Penny Lane Mall
In 1973 the Penny Lane Mall was built in downtown Calgary, Alberta, preserving the facade of a block of older buildings on 8th Avenue SW.[1] According to The Calgary Herald the mall preserved the facade of one of Calgary's first hospitals, the first Colonel Belcher Hospital, a military hospital opened in 1918. The Calgary Herald reported shoppers would be surrounded by "an atmosphere of quality and elegance".
In 1983 The Calgary Herald's Tom Keyser profiled Bob Hutchison, the mall's long-time shoe-shine-boy -- one of only three individuals who still operated a shoe-shine stand in Calgary.[2] Hutchison said the mall's management considered him a "drawing card", so he was charged no rent.
In 1985 Eaton's opened a large department store across the street from the mall.[3] The Calgary Herald reported vendors in the mall welcomed the shoppers the Eaton's store would attract.
According to the 2002 edition of The Canadian Rockies: A Colourguide the Penny Lane Mall was part of an extensive blocks of properties connected by covered walkways at second floor level.[4] The walkways, called +15 because the walkways were approximately 15 feet above street level, allowed shoppers to "cruise the malls in comfort even if the weather is frightful." The guide said, in 2002, that the walkways gave shirtsleeve access to 400 stores.
In 2006 developers planned to demolish the structure and replace it with two modern glass-clad high-rise towers.[5][6] According to The Calgary Herald "The demolition marks the end of a chapter in Calgary's history." Sections of the original sandstone, and original timber beams, will be incorporated into a "historical interpretive display". According to the Calgary Heritage Initiative, heritage enthusiasts tried, and failed, to interest the city or the developers in retaining some portion of the original facade.[7] The developers agreed to incorporate an interpretive display if the "Friends of Penny Lane" would stop lobbying for more ambitious preservation.
See also
[edit]References
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"Facelift finished Penny Lane Mall opens". The Calgary Herald. 1973-08-28. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
Located in a row of turn-of-the-century buildings on 8th Ave. S.W., Penny Lane combines a shopping concept originated in New Orleans with an old English feel.
- ^ Tom Keyser (1983). "Footlights dim for shoeshine sage". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
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Joan Bryden, Don Atkinson (1985-06-12). "Eaton's unveils $210 million two-block project". The Calgary Herald.
Store owners in the Penny Lane Mall, across 8th Avenue from the proposed Eaton's store, welcomed the plans, saying most shoppers now stop at 4th Street S.W.
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Ken McGoogan (2002). The Canadian Rockies: A Colourguide. Formac Publishing Company. p. 20. ISBN 9780887805547. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
Calgary's downtown claim to fame is its so-called Plus-15, a system of enclosed walkways fifteen feet above street level that links office towers and shopping centres so that you can cruise the malls in comfort even if the weather is frightful. Start at The Bay and continue through the Scotia Centre to the Calgary Eaton Centre/TD Square, Bankers Hall and Penny Lane Mall, and you'll find 400 stores, all under one roof.
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"Penny Lane demolition begins". Canada.com. 2007-05-23. Archived from the original on 2013-11-28. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
The walls began to come tumbling down at the Penny Lane mall Tuesday as demolition started on the site to make way for two commercial towers.
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"Work to begin on $1B Penny Lane towers". Canada.com. 2007-03-24. Archived from the original on 2013-11-28. Retrieved 2013-11-28.
Penny Lane was created in 1973 when warehouses and office buildings were combined into a mall. Today, the block includes such well-known nightspots as Cowboys and Ceili's pub.
- ^ "Penny Lane news". Calgary Heritage Initiative. 2006. Archived from the original on 2013-11-28.