Marlborough Mall
Encyclopedia
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.
The current anchor store
s are Sears
and Wal-Mart
.
. 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.
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.
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.
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 new tile, additional skylights, and a new mall corridor to access an expansion to Wal-Mart. Construction of a modest, 10000 sq ft (929 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.
has also operated from the west parking lot in the past.
Other community activities have included geology displays by the University of Calgary
.
A five story "professional building" houses medical offices including dental, general practice, and sports medicine.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
located in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
. Opened in 1972, the mall has expanded several times and today includes approximately 100 stores and services, and encompasses over 584,000 square feet.
The current anchor store
Anchor store
In retail, an anchor store, draw tenant, anchor tenant, or key tenant is one of the larger stores in a shopping mall, usually a department store or a major retail chain....
s are Sears
Sears Canada
Sears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
and Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Canada
Wal-Mart Canada Corp. is the Canadian unit of Walmart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga, Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco stores from Woolworth Canada....
.
Location
The mall is located in the north-east quadrant of the city, in the community of Marlborough next to the Marlborough C-Train StationMarlborough (C-Train)
Marlborough is a stop on the Northeast Line of the C-Train light rail system in Calgary, Alberta.The station is located in the centre of 36 Street Northeast, located near its intersection with 8 Avenue Northeast/Marlborough Drive Northeast. It is located near Calgary's Marlborough neighborhood and...
. 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
Sunridge Mall
Sunridge Mall is a major enclosed shopping mall in Calgary, Alberta containing 807,635 square feet / 75,031.7 m² of retail space. It is the leading shopping centre in the city's northeast quadrant, located at the corner of 36th Street NE and 26th Avenue NE. It is adjacent to the Rundle LRT station...
as well as a Real Canadian Superstore
Real Canadian Superstore
Real Canadian Superstore is a chain of hypermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to RCSS or 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 WoolcoWoolco
Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in the city of Columbus, Ohio, by the F.W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At its peak, Woolco had hundreds of stores in...
as the flagship store. Renovations later added Simpsons-Sears
Sears Canada
Sears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
at the north end of the mall. The mall also featured a Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
until the 1990s, when the store moved to its own location west of 36th Street.
In addition to a dedicated food court, both Woolco and Simpson's-Sears originally offered cafeteria-style restaurants. In 1994, Woolco
Woolco
Woolco was an American-based discount retail chain. It was founded in 1962 in the city of Columbus, Ohio, by the F.W. Woolworth Company. It was a full-line discount department store unlike the five-and-dime Woolworth stores which operated at the time. At its peak, Woolco had hundreds of stores in...
was taken over by Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Canada
Wal-Mart Canada Corp. is the Canadian unit of Walmart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga, Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco stores from Woolworth Canada....
, 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.
A Cineplex Odeon
Cineplex Odeon
Cineplex Odeon Corporation was one of North America's largest movie theatre operators, with theatres in its home country of Canada and the United States...
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 new tile, additional skylights, and a new mall corridor to access an expansion to Wal-Mart. Construction of a modest, 10000 sq ft (929 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.
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 CircusRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
has also operated from the west parking lot in the past.
Other community activities have included geology displays by the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
.
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.
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| 1990 | 2005 |
Anchors
- SearsSears CanadaSears Canada Inc. is a retailer, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, that operates in all provinces and territories across Canada with a network of 196 corporate stores, 195 dealer stores, 38 home improvement showrooms, 108 Sears Travel offices and a nationwide home maintenance, repair, and...
12626.9 square metres (135,914.8 sq ft) - Wal-MartWal-Mart CanadaWal-Mart Canada Corp. is the Canadian unit of Walmart and was founded in 1994 in Mississauga, Ontario with the purchase of the Canadian Woolco stores from Woolworth Canada....
14827.3 square metres (159,599.7 sq ft)