations later added Simpsons-Sears at the north end of the mall. The mall also featured a Safeway until the 1990s, when the store moved to its own location west of 36th Street.[2]
In addition to a dedicated food court, both Woolco and Simpson's-Sears originally offered cafeteria-style restaurants. In 1994, Woolco was taken over by Wal-Mart, and Woolco's "Red Grille" closed in 1994 when Walmart took over the chain, replacing it with a McDonald's outlet. Sears removed its cafeteria during major renovations in the 1990s.
In the 1970s-80s, a toy specialty store called "Tops'N'Toys" operated from the mall; it went out of business after chain retailer Toys "R" Us opened for business in Calgary in 1984, including one location one block west of the mall in the Franklin commercial area (which later closed).
A Cineplex Odeon theatre with 3 screens operated until the early 1990s. A bar and grill was located opposite the theatre, but is currently occupied by the mall administration offices. A large video arcade also opened in the mall in the 1980s, and the food court offered table-mounted arcade games.
In the early 2000s a 45 degree angle at the northern end of the mall was remodelled as Sears expanded and completely renovated the store. After the renovations, the entrance to Sears met the mall perpendicularly rather than at an angle.
In 2005 the mall underwent a total interior renovation that saw the addition of new tile, additional skylights, and a new mall corridor to access an expansion of Wal-Mart. Construction of a modest, 10,000 sq ft (930 m2). expansion began in the summer of 2010 and will involve the addition of a loading dock and space for three new retailers; construction is scheduled to end in December 2010.[3]
Community
The mall has served as a focal point for social events, hosting a small carnival midway in the west parking lot every summer in the 1970s and 1980s. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has also operated from the west parking lot in the past. Other community activities have included geology displays by the University of Calgary.[4]
Layout
The mall is fully enclosed and built as a split level, with the northern portion of the mall slightly higher than the southern. A standard 13-unit food court is located where the split occurs, and has both an upper and lower deck for seating.
A five story "professional building" houses medical offices including dental, general practice, and sports medicine.
| 1990 | 2005 |
Anchors
References
- ^ This includes administrative areas and interior trafficways, not just retail space.Project website, accessed Sept. 27, 2010
- ^ As indicated in the article on anchor stores, it was found that grocery stores make poor anchors as visits to the store result in few stops to other shops.
- ^ Project website, accessed Sept. 27, 2010
- ^ U of C article
External links
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